En Pointe Orthotics - customised pointe shoe pouches

[pastel]

Hello,

 

moderators - please let me know if this post is in the wrong place. I have added the website to my signature, hope I have done it the right way, open to corrections.

 

My daughter has been using a customised pointe shoe pouch for over a year now. It has made a huge difference to her comfort. She had a lot of pain with pressure on her big toes and was almost at the stage of having to quit ballet rather than applying for vocational school. We were told about this relatively new product and decided to give it a try.

 

We moved from Australia to the UK for her to start school in September. Just before leaving, I took the En Pointe fitter training course and am now qualified to fit dancers. It has taken me a few months to settle into our new home so I'm only just starting to spread the word about this.

 

So, this post is simply to let people know that we are offering the pouches and have set up a website with contact information. I am most happy to answer questions on the forum or privately.

 

The pouches are individually made on the dancer's foot and inside a new pointe shoe. They consist of a custom toe separator and material to even out the weight distribution of the body when en pointe. The material is a two part, soft putty which dries to a flexible consistency to allow the dancer to work through demi-pointe and feel the floor. The product was developed after extensive research and is medically approved for dancers. The pouches help the foot to remain in the optimal alignment position while dancing and allow even distribution of weight thereby preventing deformities. 

 

The link to the website in Australia is http://www.enpointeorthotics.com.au

 

My daughter and I also make a range of ballet hair accessories and jewellery. This has been her little project to help pay for pointe shoes.

 

My details are below.

 

Thank you!

 

 

[Kat09]

They sound interesting Pastel .... a few questions for you 1) how long do they last 2) Did they fit into your daughters normal pointe shoe or did she need to change brand/size 3) How much do they cost and 4) where would we need to come for fitting?

They look a wonderful innovation - good luck with your venture.

[pastel]

Hi Kat09,

 

it varies as to how long they last depending on how much pointe work the dancer does. My daughter has 2 pairs because she was wearing two very differently shaped shoes last year (paste and Gaynors). I would estimate a single pair would last about a year for a full time vocation student. They sometimes wear thin and you patch them with a little of the two part putty. If the dancer is only doing a small amount of pointe work, they would last a couple of years.

 

You need to have them fitted into a pair of pointe shoes just slightly larger than without. We have some very thick toe pads which are used to fit the pointe shoe, then the custom pouches are made inside the new pair of shoes. So, if the dancer already has particularly thick toe pads, they could potentially use the same shoe - but, ideally, a new pair.

 

The RRP is £189, I will be offering a special introductory price of £135.

 

Yes, the dancer would need to come to me or we could arrange a place to meet. I live in Hinckley. The fitting kit is designed to be portable. We did a couple of fittings in Australia at a ballet school and at a dance supply store. The student was fitted with her pointe shoes at the store and we fitted the pouches on site.

 

Thanks for your encouragement.  

[cornishprincess]

I have just had a look at the website..they look amazing.

[taxi4ballet]

Best of luck with your new venture

[MichelleS]

Best of luck - sounds terrific and I really wish such a thing had been available for me when I started pointe work.

 

When you get more settled here and can take on more, I'm sure you'll find huge demand for these via the various fairs such as Move It - you may then find yourself swamped by requests!

 

MichelleS

[Pas de Quatre]

Isn't a similar technology used for Olympic & professional downhill skiers so that they get the ultimate fit for their ski boots?

[pastel]

Pas de Quatre -  You are probably right, I don't know about that - but, my dh says they should be marketing this technology for sports people (he knows about that sort of thing and I don't), he also said they should market them to people who want to wear high heels, fill in those pointy toe bits and make the shoes comfy to wear .