Gaynor Minden Pointe Shoes

[Legseleven]

Hi Jazzpaws, we have resisted GMs so far because of the cost and also because the Grishko Vaganovas have worked well for DD. It's interesting that it is possible to roll up through demi-pointe in GMs despite the shoe allowing 'springing up', as the Vaganovas are also designed for springing onto pointe but DD has had no problem rolling up and down in them. This was despite having been instructed to do NO breaking in or softening at all on the Vaganovas before wearing them, having just had the disaster of Freeds dying within a very short time.

 

I know that Freeds do last longer for some dancers, Spannerandpony, but sadly DD is not one of them! I had read that generally Freeds are not known for longevity but that may have been just a subjective opinion.

 

Who knows why there is prejudice against GMs? Maybe some teachers still take the view that the old ways are always best, that they suffered with pointe work so suffering must be expected, etc. - but if students are allowing the shoes to spring them onto pointe rather than rolling up and down correctly, I can understand why that might be blamed on the shoes rather than, correctly, on the student.

[Dancer Sugar Plum]

I think I should add I don't mean I relied on the shoe to do the work for me when I was using Gaynors. It's just that because they feel so different from traditional pointe shoes it felt strange for a while when I stopped using them. With Gaynors, the shank feels like it flexes/moves with your feet as you roll up en pointe, which is where the sensation of 'helping you on to pointe' comes from. I can see that it would be easy to 'miss-out' demi-pointe as you rise/roll up with these shoes. With traditional shoes you don't get this sensation. Personally, I have not come across any teachers who were completely against Gaynors, however one of my teachers are not keen on them for one reason. She said they 'put' you in a position you can't change. So if you are slightly too far over your pointe, you can't rein yourself back in, if that makes sense. I should add that this was not my experience of them - I hadn't been using them long enough to say whether this was true for me or not. If they had suited me better I think I would probably like them more than traditional shoes. However, I think they look very different from traditional pointe shoes while standing flat - it's their shape and colour that makes them stand out.

[Spax]

My dd loves Freeds, always has and uses them for special occasions as she was going through them quick but hadn't tried the hardner (sellac, might have spelt it wrong) she went to Bloch and tried Bloch Serenades, perfect, hard wearing and last. She is on them everyday, and uses for rehearsals and touring as well. She just rings up and they deliver no fitting required. Super fit.

[Spax]

Gaynor were ok but don't make your feet work.

Dd teachers didn't like them for the older girls when she was part time, they liked Bloch.

Wearing GM in auditions is fine like my dd would use Freeds. They are looking at your technic not what shoes your wearing. Wear what your comfortable and looks nice in auditions. But for training and long lasting Bloch Serenades for dd.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Spax

[CharlieChuck]

Okay so I know there is a huge debate about GM's being a cheat shoe but they are the "only" shoe that work for me. I cannot stress enough how much they have helped and have made my feet stronger. I got my first pair of GM's from Just Ballet and still have them but the stain is starting to fray on the bottom, revealing the inside lining. So treated myself to a new pair through GM themselves. Turns out I'm actually a medium width and not a wide, was quite surprised giving how I'm a wide fit in every other shoe. Grishko I'm taking a 4X, Capezio was an E, sometimes double E and don't even get me started on Blochs and Russian Pointes they are just not for me at all, regardless of how pretty they are. 

 

Anyway, I ended up getting the Luxe GM's and blimey were they worth the wait. The Anti-crease satin is a god send however I have noticed that they seem to crease a lot more around the front of my box...They are a perfect fit, incredibly comfortable. But for the love of all pointe shoes the heels will not stay on and keep falling down. I've pulled the drawstring as tight as I could and have elastic to help keep the heel on but it just keeps falling down. I cannot stand heel grippers, they irritate my heels for reason. 

 

On another note, has anyone else had the Luxe shoe before? I've only just noticed there is no suede tip, just satin. I know GM do suede tips to buy separately but do they just glue on like normal toe tips?

 

Pointless post is pointless but just felt the need to write something. 

[Anon2]

Charlie, in todays Odette team talk they mention using rosin to help keep shoes on heels.

 

I have glued suede tips onto Grishko before, you need to make sure you stick the edges down well and keep an eye on them. 

 

Good luck with it all

[Balletchick]

I have this problem with some pointe shoes, the only thing that works for me is putting elastic on too. I criss cross it exactly like I do with my flat shoes. You can get invisible looking elastic which just blends into your tights.

 

I've taken RAD vocational exams with elastic on and no one commented that it wasn't allowed.

 

(PS - Yay, my first post!)

[2dancersmum]

Welcome to the forum Balletcick.

 

DD had a pair that kept doing that at the heel too.  As well as the elastic we were advised to try moving the position of the ribbons slightly - slightly further back I guess would make sense but I cannot remember to be honest.  The ribbons were in the same place as on her previous shoes which were fine.  Anyway, it worked - only 3 or 4 millimetres made a big difference to the heel for that particular pair.

[Jan McNulty]

Welcome to the Forum BalletChick.  I hope you'll keep on posting!

[CharlieChuck]

I have this problem with some pointe shoes, the only thing that works for me is putting elastic on too. I criss cross it exactly like I do with my flat shoes. You can get invisible looking elastic which just blends into your tights.

 

I've taken RAD vocational exams with elastic on and no one commented that it wasn't allowed.

 

(PS - Yay, my first post!)

AWH nicely done

 

Yeah the dancing I'm going to be starting in September is RAD. Really excited. I have my elastic in a cross cross, it's how I always have it now instead of the loop but think of maybe adding the loop as well.

[CharlieChuck]

Charlie, in todays Odette team talk they mention using rosin to help keep shoes on heels.

 

I have glued suede tips onto Grishko before, you need to make sure you stick the edges down well and keep an eye on them.

 

Good luck with it all

I can't use Rosin on my skin unfortunately, it really irritates me. I have suede tips coming so hopefully they will do for my GM's even though they are Grishko tips.

[Gargouillade]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum so I hope I am posting everything in the correct format!

 

I am hoping for some advice on switching to Gaynor Mindens. I wear Bloch European Balance but I find that the box is dying faster and faster (while the shank remains fine) and it was getting expensive so I thought I'd switch to Gaynor Mindens. I was told that they would feel different from my usual pointe shoes, and that I'd have to pull up of the shoe more. I tried them at home and everything seemed fine after a bit of getting used to the new feeling, and turns were okay. However, disaster struck in class... I found that I could not really pique into anything at all! Pique into fifth was fine and I could take the front leg off to balance but pique turns across the diagonal, which I am best at, were horrible. I was falling out of the turn and sometimes I could only make it to demi pointe. I couldn't pique arabesque at the end of the combination on my first try as well, and when I succeeded, it felt really unstable, as though I was going to roll over my foot.

 

I am wondering if there is something I am doing wrong technique wise in my Blochs that only become obvious in Gaynors... or is it really just a matter of getting used to the new feeling?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! 

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Ohdette and welcome to the Forum.  Unfortunately I can't answer your query but I am sure some of our other members will be able to offer some thoughts.

 

Please let us know how you get on.

[Gargouillade]

Dear Janet, thank you so much! Hopefully someone will be able to help. My regular classes haven't started up again yet and I would hate to be a complete klutz in front of my teacher 

[CeliB]

I am not an expert but I can offer a perhaps useful second hand experience -  DS's friend who recently joined a major European company has had to change to gaynor mindens as the company (who supply all the dancers' shoes) are unable to source the pointe shoes she has been wearing since she was 10 or so (she is Japanese and her Mum has always sent them from home). In conversation with the shoe master she was told it would take her several months to adjust and she should do it slowly- they asked her to buy and bring at least a months worth of her old shoes so she could do the swap in stages rather than in one go.

Perhaps talk to your teacher about how to adjust most efficiently. H/she will surely have some experience of this and at very least will be able to understand why it is your technique has gone a bit wobbly!

Hope this helps

Good luck

[Nana Lily]

My younger DD tried Gaynor Mindens during the summer term last year. They looked beautiful and she was fine with them for a few weeks. She had two pairs as she had her summer show at vocational school and a summer school immediately after the end of term. The shanks were fine, but the box broke down completely, and she lost all support in the box and feet 'fished' out of them. So sort of opposite to what happens in traditional pointe shoes. have nor accepted that if you are doing a lot of pointe work you get through a lot of shoes, so find a shoe that does what you need for your feet and be prepared to spend money

[Gargouillade]

Thank you so much for the advice CeliB! I guess I will keep alternating between paste shoes and Gaynors until they feel ok!

 

My teacher isn't a fan of Gaynors because she's tried them and couldn't really feel the floor in them. However she is also very accommodating to different foot requirements (and financial restrictions!) and has mentioned that I can wear whatever shoe as long as I can dance in them. The Gaynors feel comfortable enough not for me to wear any padding in them and they were expensive so fingers crossed that I figure it out. I'm hoping that when class starts again she'll be able to advise, as you say! But also don't want to look like I've slacked off in the term break... 

 

Thanks again, I hadn't thought of switching in stages 

[Gargouillade]

Nana Lily, that sounds like the complete opposite of my problem!   I thought Gaynors were meant to be indestructible! Sounds like your DD has wonderfully strong feet.

 

A lot of money has been spent on shoes already (I've been through Grishkos and Suffolks too) and I feel bad about the cost I put my parents through! I do have quite a lot of pointe work, plus annoying feet (compressible, wide at metatarsal due to hereditary bunion, tapered with a low profile and narrow heel). 

[swanprincess]

Sorry I can't help regarding the Gaynors, but you mentioned that you've previously had Suffolks- where did you buy them from? I can't find anywhere local that stocks them anymore

[Gargouillade]

Hi swanprincess, I was fitted a really long time ago in Suffolk Solos in London Capezio and I usually buy a few pairs at once from Porselli Dancewear online. They do go out of stock online pretty quickly in my size (and they only stock two styles I think) so I call up the Suffolk factory if I need some urgently. I try to avoid that though, because they raised their prices!!

 

It seems odd to me that Suffollks are such a popular brand in the US but it's so hard to get hold of them in the country they were made! 

[spooky]

I notice you have previously been wearing Bloch balance european. My dd used to wear these but also used bloch TMT which (I believe) have some of the same technology as Gaynors. Most posters on here seem to have a favourite shoe but I have mentioned before that my dd had a whiole variety of styles/makes and preferred different shoes for classwork (TMT mostly I think for durability), pas-de-deux (balance european or grishko) and performance (Freed were favourites here). In fact I think the only shoe she didn't like were Gaynors!

[JoJo]

My daughter converted to Gaynor's about 6 months ago and now swears by them. She did have non-suede tipped ones to start with which were not as stable as the suede tipped one so just checking you have the suede tipped ones?

[Gargouillade]

Hello spooky, my fitter has never tried to put me in TMT so I'll check it out next time! I agree with your DD, European Balance are lovely for PDD

 

JoJo, I do have the suede-tipped ones. They are quite stable but it's the pique-ing into things I'm having trouble with, I feel as though I am going to roll over my foot and that's a bit terrifying. How long did it take for her to get used to the Gaynors?

[JoJo]

She adapted to them straight away, even without the suede tips! Maybe it's to do with the hardness? You could try the harder shoes - i think they go to extra hard.

[Gargouillade]

Hi JoJo, perhaps I will give that a try if nothing works! I am currently using the second hardest shank

[CeliB]

I recently watched an interesting segment in one of the episodes of 'blood, sweat and blisters', the Dutch National documentary, where one of the dancers talks about her pointe shoe brand suddenly being manufactured in a different way and how she was completely unable to dance in them. The company shoe master has to ring round all the other companies to beg and borrow any spare pairs left lying around to keep her going, and she talks about the time it would be likely to take her to adapt to another shoe type.

I'm sure it varies totally depending on what your feet are like so some people may be able to adapt more easily than others eg the featured dancer had very long toes and high arches so had to have a shoe with a high vamp (is that the correct term?) or she felt like she would roll over it. That's why I would ask advice from someone who can look at your feet in the shoes...(eg your teacher!)

[Balletdancer22]

Hi I purchased i pair of Gaynor mindon point shoes at a well known shop. my DD was fitted in the shop . When we returned home and sewed the ribbons on this is what happened they are fine when she is on point but going through Demi point the heels slip off any ideas why? I am so disappointed as they were expensive .

[aballetlife]

she could just have a narrow heel. try sewing some elastic onto the heel to keep the shoes on. my shoes always come off at the heel of I don't put elastic on but once I do they're fine.

if the shoes are fit well on pointe then they should be fine

[Evangeline Lilly]

My DD came across the same issue and we discovered that Gaynor Minden sell heel grips for just £3. They work very well for my DD and no longer fall off the backs of her feet

[Balletdancer22]

Thank you aballetlife and Evangeline Lilly I appreciate your help.

[Legseleven]

Narrow heels are a menace re pointe shoes! DD's shoes have an elastic loop, with the ends sewn on either side of the back seam so she puts her foot through the loop. With one pair for an exam she was very worried that they would still slip off her heels so the elastic loop was longer and was sewn from underneath her heel where the satin joins the shank, going up alongside the back seam of the shoe and then she had the same loop as usual, it just meant that there was the extra security of the elastic being sewn from underneath her heel as well as from the inside top of the shoe. Hope that makes sense!

 

I didn't know about the GM heel grips - must try them.

[Circe]

Don't suppose you could post a picture of that Legseleven? My dd's pointes always coming off at heel despite various configurations of elastic over time.

[Pas de Quatre]

Most professional dancers use elastic on their pointe shoes in addition to their ribbons - look carefully at photos and you can often see it.  Most just go from the heel in a loop around the ankle, but some do a criss-cross like on soft shoes