3 Pointers for Your First Pointe Shoes

It’s been requested that I share in a post my classroom pointers when introducing students to pointe shoes and pointe work for the first time.  These are tips that were either imparted to me by my instructors “back in the day” but also some that I have figured out for myself along the way.  Some may be helpful to readers, but others may not apply.  

Once you have been authorized to go on pointe, and I discuss this more thoroughly in Pointer #1, the main advice I give is do what feels right for you.  This is important to gain a sense of as quickly as possible because there is nothing “comfortable” about the first pair of pointe shoes.  Understanding what works for you though will help with fittings, proper shoe selection and avoiding injuries.  I do have to provide a disclaimer that my information is based on my personal 20+ years of dancing en pointe and working with students, but I am not a certified pointe shoes fitter or manufacturer, I am not a medical professional and I am in no way endorsing any brand of pointe shoe nor opposing a recommendation for any pointe shoe.

Pointer #1 Going on Pointe and Selecting the Shoe:

Determining the right time to go on pointe is the first crucial factor to get right.  Unfortunately, I have seen in several studios, mostly non-professional studios, that this is often times considered by the age of the dance student.  While some debate this is due to ensuring the muscles of the feet have been fully developed from a growth perspective, this is an inaccurate measurement of readiness in my opinion.  Readiness for pointe used to be determined by strength and technique of the student’s feet/ footwork.  As a basic guideline, if the student is not participating in at least two 90-minute ballet technique classes per week, they should not go on pointe, and I personally wouldn’t allow someone to go up unless they were taking three classes per week in addition to having the extra basic pointe work as a separate class.  

Some parents and studio owners may disagree, or feel that is too much to expect from a time and tuition perspective, but this is why I feel so many dance students are put on pointe prematurely and usually sustain some sort of injury/ injuries. 

It’s also easy for students and studios to go to the local dance clothing and supply shop to obtain their first pair of toe shoes, however, if your local dance store(s) are basically boutiques, carrying a wide variety of dance wear, jazz and tap shoes, maybe even some ballroom and hair accessories, etc., this would not be my recommendation for finding a first pair of pointe shoes.  You can go there to get a pair to “test” but I always recommend finding a true pointe shoe distributor who works directly with manufacturers if at all possible for you.  Usually the pointe shoe is all they specialize in.  As a student in a small town, there was a selection of three types of pointe shoes for me to try when I was approved for pointe class.  They were all awful, but I was so excited to get shoes, I didn’t want to wait.  However, our next family vacation, we road-tripped two states away to Texas, and my mother and I took an entire day to visit the largest pointe shoe distributor.  I spent 6 hours trying on every single type of pointe shoe the distributor carried, and it was time well spent.  By the time I was back in the studio, my dancing was much easier because I had a more comfortable shoe that fit properly with the width of my foot and had the flexibility in the shank for my arch.  

Although the distributor I went to back then was extremely knowledgeable on trying on pointe shoes, they also encouraged trying on as many as I wanted.  This spoke volumes to me back then and to this day, because they were not “pushing” any one type of shoe or inventory at me and were concerned that I got the proper shoes for me.  I am not convinced that all dance stores follow this principle, as I have witnessed several sales pitches to a particular type of shoe I knew did not work for me, even just through verbal explanation or sharing what my shoe preference type was and I’ve seen it in students that come into a class with ill-fitting shoes, saying that the fitter really pushed that shoe on them even though they preferred a different one.  So it’s important that you do not crumble to a sales pitch, or believe everything the fitter tells you as far as “this is what all the students are wearing” or ‘this is the latest and greatest” shoe on the market.  

Make sure you take full advantage to try everything on you can, and don’t feel like you have to buy something if none of them feel right and have an option to go and try some shoes elsewhere.  Your ballet instructor should provide you fitting tips with regards to *pointe shoe fittings such as length, width, shank strength and position, vamp length, etc. and the person conducting the fitting should also be up to speed on properly fitting shoes, but I still recommend to students (even my own) to do your own research.  With the Internet, students have a wealth of knowledge and resources available to them that previously could only be passed down from instructor to student.  Even if the information seems redundant, both parent and student should research this on-line to gain a sense of what they should be looking for and feeling for at the fitting to make a more informed decision and be able to identify if the fitter is fitting you properly or by sales pitch.

Pointer #2 Preparing Shoes and Feet:

*Preparing shoes takes some time and experience to find out what works best for you.  For me, I wet down the box with water before class and hammer out the box to soften by about 30% from the original mold hardness.  I do this to make sure I have flexibility in my demi-pointe work and fluidity of footwork to rise up to en pointe.  If the pointe shoes are strictly for practice and classroom, I will only sew on elastic, similarly to ballet flats.  If it’s a performance shoe, I will only sew on the ribbons and no elastic.  I also bend the shank repeatedly, I don’t exactly break it, but this also provides better fluidity with the shoes.  

I do all of this but I have a high arch and very strong feet and ankles, so I require less support.  A beginner student would not want to mess too much with the shank until they gain some experience with the feel of pointe shoes, but I do recommend working the shank on some pointe shoes for dancers who have a lesser arch or even flat feet.  Again, this needs to be determined on what feels right to the dancer.  Seek out advice from your instructor or more seasoned dancers, but ultimately this has to be evaluated by trial and error over time.

My preparation of feet for pointe work, I know will be contrary to a lot of what dancers do today, but I personally don’t believe in a lot of stuff in my shoes.  I believe in good old *toe wrapping and maybe a little lamb’s wool, but today I see a lot of students putting so much padding and toe flows in their shoes, I have to wonder if they can feel the floor at all.  And some of the newer manufacturers of shoes have built in padding!  This may alleviate the first pain of the experience of toe shoes, but I also believe if you never mold the shoes to your feet and feel what you’re doing and go through the rites of bloody blisters or losing toenails, you may be dancing numb, which may hinder your progress or even inspire injuries.  I also have to wonder again if the use and recommendation of all these “extras” is part of the sales pitch to get students to rely on having to spend this additional money since their feet will rarely get the calluses needed to go without all the padding.  One may also need to consider, after researching all your fitting guidelines of the shoes, is all that padding throwing off a proper fitting? 

To wrap your toes, it’s easy and cost effective to use some medical adhesive tape (this is recommended because it will stay on well even if your feet are sweating) and a little cotton to make a “dance band-aid”) and apply this wrap to your more blister prone areas, i.e. pinky toes, large toes.  If you have a long rehearsal ahead of you or a performance and you are struggling with the pain of some blisters, I recommend using some baby teeth numbing gel/ cream on your toes.  It doesn’t completely numb the toes, but it will make getting through the rehearsal, class or performance bearable.  Last, when your toes ache or you sustain blisters, suck it up.  It is a recipe for injury to “limp” around on pointe.  Either dance through the pain and focus on your dancing or take the shoes off and try to recover.  Blisters are part of the “thrill of your newfound pointe status,” if you don’t dance through it, pointe work will always be painful (calluses have to be developed).  Many of us felt it was also a rite of passage if we were able to dance through our bloody blisters and even be able to show the blood soaked through on the shoe.  It was our equivalent to being tough and our “macho” contest, rather than wimping out.  I realize some may not be that competitive but if you aren’t, that’s where it’s best to just take off the shoes to avoid stepping or rising incorrectly because of the pain and possibly sustaining an injury.  Soaking your feet in Epsom Salt will help to draw out the soreness when you begin dancing on pointe in the beginning.

There are probably many different methods to *tying shoes, but this is my recommendation:  1) Criss-cross the ribbons in the front of your ankle 2) Wrap the ankle about 1.5-2 times so that both lengths of ribbon meet in the inside of the ankle (Note: one ribbon length will be longer than the other) 3) Tie a square knot and place the ribbons in tandem to one another with the longest ribbon length on top 4) Tuck them in to form a square.  I burn the ends of my ribbons to ensure they don’t fray.  Never use safety pins to attached pointe shoes, always sew them.  It’s also a huge peeve for almost every instructor to see ribbons hanging out or tied in bows, it looks awful and it’s unprofessional.

Pointer #3 Extending the Life of Pointe Shoes

Serious ballet students and dancers quickly learn that pointe shoes are a major expense for your career.  Some dancers need 20 pairs a month, others only 20 pair every few months, a more beginner dancer may think 20 pair a year seems like a lot.  In either case, we want to try and make pointe shoes last as long as possible.  Depending on the wear you put your shoes through; it’s possible to get another performance out of a shoe and/ or another month or so out of shoe, by *‘cooking’ the shoes.   If you take some floor wax, and apply it to the box of the pointe shoes, both inside and outside (be careful on the outside if you are trying to use for a performance and some floor wax brands will change the color of the satin, making it darker, but usually this can also be covered with pancake make-up or paint), place the shoes on a baking sheet (I always remove the ribbons and re-sew them on after baking, but I’ll leave elastic on) and baking them in an oven this will temporarily re-harden the shoe.   Ovens can vary so you will need to watch carefully and develop it over some tries, but I would recommend starting with 250* and baking for approximately 10-15 minutes.  You should always check this every five minutes until you get your “recipe” just right.

I will also take a “dead” pair of performance shoes and completely hammer out the box and de-shank the shoes.  Remove the ribbons and sew on elastic, and voila!  I have a very good pair of ballet flats that also work my feet a little harder in technique class.

*Stay Tuned for Video Tools related to these topics - Coming Soon! 

Photo 1: Dancer Model Credit: Elliana F.

Adult Dancers: Meet the Floor

I previously wrote about Adult Dancers and the difficulty they may face while at the barre, whether it is their very first class, or they are returning to class after a long hiatus from the dance world and studio.  As much as the barre might be a challenge, stepping away from the barre to do the center and across the floor portions of class can be even scarier.  In this post, I cover some common, albeit unpleasant, surprises and how best to handle them.

Facing the Mirror

Although you may clear this hurdle while at the barre, my experience and observation has been that most Adult Dancers are not as studious at looking in the mirror while at the barre in their first classes.  Usually buck beginners are too focused on just getting the steps right (perhaps even having to watch another student in front of them) or even a seasoned dancer returning is also focused on "getting through barre," feeling their bodies vs. intensely watching in the mirror to scrutinize their technique.  And it's scary to look in the mirror.  That shock of pink tights and a leotard (even with some warm ups or a skirt on) can be jarring.  For a returning dancer its equally shocking because the last time you saw that reflection might have been when you were in your teens or early 20's and well...our bodies change as we age, or have children or simply become not as active as we once were.  Even if you skip the leotard and tights for something more 'common' such as yoga apparel or sweats, it's a different setting and different movements than what you may be accustomed to seeing in the gym mirrors or home mirrors.

The best advice I have for you is to make your peace with it sooner rather than later.  When I returned to dance after a few years off (and the majority of those years were dedicated to cheeseburgers and cupcakes) I spent a very long time wearing warm ups and junk throughout the entire class, telling myself I was doing everyone a favor to not have to see my bulges.  Never really making much progress with weight loss nor ever becoming comfortable with the image I saw.  Finally, during a summer session with an A/C on the fritz, I took the junk off.  Even though it was tough for the first few weeks to look at myself, I noticed that I automatically made more healthy choices with my eating habits and got a lot more disciplined with attending classes and doing cross training workouts, because of what I saw, as opposed to what I hid.  By the end of the summer, I had lost weight, and even though I was not a 90lbs. dancer again, I became comfortable with what I saw in leotards and tights.  Which may not be much in the studio per se, but in regular clothes I looked the best I had in years and my confidence soared.

Cinder Block Legs

While at the barre, your leg muscles may have taken on a life of their own with the shakes.  Another possibility is that barre wasn't too bad, and maybe all the rhetoric of the "big, difficult come back" was all hooey.  But somehow, for reasons no one knows or can understand, suddenly away from the barre, your legs will most likely feel like you've got cinder blocks on your feet as opposed to ballet slippers.  Center barre work typically shifts weight constantly between the feet, and when you're not used to "pulling up" and being off your heels, that weight change either becomes impossible or your muscles tense so much, simple tendus will make your legs burn.  Adagio, which once was my favorite part of class when I was a professional, quickly became the most dreaded part of class, because I no longer had the balance, extension and core muscles to maintain slow balances, slow developpes and penches.  Across the floor is also frustrating because you most likely will know what you need to do, but translating it to your legs becomes like those nightmares where you want to run but you're frozen or stuck in mud and can't move.

The best advice for this is to keep with it.  All these "blocks" are temporary and will improve with time.  It also helps to stick with the same class/ teacher.  Many teachers have a particular style that their combinations follow, so it becomes a little easier to pick up on these movements when there is that consistency in style.  The other advice is to keep pulled up, don't "sit' back in your heels.  Also, when you are battling your body and/ or learning ballet for the first time as an adult, you are constantly thinking about the step you're doing, and this sometimes makes us late for the following step. Always be thinking about the next move in the combination (to anticipate a weight shift or body position change).  And last, keep your movements small. Don't worry about getting a leg high (work at 90 degrees or lower for awhile), or doing multiple turns or traveling right away or including battu (beats) in your jumps.  

Last advice is to breathe.  This could just be a personal flaw, but many times I'm so focused on what I'm doing, I find that I'm holding my breath during the exercises which, as you can imagine, makes me feel like collapsing afterward.  Even if you aren't as extreme as that, you may still be experiencing that your wind and stamina are not up to par, so always breathe and hydrate and feel free to take a break or simplify a movement if you're not quite ready for it.

Now You Got Boobs

Some, if not most, young girls wait and hope for the day they grow breasts.  And although under almost all circumstances I am quite happy with my C cup, when it comes to allegro (especially petite allegro-small jumps) in class, those things are in the way!  It actually can be quite comical to see a well-endowed chest doing jumps; I know I have given myself a chuckle many times, if not some of my fellow dancers.  This "new addition" can also make a difference with your turns.  In my younger days as a dancer, I was a "natural turner."  Easily pulling triples and quads en pointe and the infamous 32 fouettes and piques in a circle were somewhat effortless, etc.  But, once I became "top-heavy," I basically had to re-train how to turn all over again, because I was in fact, aerodynamically different.

Re-training aside (which does take time, so be patient with yourself) recognize that this is now part of your body.  Wear a sports bra or leotard with a built in bra.  And/ or favor the dance wear that is a higher cut along the chest.  But technically speaking with regards to turns and jumps, beware not to throw your upper back backwards or compensate by letting your rear go out on your landings and plies.  These are things I naturally/ unconsciously did because of my curves to hide the impact of a landing, but they will lead to back and knee injuries at some point, so keep alignment of your body as the strictest priority even if it feels uncomfortable or looks a little off for you.