Tips and Tricks

 Pointe Tips

• So your shoes are soft what do you do? You can't buy new ones, they're too expensive, not enough time. So use jet glue! Put the glue on the outside of the shank and it should harden the shoes. NEVER USE SUPER GLUE!
• If the pointe of your shoes are slippery get some scissors and make light criss-cross scrapes across the point to add traction.
• You can add criss-cross scrapes on the bottom (on the ball) and the heel too.
• To break in the shoe, continuesly roll onto demi, or take the shoe off and bend it with your hands.
• If you have high arches or a flexible foot then don't break the shank in too much. But if you have low arches or a very stiff foot you'll need to break the shank in quite a bit.
• You can slam your shoes into a door to soften the box.
• I don't suggest using a hammer though.
• If your knot on your ribbons keep falling out use hairspray to hold them in.
• If you have trouble tucking your knot in use a bobby pin to push them in.
• If you have runs in your ladders use clear nail polish at the ends to stop them.
• To stop your ribbons from fraying burn the ends or use clear nail polish on them.

Pointe Size Charts

If your looking to buy pointes shoes wether online or in the shop, you should have a good idea what size you are. Another good thing to know is what type of foot you are.

Match up what your foot looks most like, look at the text and the picture to get a more exact confirmation.

Greek:

• If you have kind of tapering toes (toes going diagonal)
• Your second toe is the longest
• You have wide types but narrow tips
• Your big toe is very wide

Egyptian:

• Your toes taper
• Your big toe is the longest, then 2nd toe the 2nd longest and so on...
• You have a wide toe

Square/Giselle:

• Your toes are basically the same length

When deciding what shoes you buy take in consideration that the shoes are all different, such as the boxes are more square or more pointed.

You can view the picture here: http://www15.plala.or.jp/miagolare/Eng_fitthing_chart0627.gif

The Egyptian type should stay more in the pink and blue type areas and the Greek type should head more into the yellow and green type areas, square fits alot of them but needs more of a large square box as the toes don't cuddle the rounded shape.

To get a more exact size of your foot, get a pen and paper and put the paper up to the wall, making sure it's in portait style. Then put your heel up to the wall on the paper put a line with the pen and mark the paper at the end of the longest toe, or trace around the top of the foot. Get a ruler and rule across the page, the longest point of the foot, then use the ruler and measure from the bottom of the paper to the longest toe and write the number down in centimetres. (Inches is okay too.)

Then you'll have to use a chart like this:

http://www.shoesreviewss.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Shoe-Size-Chart.jpg

(Look at a few of those conversion charts as none of them are exact.)

Match up the centimetres or inches to get your sizes, write all of them down on a piece of paper. All of them, US, Australian, UK, Mexican, cenimetres, whatever! All of them!

Then use a pointe size chart like this:

http://www.prima-soft.com/images/primasoft/shoes/pointe_size_chart.jpg

or this...

http://www.motionunlimiteddancewear.com/i//Pointe_Shoe_Chart.jpg

or maybe this:

http://www.motionunlimiteddancewear.com/i//Pointe_Shoe_Widths.jpg

And write down the number that appears the most for the Bloch brand.

Then the Capezio brand and so on.

Then you'll know! If theres a lot of different numbers, choose the brand and write all of those down, then average it. It's confusing, I know.

Or you can just go get them fitted at a shop :)

Keep in mind the street shoe size will most likely be listed in U.S sizes.

So if your a 7 or 8 in Australia you may be a 5 or 5 1/2 in U.S sizes.

Getting Pointes

Getting your first pair of pointes may be the most exciting thing yet! You may be so excited that you may not realize how uncomfortable these things can be. When trying on your pointe shoes you have to be honest and picky otherwise you will not get the perfect fit and you will become vulnerable and prone to injuries.

When you put the pointe shoe on stand up at the shops barre or against the wall and check if the toes reach the very end, so that they touch the box, make sure they're not crumpling and folding under, if so the shoe may be too short. If any toes are overlapping the pointe shoe is too narrow for you. If you can fit a finger or more into the area where the draw string is then the shoe is too wide. Go back to flat and put one foot up en pointe, there should be minimal amount of fabric, about 1/2" (inch) that you can pinch up at the heel, but if it's too baggy then the shoe is too long for you. If you have any questions or if feels too tight or too loose tell the fitter and they should fix it. Go up on demi pointe to ensure the heel is not painfully tight, if it is the shoe may be too small. Do a demi-plie and check that your toes are just touching the boxes, if they're crunched up and squashed then it's obviously too small. Also remember if you go en pointe and your sliding then the shoe does not fit. You should feel the support in the shoe, but always remember when trying for your first time have a barre or something to hold onto otherwise injuries may be caused.

Remember:

• When trying on pointe shoes try to keep in mind to try lot's of different shoes.
• That most of them will not be very comfortable as they have not been broken in.
• To put on toe pads or 'ouch pouches' when you try the shoes on to make sure they fit when you wear the shoes.
• Even if you find one that 'fits' keep trying them on, there may be an even better one.
• Don't try just one brand, try them all!
• If the heel slips off it may not be necessarily because it's too big it also may be because you have no elastic or ribbons sewn on.
• Remember one day before you try them or wear them CUT YOUR TOE NAILS! (Otherwise they'll bruise and may fall off!)
• Also remember to bring or wear tights on the day of trying them on.
• You may have to make an appointment to have them fitted.

Why Your not Ready for Pointe

Many girls aspire to go En Pointe, from the early stages some girls being three and going on to girls in their teens. One of the most frequently asked questions is 'When will I go En Pointe?' or 'Am I ready for Pointe?' there is an answer to this. If your not en pointe now, then your teacher does not think you are ready. The time could be soon. Days, weeks, months or even years away. Only your teacher can tell you if you are ready. Some girls can be ready for pointe within' months of just starting. Whilst many other girls take years. Girls should not be allowed en pointe unless they are over 12 years of age, this is because the bones in the feet are still growing and if they go onto pointe when their feet are not ready their growth will be affected and it may cause deformities into the feet.

Your teacher may not let you onto pointe for a couple of reasons.
You may not be getting enough lessons; most studios like the students (when they're close to the age) to have 3 lessons a week around 1 and a half hours long. Turnout; if you don't have the correct turnout, when you go en pointe if your feet are turned in your ankles may collapse and break. Strength; you not only need strength in your feet and ankles, but also in your legs and core, the core holds it all together. Releve; you need to be able to hold a simple demi releve on flat before you can even think about going en pointe, pointe is all in releve, boom, all the way to the top and if you can't hold a demi pointe then your not going to be able to hold sur les pointe.

I say, save the stress and pain and wait until your teacher gives you the green light okay. This keeps everyone healthy and happy. You may not be happy now, because your not en pointe, but when you break your ankle, I'm sure you'll be regretting it and even less happy now, because you won't be able to dance for a while, maybe you'll never be able to dance again.
Wait and the time will surely come. (Although pointe is not for everybody, sometimes your feet's infrastructure can not hold it all and withstand the pressure. Sometimes your feet will never be strong enough, but keep trying.) Whilst these beautiful shoes may look harmless, one wrong move can destroy everything.

First Post

Gawrsh! Finally getting to make a blog. I decided to make this blog, to help, gets tips, tricks, beautiful pictures, help with moves, remembering your syllabus. All sorts of things! Just want to get it out there, throw it into our big old world, out of the ballet box, just push it out there, make sure us dancers all get the best help we can. Just anything you need to know about dancing. E-mail me and I will help!