Need help on which type of pointe shoes would be best for me?

Question

I've been out of ballet for a year and a half and have missed it sooo much! I'm going back now and will need some new pointe shoes since my old pair is completely broken (the shank and the box). I was on toe for 2 years before I quit and I liked my shoes but was never sure if they were right for me. I've had 2 different pairs and each one has twisted at the heel when I am on pointe. I have no idea why? I have wide size 9 feet, and a good arch, it doesn't take me long to break them in. I know thats not alot of info but if you're an expert on these things than please contact me and ask me all the questions you like! We don't really have any ballet stores in my area so I can't go and get a fitting or anything. That's why I'm asking here! So please any help would be really appreciated! I'm 16 by the way, though I doubt that really makes any difference.

Answer 1

you sound like you have feet like mine. i have wide feet at the ball of my foot and narrow at the ankle and a strong arch. i don't like giving advice on pointes cause you are could do yourself some real damage to your feet and ankles without a proper fitting and you could also ruin your technique with bad habits but seeing you circumstances... i use Bloch Sonata. they are a very good shoe and i have always worn them.

i had a quick look for a good discription for the shoe.

http://www.movementconnection.com/browse...

i will still advise you to try and get to a dance store. even if its when you visit a relative, friend or maybe ask you parents if you can go for a drive into the main city, make a day of it. hope that this was of some help. good luck and be extremely careful! happy dancing! =)

ps if you still have doubts maybe you should go back to your old shoes before you stopped. you might also want to look at how you are standing on pointe this could contribute to how the shoe fits. remember place you wait over the big toe and keep your heels pressed forward! have fun! =)

Answer 2

Well lets see.. i would say for ur first pair of getting-back-into-ballet pointe shoes to get Freed of London. Go with Freed Studios, and i would recommend that u get a softer shank because ur feet wont be as strong as they used to be. in fact, i would highly suggest that u take some ballet classes that are flat and not on pointe for a couple months, before u even think about going back onto pointe. refresh on the technique , and focus on doing plenty of strength and conditioning exercises for ur feet and ankles. then after you get back up onto pointe, and ur freed studios's die, thats wen i would recommend u buying Grischko pointe shoes. they are a very very high quality brand, and have so many various shoe types sch as the 2007s, ullanovas, fuoettes, mayas, etc. By far i would recommend the fouettes though! they are light shoes that are easily broken in to compliment ur foot, yet dont die within fifteen minutes =) they also have a little spring to them to help u hop onto pointe. Do u have short toes? because if u do, then u might want to actually try out the capezio glisses. but if u do infact have long toes (such as myself) then freed and grishko are the way to go! Merde (how dancers say goodluck), and have fun getting back into the beautiful world of dancing!

Answer 3

I recommend Sansha pointe shoes. Don't get 3/4 soles or shanks though - they are'nt good for your arches.  Ask for FULL SOLE and FULL SHANK.  They are available in most countries, and mostly can be mail ordered.

Answer 4

It really depends on your feet.  For someone to recommend shoes over the internet, without seeing your feet or having you try them on and go up into pointe, it's almost impossible to tell.  As far as the twisting at the heal goes, sometimes doing your elastics criss-cross instead of single across the top of the ankle corrects the problem.  If you have wide feet, Russian made shoes will probably fit better.  Try Grishkos or Suffolks for lots of widths.  To really find the best possible shoes, you should take a trip, even if several hours away, to a good dance shop and try on lots and lots of different shoes with various kinds of toe pads (toe pads can greatly affect the fitting of the shoe too).  Good luck!