What is the hardest pointe shoe they make?

Question

my feet are crazy. i have russians right now in HLF which is super hard flexible (the flexible doesnt mean the shank, it just makes it easier to roll through) and these die within about one to two days with 2-4 hours of pointe. i have also tried blochs, which died in one rehearsal of about an hour and a half. i have been thinking about trying gaynors...would those work? also any other suggestions would be great! thanks a ton!

Answer 1

I have gaynor mindens right now and I love them. They have lasted me through about 60 hours of dance so far. I have the "ExtraFlex" shank and they make a "Hard" shank. I would try the hard shank out. Good Luck! :)

Answer 2

I have a friend who has amazingly high arches and she's had her Gaynors for 2 years-they're not even soft! This would have to be abnormal but still its pretty good. They're worth that extra bit of money if they don't die as fast.  

Answer 3

The hardest shoes I have ever seen are double shanked Russians...my friends Hannah and Jordan have them and they are so thick. They have to go to a dance store and have the people special order them because their arches are so high and strong. If you go to a dance store you can ask them what they can special order or the hardest shanks they have in stock.

Good luck!  

Answer 4

I switch back and forth between Grishko 2007's (hard) and Gaynor mindons (hard). Grishko Ulanova's are harder and have a full shank but they are far too tapered for my feet but they may work for you.

Do your shoes sit in your bag from class to class? Giving your shoes time to dry will make them last a lot longer than if they just sit in your bag. The best way to dry them is to leave them under the back window of your car and just have them dry in the sun.

I typically go through a pair of Grisko's every few weeks but there is a secret to restoring your soft shanks. A lot of companies sell point shoe shellack but it tends to be pretty pricey and the bottle is so tiny. There is a product called Future Floor Finish and it is a life saver. It comes in a big clear bottle and all you do is paint the inside of your shank as well as the outside and then just toss them in the oven. I usually heat mine to 375 and when it is preheated I turn off the heat and put my shoes in (remember to tuck in the ribbons).