For young ballet dancers, ballerina shoes are the most desirable and sought-after footwear, and pointe shoes are only permitted after a dancer is physically prepared to go en pointe. In addition to being very specific to each wearer, ballerina shoes must be well-fitted for dancers to avoid injury and provide their best performance. It would be best to get the teacher’s nod to go in pointe before picking the appropriate shoes. You may even get fitted for perfect ballerina shoes at your nearby dancewear retailer. They will assess how well the shoes fit.
Choosing the right pointe pair is a dancer’s most challenging responsibility. If the shoes don’t fit properly, your delight might quickly become a nightmare during training. Here are some helpful hints for picking the best ballerina shoes:
Rigidity: You should always test out a few different models since the shank, a strengthened sole that aids in maintaining pointe, can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer. Put on the shoe and do a pointe to determine how stiff your foot should be. The sole should ideally have a curvature. You need a shoe that is less stiff if it is excessively rigid since your foot is not strong enough to support it. You have a powerful instep if it doesn’t flex too much; thus, you should choose a more stiff shoe.
Width: Pointe models often come with narrow, medium, and broad boxes and come in various widths. If you feel too restricted at the half joint while transitioning to pointes, the shoe’s width is too small; if you have excessive mobility, the width is too broad.
Shank: Wait to put both feet on the platform; your pointe shoes specialist will ask you to place one foot there. Your assessor will use their hands to sense the shank’s trajectory when you plant one foot parallel to the platform. The shoe’s shank should ideally match the arch of your foot. The shoe can be too broad or small if it bends to one side. The shank also shouldn’t extend beyond the end of your heel. If so, the shoe is too lengthy.
Box: The dancer’s forefoot enclosed in the box of a pointe shoe. The box should snugly enclose the foot without interfering with the toes. It should made of layers of cloth or cardboard that have paste-hardened. Place a lambswool or a toe pad in the box to keep your toes from rubbing. The platform, the shank, and the shoe flaps make up the entire box.
When standing flat, there should be little to no space between the shoe and the foot. The vamp form is intense and inappropriate for your foot if there is a space in between. Some dancers might need more time to select the ideal pointe shoe. When purchasing your first pair of pointe shoes, it advised that you take your time and discuss all the options with your teacher and the store clerk. Equally significant is the dancer’s attitude. Dancers frequently experiment with various pointe shoe styles from manufacturers before settling on the ideal pair.
Specific versions come with a unique built-in shell to avoid needing pointe pads. It’s as little as it can be and will ease discomfort when working on pointe.
