Tutorial: Pointe shoe preparation

Good morning!

Tea on hand once more, I get myself ready to write in this not so sunny but still nice morning. Today’s the first day back after the short Easter break and I’m feeling really energized to begin the day!

Today’s topic is... (big drum roll, please) How I prepare my pointe shoes!

Pointe shoes are a whole different world to every dancer and that’s why they are so personal as well but I feel that thanks to a whole different tips of dancers I’ve been meeting through my years of training I’ve been getting my personal style of preparation of pointe shoes but of course, I’m still a student and I might change things up as I grow up as a dancer in the professional world as the demand of pointe work in a company is a completely different thing of what you’re asked for in school.

Now getting into details and common questions that may occur:

- What model of pointe shoes do I use?

Currently I’m using the Freed Studios Professional with an H-Insole and a V- Vamp Cut. My size in Freed’s is a 4 and ½.

- How many pointe shoes do you use in a year? How long does a pair last you?

Well, I can’t really say how many pointe shoes I use in a year now as it’s my first full year going with Freed’s but I’ll say that one pair lasts me around 2 to 3 weeks depending on the season of the year we’re in and when have I shellac my pointe shoes.

- Have you tried other brands of pointe shoes?

Do I need to say how many brands, models, fits and accessories for pointe shoes have I tried in my life?! I think that maybe there’s one or two brands I’ve never tried but I’m pretty sure I’ve been through almost everything.

I started with Capezio Contempora, moved into Bloch, then Grishko, then Wear Moi, then back to a different model of Bloch, then Russian Pointe (also known as Energetiks in Australia), then I went with Gaynor Minden’s but they got banned and I moved into a different model of Russian pointe, combining with yet another model of Bloch’s and a throwback to Capezio Contempora. I made the try of Merlet’s, I wore Russian Pointe again, I wore Capezio yet another time and finally I got my beloved Freed’s that I couldn’t love more. Oh I forgot to mention the failed try of Suffolk’s and Sansha’s, some other models of Capezio and, you guessed it, Bloch.

If you’re interested in a review of certain pointe shoe models, write it down in the comments and I’ll be more than glad to make them!

And now for the actual topic: step by step of how I prepare my pointe shoes.

1.- I first of all get my brand new pointe shoes out of the bag and I try them on to find which one fits best my right foot. Yes, only my right because it’s the bigger foot and with quite accentuated bunions.

2.- Once I’ve made the choice I mark the right and left foot with a marker (D stands for “dreta” (right) and E for “esquerra” (left))

3.- It’s time for the dangerous section (yes, I’ve got cut several times): stanley knife! I three quarter

(or something like that) as I really like the feel of freedom on my feet when I work with my pointe shoes and it also enhances a nice look in my foot line. My cut is deeper on my left pointe shoe than on my right as my arches cut in a different place.

4.- If any screw has gotten stuck in the sole I take it out with a pair of pliers. (That doesn’t happen often with Freed’s but it did with Capezio’s, for example)

5.- I then darn my pointe shoes. I use an elastic round white band to use it as the support for the thread to sit propertly and it also makes a very good, stable and supporting box. The test to know if your pointe shoes are well darned is to try to make them stand upright on their own on a flat surface. If they do, congrats, you’ve made a good job!

6.- I then sew my elastics. I use Bloch invisible elastics as I think they look very subtle on stage and they have a very nice color as well.

                                                    Ribbons from Gaynor Minden
                                                    Elastics: Invisible elastic from Bloch

7.- Afterwards I sew my ribbons burning both ends with a lighter to avoid the peeling of the satin fabric. I use Gaynor Minden’s ribbons for basically the same reason of the Bloch elastics. They’re not too shiny and they just have the perfect color to match the tights just right.

8.- I then try them on again to adjust the length of the ribbons and if I need to I tighten the shoe laces.

9.- I then step on the box to soften it up so my bunions don’t suffer as much and I bend a bit the shoe for making my demi pointe movement easier.

10.- I then go grab my Stanley knife one more time and I shave the sides and I make a criss – cross pattern on the sole of my pointe shoe to make it more stable and less slippery.

And those are my ten steps to prepare my pointe shoes! It takes me around 20 minutes to 30 minutes to get them ready if I’m focused on it. If I’m just having it as a chilled pointe shoe prep I can take up to 45 minutes. I also calamine them after two or three classes because it’s mandatory for repertoire lessons and of course, exams and performances in my school. Why don’t I do it straight away? Well, we can’t forget that these are Freed and that they tend to die pretty fast so using make up that uses water it’s not the best idea to keep your box strong and durable. So I try to get it done at the very last moment and with very little water. I use the Kryolan Aquacolor make-up on the color TV White.

I then schellac them if I feel that I need to make them last more, for example for a performance or a repertoire lesson that I feel I’m going to really want to wear them. I use a shellac that I bought at Bauhaus from the brand Lumber Jack that says it’s the Natural one. The method is very simple but it can get messy. If you have decent brush I would say go use it but mine got very bad after using it to shellac some pointe shoes because I just didn’t choose the best one. So what I do it pour some shellac into the box to make a small puddle of schellac that I can move through the whole box to then let it dry at least overnight but of course the more time, the best. This method is easy but you have to work fast as it may stain your pointe shoe if you leave it sitting for too long.

So, now yes, that’s done! Pointe shoes ready to work with!

I personally love the feel of new pointe shoes and I usually work best with just one or two days worn pointe shoes. But shame, that perfect moment in a pointe shoe goes away so fast! Wish I could keep it for much longer…

If you have any tricks on these subject, please tell me down below because you might probably save my life and you’ll make my parents extremely happy without buying so many pairs of pointe shoes. (#ballerinastruggles)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and I wish you have a very nice rest of the day! I’ll see you tomorrow!

Love,

Muriel