Ok, so due to popular demand, I decided to start a little article on pointe shoes – for the beginner. Well, I figure that the intermediate to professional dancer already knows exactly what they’re looking for so they wouldn’t need any help, so this review is mainly aimed at the dancer looking for their first pairs of pointe shoes. Onwards!
Getting your first pair of pointe shoes or toe shoes is often THE turning pointe (ahaha geddit?) of a dancer’s training. A lot of dancers will decide then if they choose to turn their years of hard ballet training into a career, or perhaps move on to other dance disciplines such as lyrical or contemporary that don’t employ pointe shoes. They’re not for everyone, some people don’t like the feeling and others might not have the ankles for it, etc etc Suffice to say, a perfect pair of first pointe shoes will help you in making an unbiased decision that will not be based on accidentally getting an ill-fitting pair and not knowing how they’re supposed to feel. Enough babbling! Moving on.
One way I’ve found in getting good pointe shoes is to get them online. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of choice in brand makes or models and even sizes were limited, most dancewear shops catering to the bulk of dancers with foot lengths and widths that fell into the median category. If you had longer or wider feet, getting fitted for pointe shoes wasn’t so fun. Whereas shopping online, you have all the makes, models and sizes at the tips of your fingers! An added bonus, if you shop smart, you will find certain stores willing to shave off 15 – 30 percent off retail prices and most even have a money back policy!
My favourite pointe shoe brands are, in order of favouriteness! – Freed, Bloch and Chacott. I have also used, Grishko, Sansha and Gaynor Minden and will be reviewing all those shoes here today.
BLOCH BALANCE
A relatively new creation from bloch, it was designed specifically for the new-at-pointe-work student, and like it’s name, is very easy to balance on with it’s sturdy and wider than normal platform. Easy to break in and comfortable. When you get used to doing more pointe work you’ll start noticing that they’re a little “boxy” and harder to do nimble and quick footwork in though.
BLOCH SERENADE
My first ever pair of pointe shoes ever! I’ll always carry a soft spot for these shoes, they’re just super comfy and feel broken in straight away everytime I get a new pair for some reason! And I have really weak feet too! It has quite a deep vamp and good for the dancers with longer toes or a longer second toe such as myself. Has a nice wide platform for balance although it doesn’t look wide at all!
BLOCH SERENADE STRONG
The same shoe as the Serenade, but comes with a much stronger backing, if you have very high or strong arches and wear out shoes quickly. This ought to save you a few bucks!
FREED CLASSIC
I don’t even know what to say about these shoes except they are AWESOME!! My absolute favourite shoe and what I wear most of the time now (it’s hard to stick to just one shoe all the time though! So much variety out there to try!). They’re so easy to break in with just normal wear. No need for hammering or door-crunching or steamrollering! You can get away with minimal padding on this one. They’re handmade all the way so they might look a bit lumpy under the satin, but it just adds to the classicness and authenticness of the pointe shoe! Super comfortable to dance in! They do wear out a big quicker than my other shoes I find, so the turnover rate might be a bit higher. But they’re just so English and Scones and Tea and Polo and other High Class Things whut whut! You gotta love em!
GAYNOR MINDEN
It was all the rage when it first came out a few years ago and for good reason too. These shoes will last you forever! So they’re definitely worth their slightly higher pricetag. It comes in a gorgeous peach coloured satin, and you adjust the arch of the shoe to your own comfort or aesthetic levels using only a hairdryer on the fibreglass shank before contouring the shoe to your foot. It also has a cool, rubbery drawstring that is easier to tie up and stay tight. Some (not all!) dancers complain that using the shoe is too easy as it might “prop” you up en pointe with minimal effort so you start losing foot strength though. However, it’s good to have if you’re dancing a lot or need a pair that will last you a long time.
GRISHKO ULANOVA
The Russian Ulanova comes in I and II, the former for short toes/even toes and the latter for long toes. It reminds me in shape of the Bloch Serenade and the II does make fat feet look nice and slender with it’s tapered box! Comes in a beautiful pale pearly colour and has NO DRAWSTRING!! Which saves SO many tears! Your feet won’t slide into these ones so it’s painless, unsquished toes from here on in!
SANSHA RECITAL
These shoes have a wide platform for easy balance and less boxy than Bloch Balance. They look really good on and have the Sansha replacable shank system for girls with strong feet or high arches that wear their pointe shoes out a lot. The replaceable shank seems to wear out quicker than the original though. Sansha shoes are well known for their very affordable prices!
CHACOTT VERONESE
I first found out about Chacott pointe shoes when I noticed that all the Japanese exchange students taking the odd lesson in my studio were wearing these gorgeous goldeny-peachy shoes that made their arches look amazing! I’ve only been able to get these shoes online and they’re so easy to break in and feel so thin and comfortable, it’s like you’re wearing flats! These shoes make excellent demi-pointes later on!
BLOCH ASPIRATION
These shoes are like the BLOCH BALANCE for the less newbieish. They feel similar on – both very comfortable and balanced, but the aspiration looks so much prettier on and gives you more control over your movements. Great for pirouettes!
CAPEZIO
Capezio is a brand which I have never actually personally worn for two reasons – one, that in the stores I’ve been to they only ever cater to the narrow and very narrow feet, and two, they always come in a deep pink satin which doesn’t really appeal to me personally. However, they’re a very popular shoe and according to my narrow-footed contemporaries, these shoes wear well and make you look very La Sylphide. I will however be getting a pair to try at some stage as I hear that online you can get alternative pinks and up to EE sized toes! Is that not amazing! I will keep you all posted!
Fitting Tips
So there you have it! Oh, some fitting tips before you start – different companies will have different sizingnessisms. Generally they should be about 2-3 sizes smaller than your street shoe and fit like a glove, without any room to grow into or you’ll just end up with blisters the size of your eye. TRUE STORY!! Also, when you get your shoes, make sure your toes don’t curl in the shoes and you can plie in them without curling or send them back! Or if they’re just plain uncomfortable that you’re dying, try a new make or model. The shoes should feel snug and a little constricting around the toe area but you shouldn’t be getting any spasm of pain shooting up your feet and throwing you off balance or anything. If you do, then er.. see a doctor!
Of course if fitting is a real issue, you could always be sneaky and pop into a dancewear store to get fitted first so you have a pretty good idea of what works with your feet, THEN buying the shoes or a similar pair online. Actually, that’s a little bit mean so if you’re going to do that make sure you’re a good customer or at least buy the odd apparel or accessory from the store now and then!! Just remember that pointe shoes are all handmade so every single pointe shoe is a little different, kind of like snowflakes, and you might even get two pairs of the exact same make, model and size and it could still look or feel a little different. But I’m rambling again! So, Good Luck and have fun! Byebye for now!
Oh by the way, for a Pointe Shoe Fitting Chart, Click Here.
I have also found some of Amazon’s 
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