Pointe shoes

[elephantoverthehill]

Help please! I live on an island where nobody can supply or fit these, but that's ok because my family live in Bristol and we will be going there at Whitsun. So I suppose I will go to 'Dancewell' in Cotham. My question is do we need an appointment? And any other advice please............this whole thing is outside my small sphere of ballet knowledge, what do you advise for my Dd please? Or does anyone know of a good place between Southampton/Portsmouth and Bristol? TIA

No experience of shops in that area, but we definitely needed an appointment when DD got fitted for hers.

Thanks PandaG. Did you have to go back for a fitting or was it done all at the same appointment?

No, make an appointment for a fitting and they will do it all there. It could take up to an hour but your dancer needs to be absolutely honest about the comfort and fit. Ideally they will last a year for a first pair so if they are too big (as my dds were because her ballet teacher figured she knew better then the shoe fitter and dd had a pair of shoes way too wide for her) she could end up with terrible blisters. Once she finds a brand and fit that suit her she can order online but that won't necessarily happen with the first pair.

Thank you Mike. I had little tear when you said my 'dancer'. Ok so leather or satin? Ribbons or elastic? Padding or just let the poor child get callouses? Honestly I do not have a clue. Do you still have to darn the toes? All my knowledge is from 'Ballet Shoes' and yes I can talk to her teacher about all of this but I am hoping to get a wider perspective.

I would recommend Roynon Dance Shop in Woolston Southampton. They are so lovely.
You can find them on line and I would recommend calling to book an appointment.

It will probably take 30-60 mins. Your daughter should wear ballet tights and they stock Bloch, Capezio, freed and Grishko.

Expect it to cost up to £90 first go as the shoes are £44 and up, ouch pouch (toe pouch to look after feet) plus ribbons and leather tips and if necessary wool will bump up price.

Fitting is determined on how your daughter feels and what they look like on and the fit.

My daughter is on her second pair - much cheaper as I only needed to get the shoes and ribbon this time. Funnily enough she wasn't sure first time round, second time immediately knew what felt right and they were a different brand and style to her first pair.

Good luck....its a totally awesome experience for your daughter. Take lots of pictures - Roynon have a fab mirror and barre
HTH

Personally I would get every pair of pointes fitted. Their feet change so much and they may prefer different brands or styles as they develop.

Darning is a dying art so you can buy these little leather covers to glue (with leather glue) on the ends.

You should buy pointe ribbon - it's not shiny and you could get pointe elastic too to stop them slipping off.

My daughter's only lasted 6 months but it's fair to say she's had rather a lot of use out of them

As pp have said, all done in one appointment, but it took nearly an hour! A friend's DD had to go back as they had nothing to fit her initially.

Boom I can darn but it is not a skill needed these days! I am curious about the ribbon, do the shop sell it or do you get it online? And thank you, this whole thing is completely out of my comfort zone. I am much better at analysing my Ds's rugby matches!

The shop sells everything.

I didn't have a clue when we first went, including the cost but they'll talk you through it.

I can darn too but my daughter dances in a bit of a rough floored hall so I preferred the leather.

If you tell them you want pretty much everything just in case as you are on an island with limited supplies/delivery I'm sure they'll be helpful.

Definitely phone ahead and give then your daughters street shoe size and hopefully they'll have plenty in stock.

It's a whole new world but you quickly become expert. I watched a Grishko video for how to sew on the pointe ribbon as I thought it might be different to normal ballets but actually my daughter preferred how I normally did it at a slight angle.

Good luck

Thanks all. One more question. Does anyone know what brand of ballet shoes are good for narrow feet please? Dd is and E/F in Clarkes.

Pointe shoes are satin. Don't worry, just leave it entirely in the hands of the fitter. The shoes all come in different widths, and different brands & styles suit different people. Good dancewear shops should stock several makes, not just one or two. The fitter will take into account all sorts of things, not just width but toe length, arch height etc. There's a lot to it. Feet come in an incredible range of shapes actually!

It is best to make an appointment, as not all staff in the shop will be trained to fit pointes, so you need check that the fitter will actually be there the day you want to visit.

When you make an appointment, tell them it is for a first pair and give them her normal school shoe size (and also her normal soft ballet shoe make and size) then they can check to make sure there are several different ones in stock for her to try. They might have to order some in if her feet are very narrow. The shop will advise on padding & ribbons etc during the fitting, and it is best to wear convertible tights as the fitter will need to see her bare feet.

Once she's got them it is usually best for the dance teacher to check that they are happy with the fit before you sew any ribbons on. Some teachers like elastic as well as ribbon for extra security, but if the shoes are a good fit, it shouldn't be needed. The teacher will tell you whether they want you to darn them or whether they prefer suede stick-on patches instead.

Each time they wear out or she outgrows them, she will need to be professionally fitted again. That's because a dancer's needs will change as they gain in strength and level of training, and feet do change over time as well.

Dd has Freed for her narrow feet, different makers within the brand come up differently (hers have a butterfly backstamp) . Only cost around £40 but have added suede toe caps ( instead of darning) and animal wool to pad toes.

Go to Dancewell. Ask your DD to wear ballet tights (convertible) if at all possible, and clothes that she can do dance moves (at the barre) easily in.

You don't have to make an appointment there, even on the busiest of Saturday mornings, but you might like to ring ahead, just in case they do already know they are astoundingly busy - occasionally they have groups come in from dance schools.

Then sit back, and watch true professionals at work. They have a huge range in stock - DD will usually try on between 8 and 10 pairs, all in her size but from different manufacturers, strengths, marginally different widths etc, all produced like magic from different cubby holes. If by any chance they don't have the perfect shoe in stock, they will order it in and send it, but tbh I have not experienced that.

Expect it to take about an hour (most local parking is on-street meters - buy 2 hours' worth) and expect your DD to be treated absolutely seriously as 'the customer', while you watch. I have the greatest respect for the shop and staff, having seen them at work regularly by now.

They also sell ribbons, elastic, and any padding that you need - essentially they will sell you 'the package' of shoes + padding all together as the padding needed depends on the perfect shoe.

I darn DD's shoes - but I can dressmake and sew well, so I find endless loops of chainstitch faintly soothing. Her teacher won't allow leather tips.

(Oh, and DD has had the same shoes for the last 3 visits BUT she still tries on different shoes each time - e.g. she had been injured, so the shop wanted to check that what she normally had was still the right strength and support - as everyone concerns wants the shoes to be absolutely right)

Dancewell are fantastic. DD has had all her pointe shoes there. I would echo all the points made by @cantkeepawayforever the staff are excellent, and they explain everything really clearly.

Thank you for all your advice. I am quite excited but as I have explained a little out of my depth. Can't I will probably get dropped off or take the train or bus down. So Dd and I can wander up Blackboy Hill or down Whiteladies' and Park Street as the mood takes us. I think it deserves a little 'girlie' type celebration outing. Dd still has ballet socks so I reckon they will be the best to take with us. It is funny but she, as the youngest has been a bit jealous, when I have taken the Ds' to 'Giles Bros' to get rugby boots.

It’s quite a unique shop, they stock so many styles and sizes. And we felt a bit like Harry Potter, ie, the shoes choose the dancer!
DD took a pair of old cut down ballet tights rather than socks.

Ha ha error after the replies on here I told Dd and Dm that it would be a little like 'Ollivander's'. I used to walk past the shop every day on my way to school. So I know it has been there for a very long time.

Apparently they had an elderly local gentleman come in to look round once - apparently he had walked past it every day for many years, and was just fascinated to see what it was like inside, especially as it really doesn't bother much with window display / dressing.

Don't know how old your daughter is, but I'd highly highly highly recommend organising a pointe assessment by a dance physiotherapist before you start her in pointe classes.

No it is not going to be something all schools require, and it's not always the easiest thing to access, but it's really really worth it for the health and safety of your daughter.

If you can't access an in-person assessment, then there are helpful resources made by physios to sort of 'assess' at home, but this is in no way the same as a professional assessment.

www.iadms.org/?185 this is a useful information sheet from the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science to get you started :)

Saying that:

Pointe shoes are generally satin and most are made the same way, her foot shape and strength will determine the best shoe and brand for her, if you want some suggestions before you go to a shop then there is a forum called "Ballet Talk for Dancers" which has some excellent resources for you as a dance parent, and your DD as a young dancer, and they have a professional fitter who gives suggestions based on foot measurements and photos.

These are suggestions not "go buy these shoes", it just helps narrow down the vast array of shoes in a shop, and helps an IRL fitting be more productive.

This is the suggestion form, but you need to be a member of BT4D and to have made at least one post there, docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVCEgPDJMe5P0sXIbS0yLRKNItLAqO1moGFsFmmgrSOJLA0g/viewform

Cant I bet he was a University boffin type.

Wow Loops a lot of information to take in there. I will have to look at your links over the weekend. Thank you. My Dd is 13 and has been shuffling her feet, doing stuff with her bras since the age of 4.

That's great :) perfect age for starting.

I'm probably a bit of a worry wort tbh, but I got injured from ballet because I wasn't properly assessed when starting pointe so it's a bit of a crusade to stop it happening to anyone else. Totally feel free to ignore me, I am definitely not a common case :)

No, thank you Loops for your input. I have just read your first link and it has raised a few questions I need to get 'ironed out'.

"Ballet talk for dancers" is a largely American forum - the equivalent British one is "balletcoforum", the section you want is 'doing dance'.

Loads of info on there about pointe shoes etc, and UK shops and fitters.