If you’re a ballet dancer, chances are you have heaping piles of old, beat up, worn out pointe shoes. You don’t want to throw them away because you remember the dances you performed with each pair. On the other hand, you know that it is foolish to keep torn up shoes. The solution? Use them as room décor! I know you are probably thinking, "She is nuts. My shoes are beyond repair and will never look good enough for me to use as decoration." Trust me, though. With creativity and artistic flair, you can fix your shoes up so that they will be art show worthy.
Always start with the base. Don't try gluing rhinestones, beads, and other things on until you have finished either painting or coloring your shoes. Acrylic paint is always a good choice since it is easy to blend and doesn't run. Acrylic paint will give the shoes a flat or matte appearance. However, if you want keep the shine of the pointe shoe, you'll need to use a different medium. I’ve learned that, when used properly, colorful permanent markers make the pink satin look as if it has been professionally dyed. In other words, there is still a sheen to the fabric. Be careful if you decide to use permanent markers, though, because the ink will bleed to a certain extent. If you are unsure about using markers, test on a less noticeable part of the shoe first.
With the addition of beads, colorful ribbons, and other accessories, your old pointe shoes can be turned into works of art that you will be proud enough to display in your home! :)
Monday, May 27, 2013
Thursday, February 23, 2012
To the Pointe.
"After observing you in class this semester, I believe you are ready to start taking a pointe class."
Those words will make a young dancer's eyes light up and her heart skip a beat. Dreams of walking everywhere on your tiptoes take over your sleep at night. I know this from experience. ;)
Then you get your pointe shoes. Such beautiful, perfect shoes covered in pink satin. You sew the ribbons and elastics on, stuff some padding in the toe (I started with those awful brown paper towels) and slide the shoes on for the first time. It's kind of funny... To me, that first time en pointe was a disappointment. It HURT like crazy. For some reason, I had expected it to be painless. However, I persevered and now pointe is my favorite type of dance.
I've had many different brands and styles of pointe shoes over the years. I started with Freed of London® pointe shoes and didn't particularly care for them because the box seemed to be too wide for my toes and they wore out quickly. I have a slightly narrow foot with tapered toes and for me, the Freeds didn't really work out. So I moved on to Bloch® pointe shoes. They seemed a little bit better. They didn't wear out quite as fast and they conformed to my feet better. However, they had a tendency to rub blisters on the skin over my 1st metatarsophalangeal joint (a.k.a. the big toe joint) and finally I couldn't deal with it anymore. Grishko® pointe shoes were my next stop and I've got to say, I LOVED them. Grishko® seems to make shoes with the narrow foot in mind. They fit snugly and although they were incredibly difficult for me to break in, I was very pleased with them. Be warned, though... the satin covering the shoes is not terribly thick and will begin to tear off after wearing them a few times. It actually might be a good idea to go on and take the satin off the toes and darn them after purchasing. I loved my Grishkos and wore several pairs out until I started developing bunions. The tapered box in Grishko® shoes was (I'm sure) the cause. I was very saddened but I knew I'd have to switch shoes yet again. I got myself a pair of Capezio® pointe shoes right before going off to a 2 week ballet summer intensive and they felt wonderful at first. I thought I had finally found the perfect shoe. Unfortunately, I learned that Capezios were WAY too weak for my feet. By the time the intensive was over, they were soft and had very little use left.
I kept toying with the idea of trying Gaynor Minden® shoes but since so many people referred to them as "cheater shoes", I wasn't sure I wanted to get any. Everyone always said they'd do the work for you. Well, I finally decided to buy some and I've got to say, they're the best pointe shoes I've ever worn! They have lasted me a long time, they don't rub blisters, you don't have to tear your feet up breaking them in, the satin on them hasn't torn, they are comfortable, you can feel the floor AND they work your feet! So far, I haven't had any complaints about them.
I'm not telling everyone to get Gaynor Mindens because it all depends on your foot type. My advice is to go and get professionally fitted and make sure you tell your fitter if something doesn't feel right. They're your feet and he/she can't feel what you're feeling. Dancing en pointe should be fun. Not a chore.
Those words will make a young dancer's eyes light up and her heart skip a beat. Dreams of walking everywhere on your tiptoes take over your sleep at night. I know this from experience. ;)
Then you get your pointe shoes. Such beautiful, perfect shoes covered in pink satin. You sew the ribbons and elastics on, stuff some padding in the toe (I started with those awful brown paper towels) and slide the shoes on for the first time. It's kind of funny... To me, that first time en pointe was a disappointment. It HURT like crazy. For some reason, I had expected it to be painless. However, I persevered and now pointe is my favorite type of dance.
I've had many different brands and styles of pointe shoes over the years. I started with Freed of London® pointe shoes and didn't particularly care for them because the box seemed to be too wide for my toes and they wore out quickly. I have a slightly narrow foot with tapered toes and for me, the Freeds didn't really work out. So I moved on to Bloch® pointe shoes. They seemed a little bit better. They didn't wear out quite as fast and they conformed to my feet better. However, they had a tendency to rub blisters on the skin over my 1st metatarsophalangeal joint (a.k.a. the big toe joint) and finally I couldn't deal with it anymore. Grishko® pointe shoes were my next stop and I've got to say, I LOVED them. Grishko® seems to make shoes with the narrow foot in mind. They fit snugly and although they were incredibly difficult for me to break in, I was very pleased with them. Be warned, though... the satin covering the shoes is not terribly thick and will begin to tear off after wearing them a few times. It actually might be a good idea to go on and take the satin off the toes and darn them after purchasing. I loved my Grishkos and wore several pairs out until I started developing bunions. The tapered box in Grishko® shoes was (I'm sure) the cause. I was very saddened but I knew I'd have to switch shoes yet again. I got myself a pair of Capezio® pointe shoes right before going off to a 2 week ballet summer intensive and they felt wonderful at first. I thought I had finally found the perfect shoe. Unfortunately, I learned that Capezios were WAY too weak for my feet. By the time the intensive was over, they were soft and had very little use left.
I kept toying with the idea of trying Gaynor Minden® shoes but since so many people referred to them as "cheater shoes", I wasn't sure I wanted to get any. Everyone always said they'd do the work for you. Well, I finally decided to buy some and I've got to say, they're the best pointe shoes I've ever worn! They have lasted me a long time, they don't rub blisters, you don't have to tear your feet up breaking them in, the satin on them hasn't torn, they are comfortable, you can feel the floor AND they work your feet! So far, I haven't had any complaints about them.
I'm not telling everyone to get Gaynor Mindens because it all depends on your foot type. My advice is to go and get professionally fitted and make sure you tell your fitter if something doesn't feel right. They're your feet and he/she can't feel what you're feeling. Dancing en pointe should be fun. Not a chore.
New blog!
I've decided to start a blog simply about dance. I'm going to have info here about pointe shoes, dance related injuries, nutrition, professional dancers, companies, fictional & nonfictional dance stories and much more! If anyone has any suggestions or anything specific that you'd like to see an article about, just send me a message and I'll see what I can do! Thanks for reading!
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