Pointe Shoes – Page 6

“The Perfect Arch” by Dr. Sinkoe

January 19, 2012 by 4dancers

Today we bring you the first in a series of articles for 4dancers by Dr. Sinkoe, a podiatrist from Georgia who works with the Atlanta Ballet. He was kind enough to share some thoughts on the best ways to help strengthen and improve your arch. Look for additional information from Dr. Sinkoe this month and next month on subjects such as warts and bruised toenails...

Dancers are always looking for ways to obtain that “perfect arch”. Every foot is genetically designed differently and not everybody will be able to achieve that “perfect arch”. Stretching and flexibility exercises are always helpful. However, I caution those that are attempting to achieve this position with the use of spring-loaded devices or placing their foot under the couch or other furniture to try to stretch the ligaments at the top of the foot. The midfoot joints are supported by strong ligaments and will allow the bones of the midfoot to only glide up and down. Attempting to make the midfoot joints act as hinge joints will injure the ligaments. If the ligaments are overstressed they can become weakened which can result in a sprained ligament or a subluxed joint.

The most effective method to strengthen the arch is to strengthen the foot muscles which stabilize the toes. These muscles are located on the bottom of the foot. Exercises to contract these muscles will flex the arch, giving you a dome appearance, thus the name “doming exercises”. Strong foot muscles will also reduce the incidence of tendonitis and metatarsal stress fractures. Experienced dancers will learn to use these muscles to stabilize themselves on pointe rather than depending on the pointe shoe to do the work.

Exercises for foot strength: [Read more…]

Fitting Freed Of London Pointe Shoes

January 18, 2012 by 4dancers

Thank you to Brenda R. Neville and Freed of London for the content here today…to SAB student Ashley McAleer for her time, and to Christopher Duggan for his photography…

Making sure your pointe shoes fit properly is of the utmost importance. For all pointe shoes, it is crucial that the length, width, and box fit the foot correctly so that the shoe can provide adequate support and help prevent injury. There should also be enough freedom of movement so that the dancer can perform in them without feeling restricted.

Each pointe shoe manufacturer varies slightly in the way their shoes fit. Freed pointe shoe sizing converts down to about 2.5 sizes below a US Street shoe size. This is a good guideline to begin with—then you should know what to look for in the feel of the shoe once it’s on.

w_20120109_4Dancers-Freed_Christopher.Duggan_029 — Brenda R. Neville with SAB student Ashley McAleer, photo by Christopher Duggan

When trying on a Freed pointe shoe, the width should be snug enough so that you feel some resistance across your metatarsal as you push your foot into the block/box. Think of it feeling like a sock–but not pinching, with the ball and sole of the foot able to lie flat on the floor with ease. Freeds will stretch and widen across the box to mold and shape to the dancer’s individual foot. For this reason it is important that the shoes aren’t too wide when purchased. [Read more…]

Pointe Shoe Products: Daniel’s Pointe Shoe Glue

January 17, 2012 by 4dancers

Cassady from Motion Unlimited Dancewear is back with us today to talk about another pointe shoe product–pointe shoe glue…

Everybody knows pointe shoes are expensive! For most people, it’s important to try to preserve them as long as they can. There have been many tricks out there, but the best seems to be gluing them. Of course you can use many types of glue, but the very best has to be Daniel’s Pointe Shoe glue.

Daniel, the man who invented it, did a lot of research on pointe shoes and came up with a great formula designed specifically for dancers to repair, restore and renew dead pointe shoes. You can use the glue in a variety of ways to help harden and uphold your shoes.

Most commonly, dancers will put the glue on the areas of their shoes that become soft. To get the best results, you have to let your shoes dry completely after wear. After they dry, you just apply the glue to the soft areas inside or outside of the shoe and again let them dry completely. Even though this glue seems like magic, it will not make your shoes brand new again–but it will give you the ability to continue to wear them for a while longer.

Another way to use help extend the wear of your shoes is to use the glue before you dance in them. Take your brand new shoes (before any wear) and put glue on the areas that tend to “die” quickly. This will add an extra hardness to the areas that seem to need it, giving your shoes more life. As they soften, you can always re-apply more glue.

Keep in mind, if you are newer to pointe work, you’ll want to get your teachers advice before trying to glue your shoes on your own. You don’t want to ruin a pair of pointe shoes!

Save your shoes–try Daniel’s Pointe Shoe Glue.

The History & Making Of Freed Pointe Shoes

January 12, 2012 by 4dancers

In the late 1920’s, Frederick Freed left England’s leading pointe shoe manufacturer (along with his wife and one assistant) to set up shop in a small basement, making shoes of their own. Over time, his reputation for producing quality shoes increased, as did the demand for his shoes. This took the Freed brand to the forefront of the industry where it remains one of the most respected shoes among ballet dancers worldwide. Amazingly, after all these years The Freed of London Shop is still located at the same address.

There is something to be said for tradition.

Today over 250,000 pairs of Freeds are made every year, and they are sold in over 50 countries. Every one of them is hand-crafted by a Professional Pointe Shoe Maker, each of which makes between 30 and 40 pairs daily. Makers shape their shoes in a unique way and they are identified by their own personal stamp on the bottom of the shoe. Symbols include letters, a key, a heart and a Maltese Cross, among others.

w_20120109_4Dancers-Freed_Christopher.Duggan_064 — Freed Pointe Shoes, Photo by Christopher Duggan

[Read more…]

Emily Starling: On Breaking In Pointe Shoes

January 11, 2012 by 4dancers

Emily Starling shoes 1 — Emily Starling's Pointe Shoes

by Emily Starling

Pointe shoes are a type of shoe used by ballerinas across the world and they enable the dancer to dance ‘on their toes’. There are many different makes, some of the most popular being Bloch, Freed and Gaynor Minden. A ballerina chooses the shoe which best suits their foot shape and range of movement of the foot itself.

Like many other types of shoe, pointe shoes must be broken in before they are worn but, rather than for comfort, this is a must for dancers in order for them to be able to perform at their best.

There are many ways of doing this some working better for certain dancers than others but in my opinion there are two stages to this process:

Making the sole flexible.

Manipulation of the toe section.

The sole must be flexible so the ballet dancer can perform all her moves to the best of her ability as well as being aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The toe section must be manipulated so the whole foot can be used with ease.

I personally use my hands to make the sole supple, having had years of experiencing different types of shoe and how the shoe feels on my foot I know to which degree I can bend them in order for me to execute all my movements with precision. This for me is the quickest and easiest method.

Manipulating the toe section is more time consuming and requires the shoe to actually be on the foot. Normally a couple of nights before I will wear them I place them in a warm place such as the airing cupboard. Then the night before I put them on and walk around my house for 15 – 20 minutes on demi pointe and do slow rises until I am happy that I can get from demi pointe to full pointe and back again with ease. The enables my feet to move freely–as close to how they would feel in flat shoes as possible. Finally, I place them back in the airing cupboard overnight so as not to undo the work I have done with them.

About the dancer: Emily Starling is 20 years old from Essex, England. She has recently graduated from Bird College in Kent, with a Diploma in Musical Theatre. Predominantly ballet-trained, Emily has been a member of Chelmsford Ballet Company for 9 years, and has recently become an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance in London.

Stay tuned for more dancers talking about how they break in their pointe shoes as we continue our “focus on pointe” this month!

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