pointe shoes – Page 4

Finding Balance: An Introduction

February 3, 2012 by 4dancers

Today I’d like to give a warm welcome to Emily Kate Long, 4dancers latest contributor. Emily Kate will be writing about “Finding Balance”…something every dancer struggles with in one form or another…

Balance is an integral part of dance: in technique, physical appearance, partnering, staging, casting, injury prevention…and on and on. Balance is what makes dance beautiful, and imbalance is often what keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, tense and excited. In our day-to-day, balance—or the lack of it—can provide comfort, frustration, boredom, serenity, or stress.

Physical imbalance reared its ugly head in my life throughout December and January. After nothing but Nutcracker for November and early December, three weeks of layoff seemed welcome at first. By about day four, though, I was longing for full days of rehearsal again! How was I supposed to keep myself in good shape while still allowing time for recovery?

Two months of promenades on my left leg had not only eaten through pair after pair of pointe shoes, but had also done noticeable damage to the muscles in my hip and calf on the left side. Prevention, correction, and maintenance all played a part in physically rebalancing my body before rehearsals started up again.

Pilates Reformer work was, and continues to be, a really effective way to maintain balance and alignment in my body. It was also useful as a preventive measure. My trainer and I had been working to stay on top of the one-sidedness of classical pas de deux work in weekly sessions during Nut rehearsals, so by the time the run of shows was over I had a repertoire of exercise remedies to practice with her and on my own.

A visit to the chiropractor kicked off the corrective steps. He’s always telling me to reverse one-sided choreography, even if that only means one time reversed for every ten times I dance it. I think there’s validity in that, though in a company of nine dancers with one full-size studio there is not always time or space (or, more often, quite enough self-motivation) to take on that extra project, however small. I did begin doing the left side first for class exercises during the layoff, which was an interesting and helpful experiment.

Long, busy days in the theater meant that I wasn’t able to stretch as much as I would have liked, and dancing on a hard stage meant that I needed it more than usual. So I ended up tighter in general, especially in my hips and lower back. Hot yoga was a nice fix for that. The heat allowed me to stretch more intensely, and the combination of turned-in work and plenty of twisting relieved a lot of the tension that had been living in my back and hips.

Maintenance, in addition to continued Pilates work, involved taking lots of time to do class on my own and really simplify things, going back to the basics and re-examining those steps for quirks that could lead to bigger problems later. I also indulged my love of running outdoors, something that I avoid during rehearsal weeks because of the impact.

Now that rehearsals are back in full swing things are starting to get crazy again—just the way I like them! Full days at the studio plus planning classes and choreography make me really appreciate any opportunity I can find for pastimes—currently, reading Jane Austen and Stephen Manes. But that’s fodder for another post!

BIO: Emily Kate Long began her dance education in South Bend, Indiana, with Kimmary Williams and Jacob Rice and graduated in 2007 from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s Schenley Program. Ms Long attended Milwaukee Ballet School’s Summer Intensive on scholarship before being invited to join Milwaukee Ballet II in 2007. She also has spent summers studying at Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive, Miami City Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet, and Ballet Chicago.

Ms Long has been a member of Ballet Quad Cities since 2009. She has danced featured roles in Deanna Carter’s Ash to Glass and Dracula, participated in the company’s 2010 tour to New York City, and most recently performed the title role in Courtney Lyon’s Cinderella and the role of Clara in The Nutcracker. Prior to joining Ballet Quad Cities Ms Long performed with Milwaukee Ballet and MBII in Michael Pink’s The Nutcracker and Candide Overture, Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty and La Bayadére, Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Bournonville’s Flower Festival in Genzano and Napoli, and original contemporary and neoclassical works by Tom Teague, Denis Malinkine, Rolando Yanes, and Petr Zaharadnicek.

My Pointe Shoes – By Shannon Bynum

January 28, 2012 by 4dancers

Our focus this month is on pointe shoes and today we have Shannon Bynum from Ballet San Jose with us to share her thoughts on what type of shoe she wears–and why she chose them…

At first when I was asked to describe how I break in my pointe shoes and prepare them for the stage I was perplexed. The reality is not much at all! Most ballerinas (including myself up until last year) have a very religious routine to what they do to make the shoe fit perfectly. Each individual dancer’s foot is so unique that no two dancers use the exact same process. Some glue the box and use shellac to make the shoe last longer. Others may darn the tip of the shoe for better balance, break the shank, sew the sides down… the list goes on and on.

I was one of those dancers until I was in New York one summer finding myself at a standstill with my shoes. I just couldn’t seem to find the right pointe shoe for my foot. I was discouraged and unable to find the perfect match. Many shoes may have looked beautiful yet I wasn’t able to perform in them, or they were great to dance in and just didn’t look right. Some died more quickly than I could sew a new pair, had me preparing them daily, hurt my feet, didn’t look as beautiful, or were just the wrong fit.

While in NYC a teacher had told me that I should wear either Freed or Bloch. The only problem with that was every pair of Freeds or Blochs I had ever tried just didn’t do me any justice. Nothing against Freed or Bloch as some of my favorite dancers bring so much life to the stage wearing them. They just did not work for me.

I needed a shoe that not only looked beautiful on my foot aesthetically, but was also comfortable enough to dance in forty hours a week and without dying after one class! I finally came across my match in Gaynor Minden. Some dancers don’t believe that this pointe shoe is any good. In fact, the topic between ballerinas, teachers, and coaches is very controversial.

I agree to disagree; this shoe has changed my career. Gaynor Minden pointe shoes are far from traditional. They are like Mac and PC. They do the same thing in the end but are just different technology. Both are computers and some people prefer one to the other. I happen to be a modern day American ballerina and I feel very proud to have the opportunity to grow in these particular pointe shoes.

Shannon2 — Shannon in her Gaynor Minden Pointe Shoes

The pointe shoe is a ballerina’s tool, and are most important item in my dance bag. I came back from FHL and ATFL surgery on my left ankle in 2010 and needed a shoe that was extremely supportive yet supple enough to help me gain back my flexibility and line. I have fallen in love with wearing Gaynor Minden’s. They offer me everything I need as a ballet dancer. They are consistent and last a long time so I can spend more time perfecting my work and artistry while spending less time worrying about my pointe shoe.

I first started out wearing a stock Gaynor Minden shoe then a few months later they started making me a custom shoe made specifically for my feet and the specs that I needed to have the best line. All I have to do now is un-wrap them, sew on my ribbons, elastic, and I am all set.

Gaynor Minden pointe shoes are not like the traditional pointe shoe. They are a completely new technology and generation of the pointe shoe. If dancers are evolving like they are, then why not the pointe shoe? That’s exactly what Gaynor Minden has done. They were tired of how painful all the pointe shoes were and how they would die so fast. On an average pointe shoe, you get to a place where it is broken in perfectly and that moment lasts for such a short time. With Gaynor Minden, it is always the same. I know what I am getting when I put that shoe on. I love that my shoe has a consistency I can rely on, especially in a career where the rep demands are so diverse.

Gaynor Minden pointe shoes are made of an elastomeric shank and box, cushioned moisture control lining, and a flat free of pleats bottom. They are also made to be extremely quiet with Poron, “an impact shock absorption system”. I cannot say enough amazing things about this shoe. What I love most about the way I prepare my pointe shoes is that it is so minimal which creates less anxiety and more time for fine tuning what matters the most, which is what we bring the the stage.

Thanks to this innovative pointe shoe, few stitches with a needle and thread and I am good to go! Simple, clean and a new take on tradition.

Pointe Shoe Products: Bunheads Ouch Pouch Jr.

January 25, 2012 by 4dancers

Cassady from Motion Unlimited Dancewear shares one more pointe shoe product with us this month…the “Ouch Pouch Jr.”…

colorful Ouch Pouch jr — Ouch Pouch Jr./Color

This is by far our best selling toe pad! With a thin layer of gel inside a fabric pouch, this pad will be your best friend. They easily stretch over your toes to give you all-over padding that you need–and nothing extra to take up space in your shoes.

The Ouch Pouch Jr. comes in two different sizes so it can fit every foot. The small sizes fit small or narrow feet and the large fits larger or wider feet. You can even cut it down to make it the perfect fit. It hugs toes nicely and does not stick to the skin like most gel pads. They are easy to clean and last throughout many pairs of pointe shoes. You can even get them in three reversible color combinations!

With comfy padding like this, you won’t need much else to keep your feet happy.

Order your own Ouch Pouch Jr. (Plain/LG)

Order a color Ouch Pouch Jr. (LG)

“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…]

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.

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