Fitting Pointe Shoes
Pointe is considered to be one of the hardest moves in ballet to master. Students in this area of discipline generally need to have several years of basic ballet classes to reflect on. They average age for Pointe is ten but some students start around age eight if their instructor thinks they are ready. Others are fifteen or sixteen when they begin to learn this particular element of ballet. A dancer must have strong legs and good balance in order to master the art of Pointe.
One of the most important things with Pointe is to have shoes that fit correctly. There is too great of a risk of damaging the feet, toes, and ankles if you don’t. Shoes that are too tight can result in blisters and bruising. Those that are too loose can cause sprains and breaks in the bones. The shoe should be light and comfortable for the dancer so that it feels like nothing more than just a part of the foot as they perform this art of ballet.
It is not uncommon for a person in general to have feet that are slightly different in size. This is true of dancers as well so each foot will be measured individually. A pair of Pointe shoes will be designed with the length, width, and contour of each foot in mind. Each one should fit on very snuggly with no addition room at the front, back, or on the sides of them.
The fitting should be done without any laces being added to the mix. This way it can be determined if they fit well. Only if they fit in all of these areas before hand should the ribbons then be added. They will be placed in a criss cross motion on the ankles of the dancer. The fitting process should be very in depth and not rushed as having great fitting shoes is crucial to this type of art.
Since Pointe shoes have to be a good fit, dancers often have to get new pairs on a regular basis. As their feet grow they will need to be resized. They should do this as soon as they start to feel that their toes are extending too far to the tip of the shoes. For some dancers, their feet also widen as they get older. This can result in the Pointe shoes not fitting that direction as well. Students, parents, and instructors should continually watch out for such needs. This way the dancer will always be safe and have the Pointe shoes they need to do their very best.
