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| Pointe Tips |
| YAY!! So you're teacher's just told you that you can go en pointe - here are some tips to help you out a bit.... |
| The most important things to remember about pointe: *Always get properly fitting shoes!! That means going to a dance store with a good reputation and going through as many shoes as you need until you've found a pair you are completely happy with!* *Don't rush! Your first outing on pointe will more than likely be nothing more adventurous than a few releves and rises but don't worry about this - you'll progress onto the more difficult things later but you have to be able to walk before you can run!* *It hurts - once you've gotten used to it it won't be so bad but don't expect it to be pain free! We have toe pads for a reason! Experiment until you've found a good combination of toe protection!* |
| Shoes! Here are some of the most famous makers of pointe shoes... |
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| Capezio |
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| Sansha |
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| Bloch |
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| Chacott |
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| Grishko |
| Freed |
| Breaking in! When breaking in your shoes there are many different methods that people use. As always you're going to find your own way eventually but for now try one of these: *Very carefully 'massage' the box (the hard casing around your toes!) near the top where your demi pointe will be. *Again very carefully - bend the shank to and fro where it needs to bend for demi pointe. *Wear them around the house for a bit and walk on demi pointe and do a few rises to help them bend. There are lots of other ways but these should help. After a class or two they should be broken in enough so don't go mad! Just make sure they're ok enough to get through a class or two. :) |
| When to replace your shoes! You will know when your shoes have broken beyond repair. Usually the shank breaks or the box becomes too mushy but basically when you feel you're not getting the support you need from them then it's time to get another pair! |
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| Take me home! |