http://www.balletinfo.com/ballet-shoes/choose-the-right-ballet-shoes-you-owe-it-to-your-feet/ Discover the Secrets to Conquering Some of The Most Common Pitfalls You Face When Learning Ballet Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:34:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.balletinfo.com/ballet-shoes/choose-the-right-ballet-shoes-you-owe-it-to-your-feet/comment-page-1/#comment-14941 Jen Thu, 21 Jun 2007 21:46:25 +0000 http://www.balletinfo.com/ballet-shoes/choose-the-right-ballet-shoes-you-owe-it-to-your-feet/#comment-14941 I'm surprised you say that you only have two basic choices (leather or canvas) for ballet flats. These days there are a lot more choices! For the rank beginners leather shoes are the prime choice and I've been taught that you should have full-sole shoes for the early years at least, as they teach you to work your foot better than split soles. So you can choose leather or canvas (sometimes satin ballet flats are available too) You can choose full or split sole or even elasto-split shoes which consist of a toe, a heel and elastic in between. You can choose shoes that fit tightly, or shoes that are a bit loose with a bit of growing room (not recommended in ballet flats, but sometimes acceptable in tap or jazz shoes). Then there's the question of elastic or ribbons, beginners usually start with elastic and graduate to ribbons after a few years (when they're old enough to learn how to tie the ribbons) but many shoes come with these unattached, so parents need to know how to attach them. With elastics, you can have a single elastic across the arch of the foot, or two elastics criss-crossed over (as in the photo here). When you move up to Pointe shoes the options are even greater! I’m surprised you say that you only have two basic choices (leather or canvas) for ballet flats. These days there are a lot more choices!
For the rank beginners leather shoes are the prime choice and I’ve been taught that you should have full-sole shoes for the early years at least, as they teach you to work your foot better than split soles.
So you can choose leather or canvas (sometimes satin ballet flats are available too)
You can choose full or split sole or even elasto-split shoes which consist of a toe, a heel and elastic in between.
You can choose shoes that fit tightly, or shoes that are a bit loose with a bit of growing room (not recommended in ballet flats, but sometimes acceptable in tap or jazz shoes).
Then there’s the question of elastic or ribbons, beginners usually start with elastic and graduate to ribbons after a few years (when they’re old enough to learn how to tie the ribbons) but many shoes come with these unattached, so parents need to know how to attach them. With elastics, you can have a single elastic across the arch of the foot, or two elastics criss-crossed over (as in the photo here).
When you move up to Pointe shoes the options are even greater!

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