Beginner pointe shoes

I am 24 years old and started again ballet lessons after 10 years… I remember most things and I advance very quickly as my body remembers its good position and my flexibility still stays on. I will now buy my first pointe shoes and I need your help. I am very tall (1,80m) and quite heavy (78 kilos) and I need a shoe that can support me well. As in my country I do not have a lot of choice (only a few brands are sold here) and the shops do not have specialized staff, could you please propose me something good for a beginner at my weight?

October 21, 2006 | In Questions | 5 Comments

5 Comments »

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  1. First of all you need to consider whether your weight is mostly muscle or fat. If it’s fat, you have to be honest with yourself and lose some weight carefully before even thinking about going on pointe. Normal weights for your height range from 135 to 170, but “normal” for safe dancing on pointe (safe for your joints, like your feet and your knees) is lower than that. Don’t risk injury. You have one pair of knees and knees are not easy to fix once they have been damaged. Moreover, you cannot rely on ANY shoe to “support” you if you don’t have sufficient strength and technique — even if you are not overweight. All things being equal, meaning you are at a reasonable weight level, and are strong, and have good technique, the most you can ask your shoe to do is be correct for your foot type. You can’t ask the shoe to compensate for too much weight to bear because pointe shoes are not made to do that. They are made to support your foot sufficiently to get from demi to full pointe. You should be concerned with which shoe fits your foot type. Height doesn’t matter. Weight does.

    Comment by Zoe — October 22, 2006 #

  2. Choose a shoe that fits your type of foot well. If you have flat feet with not much arch, don’t get a shank that is too strong or you won’t be able to break them in. A foot with a very strong arch will need a stronger shank (probably medium for a beginner, rather than hard) or the shoe won’t last more than a few weeks. Don’t get a hard shank first off as they tend to do all the work for beginners and usually only quite advanced students need these. Beginners also tend to prefer a wider flatter box so their feet can properly fill/feel the shoe without dangerous slippage (advanced pointe dancing changes your feet to a more narrow muscular type so the shoe you need also changes with time), but it depends on the shape of your feet. A 3/4 shank makes it easier to get over the box, and a bigger platform area where you balance on makes it easier to stay on point, although they won’t look as nice and streamlined as a smaller platform. Alot of girls at my studio are using bloch “balance” for a beginner shoe at our studio and it has been good for most. Its not the only good beginners shoe though, just what we can get easily, and it won’t suit everyone. I had to order a pair of gaynor mindens over the internet as my feet were too flat to fit the bloch balance, the gaynors were right for me. Also about your weight, I am a little overweight at 1.63m and 63kg but was assessed suitable for pointe by my teacher as I had really good “pull-up” all through my feet, ankles, calves, thighs, bottom and stomach, and concentrate really well. I had the most lightweight shoe but my shoes lasted the longest of all in my class! The slimmer girls were sinking in their shoes and ruining them while I was working the hardest and it showed by how long my shoes lasted. So if your teacher says you’re ready for pointe, go for it!

    Comment by Caitlin — October 25, 2006 #

  3. Without seeing your feet I can’t reccomend a shoe for you, because the shoe has to fit perfectly, and be right for your foot shape. Most shoes come in different strengths, but as the above poster said, they will not support you if your not strong enough, I’m guessing that if your going en pointe you probably are, but do many releves and eleves to strengthen your feet and ankles.
    The best thing to do for shoes is talk to your teacher, and maybe even take your teacher with you when you get fitted to be sure you get a shoe that fits perfectly.
    Good luck en pointe.

    Abbie

    Comment by Abbie Etheridge — October 25, 2006 #

  4. i would recommend gaynor minden pointe shoes. if you think that you’re overweight, you don’t have to try other brands as you’ll wear them out within a short time. gaynor minden lasts longer.

    Comment by Samantha — October 29, 2006 #

  5. Sorry I do not agree to putting GM on a novice, due to there, yes Ok you will get on pointe easer but it will not not teach you strength and skills needd for pointe. Plus looking at a BMI table your only just over weight. So do not panic. 73 kilos would be about a good weight for good health

    Comment by Fee — November 6, 2006 #

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