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Long Feet En Pointe: A Guide For Big Pointe Shoe Sizes

Have you ever wondered how difficult it is for a woman to find a pair of shoes that matches her completely ? Many parameters taken into account to reach the suitable decision : different styles, colors, sizes and of course the elegance and comfort of the shoe. Now imagine how difficult it is to find your perfect match of pointe shoes, as the parameters increase ! Today's article is dedicated to women with the issue called "man-sized feet". When refering to "Long Feet" we mean feet that need shoes in big sizes, like men do. Actually, people with street shoe size 42 and above, seem to be excluded from the market area. If we notice this, we will totally understand why male dancers do not use pointe shoes in their regular ballet practice! Obviously, because… they simply have a harder time to get pointe shoes in their size! There is no chance they will find a shoe that fits in any local store. They are confined do order custom-made shoes, which several manufacturers are eager to make. This situation leads to extended waiting periods (at least a couple of months), paying extra money and the impossibility to return or exchange the shoes in case they don’t fit. This, also, happens with women with street shoe 42 and above. And keep in mind that ballerinas MUST wear their pointe shoes!

Narrow Feet: The Best Pointe Shoes for This Unique Type of Foot

Narrow feet type of foot is quite unique and also difficult for finding a pair of pointe shoes. Pointe shoes manufactures, like Grishko (Vaganova & Maya 2), Russian Pointe (Sapfir) and Siberian Swan (Pavlova) etc, usually make a special customized order for the people with very narrow feet as its extremely difficult. In this article we mention the basic problems of the narrow feet (long toes, compressible feet, difficulty in finding pointe shoes that can be totally filled by the foot to provide support and function well) and we also give some solutions. A fitting case completes some details concerning narrow feet and their pointe shoe solutions.

Pointe Shoes for Wide Feet: A Complete Dancer's Guide

Wide feet may be a blessing for building a strong ballet technique, but this shape of foot is very difficult for finding the perfect fit of pointe shoes. The purpose of this article is to inform about all the problems someone with wide feet will face while searching for a pair of pointe shoes, on the local stores and online. We examine the parametres of choosing the suitable pointe shoes, how we can transform non suitable pairs and we also name many models by various brands related. Teresa's story explains better the situation.

Top-10 of the pointe shoe fitting problems

Which are the best pointe shoe models for wide or for narrow feet? Which pointe shoes have enough space for long toes? What do we do if we have compressible feet or bunions? What does "knuckling" mean? We have listed most of the pointe shoe fitting issues in a smart Top-10 chart!

Siberian Swan Brand News

Siberian Swan announces improvements of the lasts, offers satin pointe shoes and a pointe shoe model for male feet

How to understand if you a student is ready for pointe shoe work?

How do teachers understand if a student is ready for pointe work? Is there a common evaluation method or criteria? No, there isn't.
In the following article, Isabelle D'Hoine, a ballet teacher from Ghent, Belgium, shares her own experience, hoping to discuss this subject with fellow teachers, as well as parents and dancers themselves.
Before allowing students to commence pointework, use our own evaluation method, as well as sharing their experiences with others. We use to call it "pre-pointe lesson".

Starting pointe shoes: evaluating dancers to avoid injuries

Starting to dance on pointes should not be taken for granted. There are a lot of criteria that define a dancers capability to dance on pointes. Students, parents and teachers should always bear in mind the dangers of commencing pointework without being properly prepared. Isabelle D’Hoine is a dance studio owner, choreographer and ballet teacher, Belgium, Gent. We have established a long-term co-operation with her school, providing  our Virtual pointe shoe ftting service to each of Isabelle's students.

Our pointe shoe fitting service is 6 today!

I once found out that the ballet world was full of badly fitted pointe shoes. I kept seeing them on photos and videos so one day I’ve just decided to translate our local concept into English and make it international. That’s how BestPointe.com was started, 6 years ago... When I started a local pointe shoe business, I didn’t know a thing about pointe shoes...

What if my pointe shoes are wrong for me?

I told my mom that I can't wear just any type of Pointe shoes and they have to be made for my foot type. But she thinks all Pointe shoes are the same so she is trying to get me Pointe shoes that are on sale in our dance shop. Can you tell her what can happen if I have the wrong type of shoe? -Peddy- ...I was so glad to receive this e-mail from a 13 years-old “student” of our educational newsletter series called “Pointe shoe academy”: this means that we are doing good deed, helping young dancers understand the importance of pointe shoe fitting before they have to deal with the consequences. So I put a lot of thought into the reply, plus, I asked my Facebook friends – professional and amateur dancers, teachers and parents… So, here is what happens when you use a badly fitted pointe shoes:

Cheap pointe shoes: how?

Dear Inna, I wish I could buy the shoes today but my parents want me to buy my own pointe shoes and I dont have that money at the moment. Trust me, I've been waiting for this moment since Ive started dancing. - Charlie Actually, there are quite a lot of ways to get your pointe shoes cheaper... here are 4 tips on how you can save 20-70% off with Bestpointe.com.