To The Pointe… Shoe
On this weeks Episode of The Dance Docs I sit down with pointe shoe fitter and owner of The Pointe Shop Josephine Lee to talk about pointe shoes. Whether you want to know a little more about how a pointe shoe should fit, what to consider when going into a fitting or what’s up with padding and ribbon’s these days this episode is for you. I hope that this episode leaves you wanting to take a deeper look at your shoes whether it’s your first pair or your hundredth.
Lets Chat All things Pointe shoes
Little background about Josephine Lee
Her mom owned a dance store in Southern California and Josephine began learning about pointe shoes, and fittings
After college she decided to open a dancewear store and focus on pointe shoe fittings
How many shoes are on the market these days?
A lot more than are popular
8-9 brands that are proper pointe shoe companies
Each company has 10-40 models
4-5 of each brand are really good models
Are most shoes still handmade?
Yes
This is why shoes can still be so variable
Some have more machinery involved
Fitting a shoe
Dr Kat will primarily look at the following areas of a shoe when assessing
Shank
Toe box
Wings
Vamp
Platform
Josephine will look at:
Not looking at the shoe itself first
Their fitting method looks at the dancer and their skill level and not just the shape of the foot
Look for the technique, muscle imbalance, mechanical issues, weight, flexibility and strength
Different parts of the show will do different things for different dancers
Fitting a pointe shoe is a dynamic process for each dancer
Common imbalances that you see:
Sickling
Beveling
Hamstrings
Gluteals
Imbalances between how flexible your two feet are
Difference in sizes between your two feet
Common fitting errors
Dancers not getting over the box
Could be due to multiple factors including:
Shape of the shoe
Width of the box
The shank
Height of the fabric
Many times dancer will come in with a solution, but it may not actually be the correct one
Hard to determine when a dancer is static
Shoe fittings for a dancer with stress injuries in their foot
Very common
Biggest problem is that almost everyone has 2 different size feet
Many dancers are wearing shoes that are incorrect on the larger foot
Could be a length or width issue constantly causing increased stress
Some dancers may develop issue due to shoes that are cut down too far or are too big
Or whenever you are having to grip the toes to hold the shoe on
Are there certain assessments that you do on a dancer’s foot before you put them in a shoe?
ROM MTP and ankle
Arch height
How compressive the foot is
What do you look for when a dancer is standing in a shoe
Alignment
Rely on the information that the dancer tells the fitter
Have to learn to ask younger dancers questions so they can articulate what is happening
A pair of shoes may feel great when you first put them on, but as a dancer uses that shoe it will begin to break in
Shoes break in differently depending on the floor that you are dancing on.
Sometimes you will not know how a shoe will be until its been worn for a while
Some shoes wear in well, some will stay hard the whole time
What about breaking in shoes
Professional dancers who have worn their shoes for a long time and receive multiple pairs of shoes a month know how to bend/break in their shoes when they are new
Hard to explain the breaking in process
Bending and molding new shoes decreases the life span of the shoe
A younger dancers needs to make a pair of shoes last, so we do not recommend breaking in a pair of shoes
How long does a pair of shoes tend to last
10-15 hours
Really depends on the dancers skill level
Glue/shellac shoes
Great thing to do
Try not to overdue it
Recommend to glue at the beginning when the shoe is new
Or wear once or twice and then glue
Do not wait until your shoe is dead to glue it
Every dancer will be different in how they need to glue the shoe
Consider where your shoe is breaking first and glue that area
Understanding shanks
Each company is different
The shape of the shank is different as well
Pre-arched
Flat shanks
Elevated shank
Full, ¾ , ½
More experienced dancers can make a ¾ shank last longer
newer/weaker dancer may break a ¾ shank break quicker
Soft shoes/Hard shoes
See the same problems as when you are dancing in a shoe that is too dead
She is not giving the dancer enough support
Foot structure
Arch of the foot
Begin to see an increase in injuries such as
Metatarsal stress fractures
Tendonitis
There is not one solution for everyone, individual care is very important
Ribbons and Elastic
*listener question- Hi Dance Docs, I am a ballet student who has been on pointe for 4 years. I have noticed that more dancers are switching to elastic ribbons. Can I just switch over to them, or is there a time that you would recommend it?
For younger dancer gear a little more towards a satin ribbon
Ribbons and elastic can be a personal choice
Depends on if you want a ribbon that will offer lots of extra support or you are ok with something that gives a little more
May benefit from a stretch ribbon if you have posterior ankle problems
Can also consider a flexor ribbon that has a small patch of elastic in in that goes over the achilles
Stretch ribbon is more comfortable and easy to put on if you have a quick change
Padding and Toe Spacers
Many of the professional dancers use just a thin paper towel, or very thin foam toe pads
They have come a long way since my first pair of lambs wool toe pads
Now it seems like dancers are starting with a lot of cushions and padding
Less is better most of the time because you have a better fit on the shoe, more control, and your feet toughen up faster
Padding exists because your feet are asymmetrical and your shoes are asymmetrical
There can be a lot of negative spaces and pressure points
The more padding you have the less control you have over your foot in you shoe thus less control over the shoe
Want to give a dancer as much as necessary as little as possible
When a dancer is in pain they will begin compensating and causing further problems that could lead to an injury
Toe spacers are good for dancers dealing with big toe alignment issues
Can use a gel spacer or something like a make-up sponge
Perfect fit toe pads can be great, want to try to avoid using all of the putty
Don’t want to cement the foot/toes into place
What to look for in an initial fitting
Pain is your greatest indicator
Speak up if something doesn’t feel right or hurts
We understand that the shoes are expensive but don’t wear your shoes once they are dead or are no longer stable
How often should a dancer have a pointe shoe fitting
Young dancer- you should have a shoe fitting for every pair for the first 2 years
Feet, technique and skills are changing rapidly during this time
Professional dancers- should be fit more often when given the option (every 6 months)
Your bones and feet change throughout your career and will need different shoes throughout
You will also need to change your padding
Your feet are your tools and you need to take care of them
Many dancers don’t have the resources to be fit as frequently
If you have access to a greater range of shoes dancers do not need as much customization
Is there any specific foot care or strengthening that you recommend to dancers?
Just like a pointe shoe it should be individualized
Often if there is a problem or future problem send them to a PT
Find Josephine Lee
YouTube
Thepointeshop.com