Strengthening and lengthening

Pre-pointe classes didn't exist in my day.  Our school didn't use soft blocks either- we just used normal pointe shoes to save cash.  Whilst I think we shouldn't namby pamby kids, we do have a duty to protect their bodies and adhere to basic health and safety.

These days the classes are really acting as the preparation and stepping stone to getting your 'big girl' shoes.  With good reason.  Every child develops at different stages of their lives and every child's feet are different.  You won't suddenly 'be ready' for pointe shoes just because you hit 12 years old and you are in grade 4.  It doesn't work that way any more, now we know more and the information is so widely available.  There are so many factors including foot and ankle strength, core muscle control and ability to work easily on demi pointe in the first place.

When I was a child, there wasn't the capacity to think about children in the same class going en pointe at different stages.  Plus I just think my teacher didn't want to have to get so in depth about it all.  You either wanted to do it, or you didn't and you were old enough to know if you can handle it.  She was certainly not one for molly coddling and I loved her for it to be honest!  It was just a different time.

I went en pointe at 13 years old because I'd hit grade 4 ballet class and theywere 'the rules'.  I was relatively lucky in that my feet were quite strong, had a moderate arch but not high.  They adapted very well and quite quickly, I found it quite easy to get over my box and turn demi movements into full pointe.  However, I can't say the same for some of the girls in my class.  It still pains me to see bent knees and 'backward' soggy ankles.  Or even sickling.  It amazes me how these girls even manage to get up and stay there!!  It's not only painful for the dancer but it is really painful to watch and doesn't look attractive either.

The thing is, the teacher or ballet school won't see the pain or damage they have caused the child because by the time it happens they might be in their 30's and 40's and perhaps not dancing any longer.  All the children think is, 'I really want to go en pointe' and believe me, I understand.  When I was told I could go out and buy my first pair, I wanted to squeal!  It must be really heart-breaking if your friend has stronger feet/posture and can go en pointe before you, but they will be grateful in the long run!

I am now attending a pre-pointe class at my studios because, although I have danced en pointe many moons ago, my feet have had lost a lot of strength over the years.  Not just my feet, but my ankles seem to buckle at the slightest request lately.  So I thought the sensible option was to train from the basics again.

I have to say it is the best thing for so many aspects of your dancing!  We've been using therabands, wobble boards, fitness balls and tennis balls and they all play a part in the fab exercises we use.  Again - didn't exist when I was young.

Therabands/dynabands, whatever your term of preference

Your feet work against the resistance these bands give.  As you push through your demi pointe you are strengthening the arch of your foot and the metatarsals.  There are many positions you can get into with these bands but I don't see myself imitating any of the pictures at the top of this post.  Let's start small!

Fitness Balls

We have spoken about these before in a previous post - if you missed it click HERE to read it.  In brief - great for your core. Strengthening and stabilising.  Not only will these exercises improve your core muscles for pointe work, they will also emanate into the rest of your dancing, showing strong calves, thighs and feet.

Wobble boards

These were a completely new experience for me!  Fantastic piece of equipment.  I wasn't saying that at the time though.  Even just to stand on these, you are constantly working your core to counteract each last wobble in an attempt to stay still.  Then comes the challenge of trying to move on them.  Just a slight lean forward or backward can throw you're whole body out of whack!  This one takes practice.

Tennis Balls 

Roll these on the arches of your feet and really push down as you do this!  Then use each toes separately to push down too.  Great strengthening exercise.  

Your feet and ankles will love you for doing this class before you ram them in a satin-disguised foot-crusher :-)

I've already felt the benefits roll right through into my other classes and my dancing is already getting stronger.  Little by little I'm building up those corse muscles.  My aim is to be able to hold my leg at 90degrees in a la séconde........ for more than a second!


We're aiming for this kind of control :-) !!:

Doesn't she get tired?!
Posted by Ballet: love, photos & videos on Thursday, September 3, 2015

Darn Pointe shoes!

As promised, I am writing a quick guide on what to do about the ends of your pointe shoes.  I have leant many things from my first few pairs of pointe and I just thought I would share with you a few points.  

Disclaimer:  These are only my opinions from my experiences using each method - It is by no means stating the 'best' or 'worst' methods or materials.

Back when I was a teen,  I didn't have the luxury to say 'Oopsie, that didn't work'.  My pointés had to last me a good while so whatever I'd done to my shoes - I had to live with it for a long while.  Whether it be white-washing them or sewing on ribbons in a peculiar way. Because of this, every time I prepared my shoes in a different way, I got a full experience of how it felt to dance in them.

Fully darning with crochet thread

This looks so pretty when it is done correctly.  I used to love spending time doing this properly.  You have to use a chain stitch to spiral right from the centre of the tip, all the way to the outside.  Be sure to go slightly over the edge for stability.  Then stitch from the sole of the shoe on he pleats and the side wings.

Pros: 

• Looks wonderful and very neat.
• Gives a great platform and 'softens' the sound of the shoe AND the impact on your joints.
• Gives an extra bit of grip as opposed to the open satin.

Cons:

• Takes a VERY long time if you've never done it before. (If you are likely to keep going through your shoes quickly - this probably isn't ideal.
• It IS a little complicated if sewing isn't your thing
• I found it isn't actually not the most slip-resistant material- it is very good - but not great to have all over the platform.

Suede Toe Tips

This is so easy and a lot of dancers like to do this , especially for people who don't like sewing or can't sew- or for people who go through shoes very quickly.  Speedy and convenient.  I used these for a few of my pairs.  Just simply cut the tip to size and length you need from the sole to the platform.  It should just fit snugly to keep the sole and toe tip in line with each other.

Pros:

• Quick and easy to apply
• Give good friction to begin with - better than the open satin.
• Looks nice and neat, a simple clean look to your shoe.

Cons:

• Depending on what glue you get to apply these, they can catch on the floor and become loose with frequent dancing.  Very irritating to keep adjusting/fixing/applying more glue.
• They don't ever fix exactly to your shoe just the way you want
• After the first month or so of dancing, the suede wears down and actually becomes more slippery than the open satin! It starts to look black.  This is the suede wearing off and I personally wouldn't use these any more.  I was attracted to them for ease of use but they aren't the best long term for people who don't change their shoes every week or so. You are better off just spending a little more time with a different method.

Ripping and darning

Saving the best 'til last.  This method was and is my favourite.  I did it for my last pair and I've now used the method for my new pair after all these years.  You don't need as much sewing ability as option number 1, but you do need a little patience and skill.  

Get your scissors and make a cut into part of the satin on the platform.  Cut all the way around in a circular pattern right to the edge.  Then rip the rest of the satin down over the pleats to reveal the canvas material.  Then stitch just one row of chain stitching all the way around the platform (slightly over the edge), making sure to catch the canvas too so you are stitching the two materials together.  Otherwise you will just end up with the satin stitched and flapping away from the canvas!!  You can stitch right down to the sole if you like - I just prefer the stability of leaving that part free.  

I LOVE this one for overall durability and it is my fave method hands down.

Pros

• Relatively quick to do if you have a few basic sewing skills.  Much quicker than method 1.
• The canvas has optimum grip I found compared to suede, fully darned and bare platforms.  It will also last.  Even if it wears down - it doesn't lose friction.
• The 'platform' created by the darning creates stability when going en pointe - gives you an extra sturdy base to work with.
• Ripping the satin off to the canvas across the pleats underneath also prevents slipping when you do a posé into arabesque etc. (Obviously nothing can completely protect you from this and you really need to get over your box and 'push forward' when you are going up en pointe- but I think this method helps counteract this the most)

Cons

• If you have absolutely NO sewing skills whatsoever - this could prove a little tricky.  Have a go!  Plenty of tutorials floating around on youtube.

So there you have it.  My opinions on what the heck to do with the bottom of your pointe shoes!  I hope you've found it helpful.  Feel free to ask any questions - or if you have any tips, that would be great too!

A New Pointe

I decided if I was going to start trying to get back en pointe in the near future, I needed new shoes!  My last pair were from 2005 and looking very shabby.  A pair of threadbare socks would have given me as much support as the battered boxes on those babies.

So back into the confusing realms of pointé shoe hunting I go.  Always so many questions - especially if it is your first pair.

1. What size?
2. What width?
3. What brand?
4. Full shank, half shank, 3/4 shank?
5. Vamp shape?
6. Padding - what type lambswool? toe caps? gel support

I always used to just go with what I knew and try not to deviate from this too much.  Freed shoes, 4.5, medium vamp with beige gel toecaps and a bit of thin elastic around the ankle to stop the back slipping off.  This time I decided to see if anything else took my fancy. 

In terms of fitting, I think that was pretty straight forward.  Always go to a shop with a variety of makes.  This way, you can try on several designs and know what suits your foot the best.  I tried Freed, Capezio, Bloch and Grishko.

Freed - I always knew were ok for my feet and it is just what I knew.

Capezio were generally too bulky and 'wide' a feeling for my feet.

Bloch weren't too bad but I felt way too 'in' the shoe and it seemed to hurt in awkward places once en pointe.

I tried various widths, boxes and vamps in all shoes too.  If it is your first pointe shoe fitting - be prepared to set aside an hour.  A good pointe shoe fitter will take you through certain positions to help you feel what shoe is right for you.  There will always be a little pain -especially if your feet have never seen a pointe shoe -  but it is good to start to feel 'right' pain and 'dear-lord-wrong!' pain.  

The 'right' pain is just the rubbing on certain joints in a pesky toe maybe - you may get a few blisters etc.  However the 'dear-lord-wrong!' pain is the type that radiates to your ankles or metatarsals.  You might feel a 'twisting' feeling if your shoe is slightly too big, for instance.  

A good fitter should also be able to see the shank isn't centralised up to the back of your heel, if that is the case.  If it is moving off -centre - then the shoe is too big.  They may also grab at the excess fabric to see if there is too much at the heel.  Or - if the shoe has a short vamp and you have longer toes - this may cause pain and definitely wouldn't be the right shoe as it may push the front of your foot too far forward, not giving you enough support around your lower foot. Sounds a bit complex but, again - a good fitter will guide you through this.

My experience was somewhat different.  I'd been through a good few pairs and fittings in my late teens and remembered it well to know what I was looking for.  After trying on several pairs to compare, the Grishko Nova jumped out at me.  The shoe felt like it was actually made for my foot!  I could wear it with just a toe cap and an iddy biddy one for my pinky.  I probably wouldn't do this when dancing a lot so tried it with a thin gel pad too and it felt just as nice.  If anything a little more comfy.  I know that many people say these days that you should wear as little padding as possible so your toes can actually have a bit more space - but I think I found a happy medium.  I can always remove the gel pad if they feel too cramped anyway.

Even though I hadn't been en pointé properly for a verrrry long time - who can resist holding a chair back and doing a few relevés to see how beautiful they look.  So shiny and new!!  I gazed at them for hours, appreciating them whilst I could.  I knew that after a month or so they would be starting to look very scuffed and marked.  

The next task would be the darning - could I remember how?  Should I used a suede cap instead?  Should I try a different method altogether?  I'll address all in my next blog post ;-)  So watch this space.

Oh and if this helps anyone - here is a great little article on finding the right pointé shoes for your feet and how to discover what foot type you actually have - you might be surprised! 

Read the full article  HERE :-)

(example image from the article below concerning foot shape and your box shape)

P.S - DON'T just start hopping up onto pointe if it is your first pair  - I only did because I was taking a lot of weight off my feet and my joints had been used to the movements in the past.  You should really be supervised by your teacher when you first start out.

xxx