The ongoing dilemma of pointe shoe tip grip!

So I really wanted to share my great lightbulb moment with you!  Depending on what floor your studio has, you may or may not find that you have grip issues en pointe.  Those that have a 'company' style floor are probably absolutely fine.  These are usually sprung with a vinyl surface.  Most professional ballet companies now have these installed - White Lodge at the Royal Ballet, for instance.  They offer the best surface for the right level of friction whilst still providing easy movement for pirouettes etc.  A lot of local dance studios, however, are multi-purpose.  Many local schools teach an array of dance genres, needing a floor which caters for all.  This usually mens it may not necessarily be the best for your particular dance genre.

Our studio has a sprung wooden floor which is often highly varnished.  The school caters for ballroom, modern, tap, street dance, contemporary and more.  So they obviously need a versatile floor.  Unfortunately, with it not being the best surface for pointe work, it can prove a little tricky when you are either a beginner or tentatively getting back in the game.

I know if I 'trust' the floor, I will 'trust' myself more.  Of course I 'should' be perfectly fine on any floor if I am 'over my box'.  But when you are learning or teaching your legs and feet to remember how to dance again, sometimes things aren't always that simple.  You may not quite get over your box. You may come down from your pointes at an odd angle. You may be a bit worried getting that posé into arabesque.  All of these pose a significant risk of slipping on a varnished wooden floor.

There are SO many methods of preparing your pointe shoes and SO many ways to prepare the tips too.  I go more in depth about the pros and cons of different methods in my previous post which you can read Here.  However, since this post - I did a lot of research and found there really isn't a lot of advice about this.  Probably because the most obvious information comes from companies who have ballet-specific vinyl-surfaced floors.  After trawling the web for hours on end, I came across two posts where a couple of professional dancer shared a 'top tip'.



PLASTIDIP!



Oh my God it really is such a Godsend! I don't know how the ladies had come across this solution, but what a great one it is.  They spray a thin layer or two on the bottom of their pre-ripped pointe shoe.  Allow a good hour or so to dry before applying multiple layers.  Simply leave to dry overnight to make sure and Voila! There you have it!

I wanted to try this out properly for myself and use them in studio before advocating my little find.  But I can surely say, it really does work.  It creates enough friction for a bit of grip (no A over B moments) yet enough movement for turning and echappés etc.  I feel much more confident now, result in stronger legs and more meaningful intentions (no 'dipping-toes-in-cold-water' uncertainty).

So feel free to go and try it for yourselves! Let me know what you think?  Click HERE for the official website, but you can get it cheaper on amazon etc if you have a look.  I chose the spray as it is easier to apply.  You can even get colours and glitters if you are feeling Disney-inspired!!

Back at the barre

Wow!  I haven't written in a long time.  Quite a lot has happened actually, which is probably why.
The lead up to Christmas and the Christmas period in general were hectic to say the least.  We ate a LOT of food and so did our little sausage dog.  She is a bit porky now too, so we're all on January diets!  Here is a picture of the little fatty :-)

We did the traditional trip to the theatre to see the Nutcracker (well, live streamed to our local cinema - LOVE that they do this now!!).  I think the Nutcracker is a must at Christmastime.  It really embodies the sparkly, exciting bubbly feeling we all want to kick start.  We saw Francesca Hayward as Clara and she put all the emotion in the world into her performance.  Lauren Cuthbertson played the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy, amazing as always!  The one that really stood out for me was whoever played the Rose Fairy!  She was so strong and held her positions remarkably!  I didn't catch her name because the cinema didn't give us programmes this time, which I was quite miffed about!

Me being me, I obviously pulled a muscle just before Christmas.  So I spent the end of December making sure that healed properly.  I am now making a point of spending 15 minutes before class warming up properly.  Dynamic stretching only, of course.  I don't want to cause any more issues! (I'll write an article on the difference between dynamic and static stretching soon).

My physio also recommended deep heat to keep the muscles in prime condition.  So I've been using that to warm my muscles before class.  Although, I was a little worried as my teacher said not to use it before a class in case I won't feel the pain of pulling a muscle.  Luckily, my physio assured me that deep heat doesn't contain anything like ibuprofen etc.  It basically warms up the area and increases blood flow to it- which is exactly what you want.  It may give the feeling of 'pain relief' because it has warmed up and loosened your muscles, but this will actually help you during your exercise, not mask a potential injury.  Phew!  I might just use the non-smelly patches for class though because everyone could smell the deep heat when I wore it too class and it is rather potent!!

During October and November I really felt like I'd started improving.  I'd started memorising the Intermediate syllabus better and was working hard on increasing my stamina.  The afore mentioned Christmas binge totally ruined a lot of this.  So here I am, at the start of January and needing to shape up!

I've set a target with my teacher of completing the Intermediate exam by July.  This was a a fabulous idea, as this month is also the month of my wedding.  So that won't be too stressful at all! *bites lip in worried frown*  Having said all that, I need to have a goal to work towards, otherwise I will become extremely de-motivated if there isn't a plan in place.  The main things I'm acutely aware are a big problem for me at the moment are pirouettes and developé a la seconde in the centre.  With my distinct lack of core, my body really struggles with these.

Towards the end of last year I started chatting with friends and family about my burning ambition to gain my teaching qualification. I think at this point in my life, self doubt had crept in, extinguished that desire and left but a few glowing embers.   I didn't believe I would ever get to the point where I could consider this again.  I remember reading the course specifications over and over again last year and thought, 'No....I can't do it. I'm not good enough'.  But with some perseverance and lots of encouragement, information and insight from my teacher, I began to see it was a possibility not too far from my grasp!

If I can just get through the Intermediate vocational exam at some point this year, I can think about doing the teaching course.  I can't actually express how happy it would make me to teach others all about what I love so much!

Anyway.  Just thought I would check in, and I will make a point of writing more over the next few months about my journey into 2016!!