Shoe Fittings

Shoe fittings: When you achieve your goal of “pointe” level, you will need pointe shoes or more commonly known as toe shoes. So many people make the mistake of thinking their shoe size is their pointe shoe size. Wrong! Point shoes are specially made to fit your feet tightly. In your first pair your foot should not be able to move at all. If you wiggle your toes you should not be able to actually move them. For example my shoe size is an 8, my point shoe size is a 5C. You can usually bet that your toe shoe size will be about 3 sizes smaller than your street shoe size. Yet, you always need to try them on. You can see where you would run into trouble without the proper fitting! There are many kinds of point shoes, all fit differently. The basic “box” is what first time dancers are recommended to have. It helps you make sure you stay on your “box” a little easier and you don’t roll your ankles quite so frequently. At any boutique shop your fitting assistant will help you put on and take off many different kinds of pointe shoes. She will also give you a few different kinds of toe socks or toe pads to try on. Toe pads fit snugly around just your toes. Some are made of lambs wool, others jelly filaments. Since your pointe shoes are hand made wooden shoes, the toe pads lower the chances of toe breakage.

Watching dancers glide across the floor in pointe shoes is one of my favorite things to

see. They mysteriously float on thin air and don’t make a sound. Their gorgeous dresses

flowing behind them. In reality the toe shoes help the dancers look as though they are

gliding across the dance floor, and their shoes do make a lot of noise. They are made of

hand crafted wood and are fit to connect with the dancers feet. So their shoes look like a

part of their body, while they capture you with their breath stopping performances.


The first professional ballet I saw was performed by the Madison Ballet Company. The

Nutcracker, such a classic. It’s every dancers dream to be a part of a ballet company. I

never thought I would go that far, then I became very serious. I worked everyday for

hours on moves, straight legs, open arms, spotting and so much more. I worked on

flexibility and conditioning. Soon I was auditioning for the Madison Ballet Company. A

bigger company would be most dancers dream, yet this is something if I worked hard

enough for I could have, then go to college after.


My first toe shoe fitting, I met a very famous dancer. His name is Ethan Stiefel. He was a

star dancer and actor in the movie “Center Stage”. He also was a great influence on my

dancing career. He fit me for my shoes in a Madison dance shop. He showed me different

shoe models, sizes, and shapes. Being a beginner he fit me with a wider box and more

narrow shoe. I have narrow feet so they fit snugly to my foot. He set me with a wide box

to help me stay on my pointe easier. They wrong toe shoes can cause a lot of unwanted

pain. If your shoes are to long or to wide for your feet there will be to much room for

your feet to move around in the shoe. This will cause unwanted blisters and broken toes.




Rules for shoe fitting: *No wrinkles on the box
*Shoes should fit like a glove
*The heel of the toe shoe should fit like skin
*Always try both shoes on (feet are often different sizes, shoe may need to be stretched)
*You should not be able to move your foot around in shoe
*Make sure to go up on point to make sure foot doesn’t slide or heel is not to tight.

After my fitting Ethan let me dance on the dance floor in the shop to see how they fit.

You should always at least stand on your box or dance in your new shoes to see how they

feel on your feet when your moving.


My first fitting was amazing, which lead to a great dance career. I eventually joined the

Madison Ballet Company and learned a lot from the other dancers and fantastic coaches.

Even as a professional you have to get your shoes looked at. When you are dancing

everyday or even every other day you need to change your shoes out more frequently.

You will need two new pairs of toe shoes a year. If you dance less frequently you will

only need one pair yearly or less. Shoe prices range depending on the style and brand.

You will want to think about spending at least $120-$200 per pair.

October

I love the fall months. Everything about them. The cool crisp air you breath and getting all bundled up. The thing about the month of October is Halloween. I adore Halloween! Getting all dressed up and scaring eachother. Handing candy out to the cutest little kids in their adorable costumes! It always puts a big smile on my face. My aboslute favorite activity for Halloween is of course trick or treating with my little sisters and my brother. I have a 10 year old sister, a 7 year old sister and a 3 year old brother. This year we are dressing as all different colored M&M's and going trick or treating together. After that they help me pass out candy at our grandmas! They loved passing candy out just as much as they like getting it!

Fall

I love the fall. The weather, the temperature, the leaves crunching under my feet. I love getting all bundled up to go walk the colerful trails of the apple orchard. Sweatshirt, vest, boots, gloves and hat, drinking a warm steaming cup of hot chocolate. Nothing compairs to that crisp fresh air you breath in. How refreshing.