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.