Today there are many varieties of ballet slippers and pointe shoes. Knowing exactly what to look for is vital to ensure that you end up with a pair of ballet shoes that fit you perfectly. Plan on a lengthy first visit to one of your local ballet shoe stores, because you will be trying on quite a few, most likely. When I was teaching I would get a group of students from one or more classes to meet me at the biggest store in town. I would also call the store and let them know I would be showing up with a small mob!
Even before we went shopping, each student would, at home, trace an outline of each foot onto a piece of paper, while standing, just to examine it closely. And also to notice how high their ankle bones are from the floor, and how high their heel bone was. Why? Ask almost any child if they have a long heel area and they probably won't know. Or, if their feet are the same size. Or if their metatarsal area is wider than their heels. And right and left feet can be different too. (Not that anyone is going to sell you different sized shoes for each foot - but, or some people, that would be a bonus!) Your teacher will have noticed many of these details already, but the more you are aware of them, the easier it will be for the store clerks who will be running back andforth with boxes of shoes for your group to try. Other details to be attentive to are: do you have toes that make a square shape at the ends, or a round shape? If your second toe is longer, you'll need to accommodate that. Toe separators, and a toe fitting kit are in the “eighth wonder of the world” category for dancers who have previously done without.
do the toes' lengths diminish in a steep slant or do you have an extra short little toe, set lower on the foot than the other toe joints? Again, experimenting with toe fitting materials will give you relief there.
do you have the short heel or tall? A short heel needs a low cup on the shoe, so it won't bunch up and bulge when you are on three-quarter or full pointe. After you get the best fit you can, there are also heel grips that you can buy, to give you exactly the right fit.
do you have long toes or short? Low insteps or highly arched? Shoes are made with high vamps - the top section of material coming up the foot from the box, in pointe shoes - or low vamps, that come to the metatarsal joints only (the joints where your foot bends when you are on three-quarter pointe). The vamp affects the resistance the shoe gives, and also the appearance of the curve of your instep - the top curve of your pointed foot. If you have a low instep and short toes, a low vamp shoe will show off the curve that you do have. The low vamp will also lessen the resistance of the shoe at the point of movement where you bend your toes to pass through the three quarter pointe position. In pointe shoes a high vamp would engulf your foot and diminish the curve of your instep, and you do not need the support that high vamps provide for a highly arched instep. However, if you have a lower instep but very long toes, you will need a vamp that comes above the metatarsal joint, and that would offer enough support for your foot.
Extremely high arches may need the support of a wide section of elastic sewn across the top of a high vamp from inside the shoe, until the dancer is very strong, usually at a professional level.
you may need shanks you can insert into the shoe yourself, if your arch is so high as to break the shoe immediately. Or you may be able to buy shoes with extra shank support.
please note that every foot is individual, the proportions of each are of the foot is individual, and you may have to combine the “formulas” above to find exactly the right fit. And as you grow, your personal formula may change.
The size of your feet when you are in a demi-plié position will contribute to how you determine the width and length of the shoe you need. For leather ballet slippers this is less important because they will stretch to fit better. For pointe shoes, width of the box area is very important. Your feet must be able to spread properly in a emi-plié. Pointe work can be more painful in the plié than when you are on pointe, if the shoe is too narrow, or too short. A shoe should feel like the extension of your foot, not something stuck on the end. Again, the toe fitting kit will help to give you the best control and performance in shoes that are exactly the right fit. The advantage of taking your time to find the best fit in ballet slippers and pointe shoes, is that once you know what you need, you can order them from the internet. TheBalletStore.com sells most of the ballet shoes that are available from anywhere in the world, along with the accessories needed for the protection of your feet.
Last update : Friday, 13 July 2007
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