| Pointe ballet shoes are often described as best | | | | against the wing, or the stiff outside of the shoe, |
| fitted to 2-3 sizes smaller than the street shoes | | | | instead of being tucked securely in the box with |
| you wear. This is grossly inaccurate, as pointe | | | | the other toes. Make sure that as you press up |
| shoes, or ballet toe shoes, come in a vast variety | | | | through demi pointe, that the big toe joint is not |
| of shapes and sizes. The best approach, if you | | | | meeting a too deep box edge, but can bend |
| are a pointe ballet beginner and are ready to go | | | | efficiently. |
| and buy ballet shoes, is to first really know your | | | | The "Giselle/Peasant" foot has three or more |
| foot type. Here are some ballet tips that will help. | | | | toes that are the same length. Often toes on |
| If you have a "Greek" or "Morton's" foot type, | | | | such a foot are short, and medium in width. Some |
| your second toe is longer than your big toe. This | | | | students do not think this foot type is very |
| means you must have the strength to keep the | | | | elegant, yet it is great foot for pointe ballet. Short |
| second toe long in the pointe shoe. Using a toe | | | | to medium vamps are good. This can be strong |
| protector such as a gel sleeve on the toe is a | | | | foot in toe shoes, and will likely suffer less injuries |
| good idea, at least until a student is used to toe | | | | than other foot types. |
| shoes. A "V" shape of the vamp, or the cloth | | | | The Compressible foot is one which appears quite |
| covering the foot over the metatarsals, may be | | | | wide when the dancer is standing. Yet this foot |
| a more flattering and comfortable style of shoe. | | | | has little muscle structure between its bones, and |
| Try on a few vamp/box shapes and see what | | | | will easily compress into a narrower shoe than a |
| feels best. | | | | fitter might pick from a visual decision. |
| The "Egyptian" foot is a challenging shape to fit. | | | | So always try on MANY pairs of shoes. Do not |
| The big toe is longer with the other toes | | | | rush a fitting, or allow anyone else to rush you. |
| diminishing in length steeply. Often the little toe is | | | | Once you find a shoe that feels fairly good, try |
| opposite the ball of the foot. In a pointe shoes, | | | | half a size different each way - shorter, longer, |
| this means that it is not even in the box. This little | | | | narrower, wider, just to be sure. |
| toe may need taping up as it will be rubbing | | | | |