Thank you for the question, Solveig.

Breaking in pointe shoes… oooh every dancer that you meet, will do it differently. Pointe shoes are as individual as your own feet. It will take some trial and error but it will be an interesting journey and before you know it, you will have developed some of your very own odd, ballerina pointe shoe tricks.

I do customize my shoes which is a blessing because it cuts down on the time that I need to spend breaking them in. Although, I still do a few things to my shoes after I’ve sewn on my elastic and ribbons and have darned my them. Here are the four things I do to prepare my shoes:

1- Glue

I lightly glue the bottom of the toe and up either side about 3 inches with HotStuff glue. (Jet Glue in the States)

When I am glueing my shoes I have the shoe stand up on pointe as I move it in a circular motion until it dries, which is for only about 10 seconds. I do this thinking that it is evenly spreading out the glue on the toe but I cannot prove that. Just something that I do. Then I let my shoes remain standing on pointe for several minutes after I’ve glued them.

2- Shave the outside down.

I do shave the outside of my shoe. PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND HAVE AN ADULT HELP YOU. This is no joke. I’ve seen girls do some very painful things by accident while shaving their shoes down. The hobby knife that I use is really, really sharp. I shave the shoe from the point of where my foot bends and downward. The heel still has full support. I do this so it takes less effort for me to be able to bend the shoes when I pointe my feet.

3- Chair Trick.

Always, always, always. I will not wear my pointe shoes until I’ve done this trick. I take a chair and place it on my bent pointe shoes OVERNIGHT.

4- Water the Bunions.

The final thing that I do to my pointe shoes is once I’ve put them on for class, I will run to the bathroom to splash a small amount of water on the bunion area. Nobody got time for blisters and water softens the material where I know it will be rubbing my feet.

These are the four things that I do. Some people stand on them and make them pop, some people press them in to doors, some people bang the shoes on the ground…. there are many options to try to find your best break-in routine. I hope this helps!

xoxo
-Hol

March 13, 2020March 13, 2020

How Do You Customize Your Pointe Shoes?

By TurnedOutPointeOfView on Friday, March 13, 2020

Thank you for the question, Misslilydoesballet

As many ballerinas have said before me and will say after me… “It has taken me years to customize my shoes.” And it’s true! It has taken me years! Luckily, I am currently very happy with them.

My Shoes are Freeds. (Always and Forever)

I wear maker, V. I have worn this maker ever since I became a professional. Nearly thirteen years!! I love my maker V. I hear, he has become quite popular and now it’s extremely difficult to become a new customer of his! Go maker V! He is magic.

I currently wear size 5 and a heel pin, XX. (for a long time I wore 5 1/2 X… but my bunions grew.) :/

I use a leather insole. I loooove my leather insole. I have Freed cut the sole so it is only 10cm long. DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS YOU’VE BEEN IN POINTE SHOES FOR YEARS! This is extremely dangerous to do if you are young or new to pointe. By cutting the insole, it takes out all of the support in the shoe that protects the feet and ankles. It’s a little crazy. I admit it. I dance with very little actual shoe. You can only do this if you have trained your ankles to be strong. Very strong. *Don’t try at home.*

I have cut down the sides of my shoes so the arch of the foot is shown more. This was one of the first things I did when I started to customize my shoes so I don’t even remember how much it is that I cut down.

Lastly, I use an elastic draw string!

These shoes have given me some of my absolute BEST memories. I am so grateful for them. Truly love what I do.

xoxo,
-Hol

October 25, 2019October 25, 2019

How Do You Tie Pointe Shoe Ribbons?

By TurnedOutPointeOfView on Friday, October 25, 2019

Thank you for your question, andreeaunicorn.

Here is a photo series taking you through, step by step, on how to tie your pointe shoe ribbons. It’s a little tricky at first, but in no time you will be tying your shoes in a matter of seconds. I hope this is easy to follow! Let me know if you have any questions by commenting below!

Start by putting on your pointe shoe while sitting on the floor. Bend your knee and slightly flex your foot so it lifts off the ground. Make sure each ribbon is free on either side of your shoe.

Take only the ribbon that is on the inside of you foot and leave the other ribbon alone to begin with.

Drape the ribbon across your ankle and bring it around the back of your ankle.

Keep going around the ankle…

Continue around the backside of the ankle again. (So the first ribbon goes around your ankle 1.5 times)

Your right hand will keep holding on to the ribbon that you’ve been working with. Now, with you left hand, pick up the other ribbon.

Drape this ribbon across your ankle, the opposite way, creating an X on the front of your ankle.

Continue with the ribbon all the way around the back of you ankle, and across the front. When the two ribbons are parallel with each other then you are done.

Still with a bent leg, let your leg fall into the “butterfly” position so you have easy access to the inside of your foot. You are ready to tie your first knot.

Tie a knot. Try not to tie a knot that is too tight. But the knot does need to be tight enough that it doesn’t unravel. I tie my knots directly between my ankle bone and my Achilles tendon.

Tie a second knot.

Now, grab both ends of your ribbons and lay them on top of each other to create only one ribbon.

Fold the ribbon in on itself.

Tuck the ribbon under all the layers of ribbon on your ankle.

TIP: Before I go onstage, I always take a small piece of tape and wrap it around my tucked in ribbons. This way, I’m sure that my ribbons will not fall out.

A piece of tape, about this size.

Fold the tape over the ribbons.

Voila! Now you have a shoe that is performance ready!! Just have to put on the other shoe.

xoxo
-Hol

September 2, 2019September 2, 2019

How Many Pairs Of Pointe Shoes Do You Go Through In A Week?

By TurnedOutPointeOfView on Monday, September 2, 2019

I would say on average, I go through two pairs of pointe shoes a week. Some weeks my schedule isn’t very heavy, so I might only use one pair. Other weeks are extremely busy and then I may even need three or four pairs of shoes! I will round up and say that for one season with the Royal Danish Ballet, I go through 100 pairs of pointe shoes!

I prefer to dance in softer shoes. New shoes are a bit of a nightmare for me. I like the toe to be hard but everything else worn in. Which is why I try to make my shoes last as long as possible.

Sometimes, you just get a bad pair of shoes. So sad. I can’t tell if something is wrong with the shoes until after, I have spent 2 hours sewing and prepping the shoes. I need to try them in class, in turns to know. The center point needs to be good. There is no time for a weird shoe that takes you out of your turns! If the shoe isn’t good… it doesn’t get worn and another pair of shoes needs to be sewn.

Fortunately, this doesn’t happen too often. I have customized my shoes more and more over the years which has definitely helped. Little shout out to all the wonderful people working at Freed making all the pointe shoes! We literally couldn’t dance without you!

When the weather is HOT, for example like last week, I can kill a pair of shoes in a day. Heat definitely creates a quick death to pointe shoes. They become too mushy to dance in.

Sometimes, you get a miracle pair of shoes! That is the best! I’ve never been able to quite figure out what makes a miracle pair so good, but every once in a while, there will be a pair of shoes that doesn’t die with a perfect balance point. When I danced as Henriette in Raymonda in 2017, I used the same pair of shoes for all of my 12 performances. I love when that happens!

Alice In Wonderland last year, was the opposite to Raymonda. I went through a pair of shoes for every performance. Alice dances on stage for nearly three hours in the warm stage lights, so the shoes simply, had no chance for a long life.

Even after I consider a pair of shoes dead, I will keep them in my dressing room for several months. The shoes become hard again which is great because then I can get a second life out of them! I can use them for rehearsals during the day or if they are really good, even a show!

So many pointe shoes! I love them though. Speaking of which, I need to go and sew.
xoxo
-Hol

August 16, 2019August 16, 2019

Do You Really Feel The Effects Of Darning Your Pointe Shoes?

By TurnedOutPointeOfView on Friday, August 16, 2019

To darn or not to darn, that is the question. I started darning my pointe shoes back in 2012. (I think) I never, ever darned my shoes while I was at school. I trained at the School of American Ballet in New York City where it is an extremely uncommon thing to do. It never even crossed my mind.

Once I was in Denmark for a few years, I became curious about one of our principal ballerina’s that always darned her shoes. I asked her all the questions that you are probably asking yourself right now.

–Does it really help?
-Does it make your shoes last longer?
-Is it true that it can help your balance?
-How long does it really take?
–Is it really worth the effort?

She swore by it for herself and told me to just try it out. I tried it and never stopped. Now, I hate wearing a pair of pointe shoes that haven’t been darned.

Here are my answers to the questions above. I hope it helps you!

Does it really help?
Yes! I can feel so much more in my shoe. The darning makes it so it is more difficult to roll over the front of my pointe shoes. Meaning, that I can now feel where the end of the platform is on my shoe when I stand on pointe. I can easily feel when to hold back or maintain my position.

Does it make your shoes last longer?
Yes! It eliminates the possibility of your shoes going soft at the tip/ top part of the shoe towards the vamp. TIP: I add HotStuff or JetGlue to the top part of my darning. The glue keeps the thread from falling down. See below.

Is it true it can help your balance?
Yes! Because you can feel more in your shoes, it allows you to feel the entire platform that you are standing on. You will learn to know exactly where to balance.

How long does it really take?
If I am fully concentrated and I have all my supplies, I can do both shoes in 45 minutes. Realistically, I’m darning my shoes while I watch something on TV. 🙂 That easily adds an additional 15 minutes. I say, it takes 1 hour per pair of pointe shoes.

Would you really say it’s worth the effort?
Yes! I really like it. The best combination is soft and darned shoes, in my opinion. That is ballerina heaven for me. I wouldn’t make the darning too big even though it can be tempting. Stray away from “bigger is better.” If the darning becomes too large it can be very noticeable from stage and not the most elegant.

Confession: Sometimes, I wish that I had never started because it is a big, time consuming effort. It is very, very possible to dance wonderfully without it.

WARNING: Darning is like the Pringles saying, “Once you pop, the fun don’t stop.” Except it would go, “Once you darn, you just can’t stop.”

August 1, 2019August 1, 2019

What Are Pointe Shoes Made Out Of?

http://www.turnedoutpointeofview.com

Ballet

What Are Pointe Shoes Made Out Of?

Awww the beautiful, little slipper that ballerinas wear. Think again! Pointe shoes, from afar look silky, smooth, and light. Up close, knock on the box and many people would guess that they must have metal inside of them. Ouch!

The outisde of the pointe shoe is made from satin, making a feminine, ballerina look. The box, (where the ballerina stands on her toes) is made up of densely packed layers of fabric with cardboard or paper, and lots of glue. The shank, (the inside part of the shoe, running along the bottom part of the dancers foot vertically giving support) is typically made out of layers of cardboard. The shank can be custom ordered and replaced with leather (my personal favorite), plastic, cardstock or even layers of hardened burlap with glue. The sole of the shoe (the backside of the pointe shoe) is made out of a thin layer of leather.

Satin, cardboard, leather, and glue is all there is to make up the shoes that allow ballerinas to create that infamous illusion of whimsical beauty.
xoxo
-Hol

July 31, 2019August 1, 2019

Where Should I Sew My Ribbons and Elastic On My Pointe Shoes?

http://www.turnedoutpointeofview.com

We have all been here. So excited to have your first pair of pointe shoes! But wait, how do I sew my ribbons and elastic on properly? (Or how does my mom sew my ribbons on properly?) This question is best answered visually. Please keep in mind that every foot is individual so what works for me, may not be the best for you.
Here is what I do. Try it! If you don’t like it, then play with it and see what suits your foot best!

ELASTIC:

I sew my elastics just off of the back middle panel of my shoes. Its roughly, 1cm away from the stitches on either side. I do recommend to sew your elastic on in a big square pattern instead of simply straight across. This way, when your foot pulls your shoe, it will pull the entire shoe starting from the bottom.

RIBBONS:

When sewing on your ribbons, look for the middle stitched seam on your shoes. I sew my ribbons about 3cm away from that seam. I again, would recommend the square stitch style. This way the entire ribbon pulls even the lower fabric of your shoe up with your foot!