How I prepare pointe shoes

I searched on Instructable but I didn't find any tutorial about pointe shoes. I'm trying to do it myself, but I have to warn you: I'm not a professional dancer, I just dance and I like to dance. This is how I prepare my pointe shoes.

Note that I do not cut the inner sole as Natalie Portman does in "The Black Swan" and I don't tear away the fabric sole as they do in "Center Stage". With this I don't mean "they are wrong", but I mean "for me, for my feet my way is better".

Materials:
One pair of pointe shoes of your choice - this tutorial is done on Sansha shoes like Recital, Premerie e Partenaire
One pair of feet - yours :)
Ribbons
Elastic bands 4 cm and 0,5 cm tall
Scissors
Cotton thread for sewing and for crochet
Whatever kind of stockings and pads you use

Step 1 Measure

Generally new pointe shoes are not left or right, so decide which will be your left shoe and which will be you right shoe. I know that some dancers switch them so they will not be worn out only on the side most used, but I prefere to use them only on one foot because the shoe takes the shape on my foot and this makes the pointe work less painful.

I write an "S" on the sole of my left shoe (generally I go over the S in Sansha mark) or in the inner sole. The reason of the "S" is that in Italian "left" is "sinistra".

Take off all the things you won't use, as labels and elastic bands (I don't like the transparent band Sansha sews on the pointes, it always breaks my stockings....).

Put on you stockings and toe pads and everything you use for pointe work. Then put your foot in the shoe.

Without totally putting on the shoe, go on demi pointe. Where your foot parts from the sole there is the spot where the shoe needs to be bended. Mark the inner sole with a pencil.

Go en pointe. You obviuosly now that know the shoe isn't in touch with your foot's arch. No problem, you'll break your shoe later.

Put two safety pins in the spots of the shoe where your arch feet is higher.

(Please note that in two of the images it seems that the notes on the image can't stay in the right spot. I don't know why....)

Comments

[dancegeardirect]

Your pointe shoe will usually be slightly larger than your regular street shoe. This is to allow room for toe protection which as a general rule takes up an extra half a size. For toe protection, we recommend Bunheads Ouch Pouches. Ballet Shoes, Dance Gear Direct.

[nrabideau schneider]

You may want to try a wider ribbon for your pointe shoes. It will be more secure for you. :)