Saturday, June 19, 2010

Breaking In Traditionally-Made Pointe Shoes

Here is a break-in technique for traditionally-made (paste and paper boxes) pointe shoes from
The Pointe Book.

Many dancers walk around their house in their pointe shoes the day before they work in them to soften them up. You can also break them in with your hands. Flex the insole back and forth. This shouldn't be very hard because these shoes are generally made from softer material than other pointe shoes. Massage the box with heel of the hand or place it on the ground and massage it with the heel of your foot gently to flatten the box.

Rubbing alcohol is also used to break in a shoe. Dab a little bit onto a cotton ball, and rub it on the demi-pointe area. Don't pour it strait on the shoe, because this will make it weak and unwearable. Shoes broken in by alcohol must be able to completely dry before next use.

Many dancers try to break shoes in by smashing them in doors, whacking them with hammers, or jumping on them. This is proven to reduce pointe shoe life by at least 50%.

Some shoes from Capezio, Repetto, Bloch, and others are made from different materials that are harder to break into, especially the wings. But just keep trying, by slowly massaging them with fingertips.

Research done from The Pointe Book

1 comment:

  1. fact: when i was 15 or 16, i tried to break in my shoes my shutting them into my dresser drawers. my mom walked in on me and scolded me. she used to dance and started telling me, "anne! how dare you! back in my day, we simply WORKED through our shoes the old fashion way: dancing in them. you can do the same!" pahahaha thought you'd enjoy that!

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