A performance dance turned into a concert dance form, and ballet is very popular and highly technical. It needs a lot of hard work and perseverance right from the beginning itself. For an aspiring ballet dancer, the very first step is to gather all the necessary apparel, and that includes the boys’ and girls’ ballet shoes, which should be of the right size and right price.
The ballet shoes made for ballerinas are known as pointe shoes, giving them access to dance on the tip of their toes. The tip of these shoes looks like a rigid box with densely packed layers of fabric. This has to be extremely sturdy as the entire body mass is balanced on that small platform. The rest of the ballet shoes are made of fabrics like cotton, leather and stain.
This article will elaborate on the three significant things to consider before buying ballet shoes.
Elastics and Sole
All aware that there are a variety of ballet shoes available in the market. The varieties range from a single sole leather shoe to a split sole canvas one, and at a beginners level, many people prefer the single-sole shoe. However, the teachers often recommend split sole shoes, as, with them, they can have a better view of the toes while the little girls and boys are dancing.
The elastic of ballet shoes secures the shoes well on foot. However, this should not be held too tight or too loose; it should be attached well at the two ends of the fold crease. Also, crossed over elastics are usually preferred as they can delegate the line of each leg, and this can make the foot look nicer.
Even though it can be difficult to achieve beautifully pointed shoes, owning the right kind of shoe is one level closer.
Know Your Fit
When it comes to the fit, things should not go wrong for a ballerina. The right fit would look like a glove or a sock that would not have any extra materials or puckers on its tip. Similarly, the girls’ ballet shoes should not have any extra extensions at their tips. However, the slippers are not so binding, which can cause the toes to curl up inside.
The rightly fitting ballet shoes would allow the dancer to feel the floor inside the shoes. And, the young dancers right from their beginning should wear these shoes to be better at balancing and other significant fundamental skills. A better foot alignment is also achieved in this manner.
Size
For a young person, while buying new shoes, it is natural to buy a size bigger as the feet tend to grow fast. However, when it comes to ballet dancing, a loose shoe is out of the question. Also, it is not suggested to rely on street shoe sizing as a ballet shoe can vary by brand.
So, before buying a shoe, ask the dance school or teacher for size and brand recommendations, as this way, things can never go wrong.
The following steps can also help find the perfect fit for ballet shoes:
- Place a plain sheet of paper on the floor.
- Step on that paper and trace the foot on it using a marker (it is advisable to take external help if it is available).
- Take a ruler and measure the width and length of the traced figure.
- The obtained measure will be the size of the ballet shoes.
