Fitting Ballet Footwear.

 Always have your dance footwear fitted.

Ballet shoes are generally handmade and are not made as a pair, ie there is no left or right.  Dancing will stretch the upper slightly and this may determine which shoe is worn on which foot.  Some dancers choose to alternate their footwear to avoid the upper being stretched into a specific shape.

Ballet shoes come in various widths:

X or A -  narrow,

XX or B -  average,

XXX or C -  wide,

some brands, eg Sansha, will cater for extra wide feet.

Dancers with a wide foot need to use a wider shoe to ensure a comfortable and satisfactory fit.  Do not buy longer shoes to try and gain extra width.

There are several brands of ballet shoes and each will vary slightly in size and shape.  Experiment with a range of shoes to determine which one fits your foot shape best.

I have measured many templates of ballet shoes and find that there are significant discrepancies in fittings even within the same brands.  The lesson here is to always have your footwear fitted, rather than just relying on size.

Ballet shoes must be fitted firmly. Footwear should not be bought with “growing room” available. 

Some dance teachers will have specific requirements regarding fit and vamp capacity so check to see if any requirements apply to you.

v     Try ballet shoes on while wearing tights. 

v     Make sure that the front of the foot and the toes fill out the front of the shoe. 

v     Pull the drawstring firm and tie at a comfortable tension.

v     Flex and extend the foot to check firmness around the heel.

v     When the foot is pointed there should be about 5mm of material which can be pinched up from around the back of the heel.

v     Stand and move through basic dance positions – remember that elastics and ribbons will reduce gaping at the sides of the feet and any bagginess at the heels.

When having new slippers or shoes fitted, always wear any tape, "ouch pouches", toe separators, Arch Angels etc that you intend wearing in your shoes. Any of these additions will use up a small amount of space, and need to be worn at the time of fitting.

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Fitting Pointe Shoes.

Pointe shoes must fit snugly, look smooth over the front of the feet, cover lumps and bumps and still be comfortable.

This requirement also applies to young dancers when buying their first pair of pointe shoes.  This is often frustrating for parents because pointe shoes are not used very much initially and the foot usually grows before the shoes have had much wear.

To choose and fit the most appropriate pointe shoes, dancers must consider the;

Ø      length and width of the shoe,

Ø      toe box width,   

Ø      shank stiffness and shape,                         

Ø      vamp height,

Ø      comfort.

Length and width of the shoe.

Check with the “fitter” whether or not the material of the particular pointe shoe is known to stretch.  For those shoes that do not stretch, make sure that you can pinch up about 5mm of material at the top of the heel when the foot is placed in the en pointe position, (non weight bearing).

If no material can be pinched up – the shoe is too short, but if you can fit your finger down the back of the shoe, it is too long.

Toes should only just touch the end of the toe box.  If toes feel crushed it means the toe box is too short or too wide but if the toes do not touch the end of the toe box, then it is too long.  Check this by standing in second position and demi-pliè.

A well fitting pointe shoe must fit snugly, allowing the foot to move from  flat foot to en pointe position without restricting foot function.

Toe Box Width.

The toe box is made of a hard material covered in satin.  The width/size of the toe box varies and needs to be fitted so that the edges of the toe box cannot be seen through the satin.  Check to see what material the toe box is made from.  Plasticised toe boxes will retain moisture, so your toes may be wet for considerable periods of time.  This will increase the risk of blisters and other skin conditions

Lumps or bumps and bunions should not bulge over the top of the box.  Any "ouch pouches", toe separators, Arch Angels, toe flows or cushions that are normally worn, must be worn when you are being fitted for new pointe shoes.

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