A Pointe Shoe's Gauntlet
I have always been terrible at telling when my pointe shoes are dead. From the very first Freeds to the Russian Pointes I now wear, I never know when it's time to replace the pair I've been working with. This inability to read my own shoes and feet goes both ways--I replaced Freeds every time everyone else in my class replaced them, which means that I have a few pairs of Freeds that are in pretty good shape (honestly, the satin on the platform is barely fuzzy on some pairs). Other times, I killed them immediately, back when we were all over-zealous students fresh en pointe, cracking the shank and slamming the box in doorways, since that is what we saw all the principal dancers doing backstage at McCaw Hall during Nutcracker season.
With Russian Pointe, it is a little harder for me to tell when the shoes are done. Freeds, I always felt, failed spectacularly when they failed. The shank crunched, made odd noises, and the boxes felt like marshmallows.
Russian Pointe fails slowly, for me. The first pair I got after getting back into ballet, lasted (without backup) from May of 2013 until August 2014, and I continued to stubbornly wear them until last December.
Yikes.
After that, I bought a pair of Russian Pointes every summer until I got into the Joffrey programs and was warned that for the intense training, I'd probably need a pair a week.
I've been wearing the pair I just retired since about a month before the intensive started, and I took them out of rotation today--halfway into week five. I keep asking people if they think my shoes are dead, googling "how to tell when your pointe shoes are dead," etc. But honestly, I should have known, especially since I wore that pair on a three hour photoshoot in Central Park on grass and concrete.
Yeah! I also got to do a ballet photoshoot for the first time! Actually, it was the first time I'd done any photoshoot, ballet-themed or no. It was for Xiaoxiao Designs, and I was invited since I'd bought a leotard before. It was easy for me to get to--I took the subway one stop and walked for ten minutes, and I only realized later that most of the other girls had been driven from out of state. They'd gotten into cars early that morning from Boston or Florida or stayed overnight in hotels for the shoot, and I'm just very lucky that I happened to be local.
It was an amazing time. I wore a lovely lavender lace leotard (bonus unintentional alliteration!) and an incredible pink tulle romantic tutu. Also, I wore a pancake tutu for the first time. It was so cool to see the other girls do amazing tricks and poses and nice to chat with them and their mothers. I'm excited for the pictures to come in.
With Russian Pointe, it is a little harder for me to tell when the shoes are done. Freeds, I always felt, failed spectacularly when they failed. The shank crunched, made odd noises, and the boxes felt like marshmallows.
Russian Pointe fails slowly, for me. The first pair I got after getting back into ballet, lasted (without backup) from May of 2013 until August 2014, and I continued to stubbornly wear them until last December.
Yikes.
After that, I bought a pair of Russian Pointes every summer until I got into the Joffrey programs and was warned that for the intense training, I'd probably need a pair a week.
I've been wearing the pair I just retired since about a month before the intensive started, and I took them out of rotation today--halfway into week five. I keep asking people if they think my shoes are dead, googling "how to tell when your pointe shoes are dead," etc. But honestly, I should have known, especially since I wore that pair on a three hour photoshoot in Central Park on grass and concrete.
Yeah! I also got to do a ballet photoshoot for the first time! Actually, it was the first time I'd done any photoshoot, ballet-themed or no. It was for Xiaoxiao Designs, and I was invited since I'd bought a leotard before. It was easy for me to get to--I took the subway one stop and walked for ten minutes, and I only realized later that most of the other girls had been driven from out of state. They'd gotten into cars early that morning from Boston or Florida or stayed overnight in hotels for the shoot, and I'm just very lucky that I happened to be local.
It was an amazing time. I wore a lovely lavender lace leotard (bonus unintentional alliteration!) and an incredible pink tulle romantic tutu. Also, I wore a pancake tutu for the first time. It was so cool to see the other girls do amazing tricks and poses and nice to chat with them and their mothers. I'm excited for the pictures to come in.
Comments
Post a Comment