A common mistake that many people,
majority the girls, make when purchasing ballet shoes is that they
are so small. Be very careful with this because there are stores
that will send home customers with ballet shoes that does nor
perfectly fit them.
They use the excuse that "leather
stretches." The truth is that while leather does stretch, it doesn't
stretch that much. You need room in the shoe to let the toes spread
out on the floor. When you are in the store try few steps to make
sure the shoe will work.
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Canvas vs Leather
Leather is warmer than canvas in cold studios and is usually thought
of as more durable than the latter. It actually depends on the types
of floors, condition of feet, and even the weight, that can out last
canvas shoes by quite a bit. Some dancers believe that leather makes
the pointed foot look better than canvas but this is often more of a
function of the sole of a ballet shoes.
Canvas
are often less expensive. On vinyl flooring they can hold up well,
for 3 months or more of daily classes, but rough wood floors can eat
holes in canvas in a few days. If canvas gets dirty you can throw it
into the washing machine. Canvas dries faster between classes, and
dry shoes are much better for your feet. You can dye canvas shoes
easily. If you want your canvas shoes to last, look for shoes that
use the heaviest canvas. This can vary between manufacturers and
even between production runs of the same model of shoe. Canvas tends
to be more popular with guys, but you can get canvas ballet shoes in
pink and just about every color.
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Split Sole vs Full Sole
Students prefer the full sole, not just they are more cheaper, it is
also good due to its hardness that resembles that of a pointe shoe.
The split sole is also nice because it allows one to tiptoe easier
tending to hug the arch much better.
Another form of ballet shoes is using the de- shanked pointe shoes.
The dancers will remove the shank out of their old pointe shoes by
just pulling it out of the inside of the shoe. These de- shanked
ones are closest to wearing a pointe shoes. It helps prepare
students by teaching them how to sew on ribbons and work in a boxed
shoe.
The
next time you head to the store and buy a pair of ballet shoes, just
remember the three important things to add success to your next
dance performance.
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