Thank you so much for this! I attended studios that banned GMs in the early 2000s, leading to me being fitted around age 14 with a pair of very narrow, very hard pointes. I'm now 35 and trying to navigate my insurance to finally, finally get double foot surgery to repair the damage done by 2 years in these shoes before I down-shifted my ballet career for collegiate academics and got Gaynor-Mindens. As a taller dancer with a more athletic build, my teachers and fitters were often working very hard to make me look smaller, instead of working with my body and strengths. They picked very hard shoes, because I "needed" them with my heavier weight - even though it killed my feet to try to manipulate them. They picked very narrow boxes to give at least my feet a dainty look. GMs gave me the support and comfort to actually dance en pointe, instead of barely surviving each excruciating step. Every dancer should wear the shoe they prefer, but it's hard to think the decision is truly independent when artistic suffering absolutely plays a role in the preferred aesthetic.
There’s a solo in Pina Bausch’s ‘Viktor’ in which a dancer stuffs her pointe shoes with veal before dancing. You can see a clip of Cristiana Morganti (who originated the role) performing the solo in the Wim Wenders film (also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYBfSuMZkiE).
a lifelong lover of ballet but had never considered the stubborn design problems presented by the pointe shoe! it's so funny how often we take things for granted as inert. a fabulous episode.
As a Utah native and day-one fan of the show, I’m giddily excited to learn that you’re in Logan! I hope you’re getting coffee every morning at Ibis and eating at Crumb Bros. several times a week!
Ooo please do more episodes on performance wear! This was so fun :) I'd love to hear one on the evolution of synchronized swimming costumes!
I'm just in love with the fact that Avery is back!
Thank you so much for this! I attended studios that banned GMs in the early 2000s, leading to me being fitted around age 14 with a pair of very narrow, very hard pointes. I'm now 35 and trying to navigate my insurance to finally, finally get double foot surgery to repair the damage done by 2 years in these shoes before I down-shifted my ballet career for collegiate academics and got Gaynor-Mindens. As a taller dancer with a more athletic build, my teachers and fitters were often working very hard to make me look smaller, instead of working with my body and strengths. They picked very hard shoes, because I "needed" them with my heavier weight - even though it killed my feet to try to manipulate them. They picked very narrow boxes to give at least my feet a dainty look. GMs gave me the support and comfort to actually dance en pointe, instead of barely surviving each excruciating step. Every dancer should wear the shoe they prefer, but it's hard to think the decision is truly independent when artistic suffering absolutely plays a role in the preferred aesthetic.
A smart new fundraiser from the National Ballet of Canada: you donate and get back a signed shoe from one of their performers. The first soloist goes through two in a performance - incredible. https://national.ballet.ca/Donate-to-the-National-Ballet/Pointe-Shoe-Campaign
There’s a solo in Pina Bausch’s ‘Viktor’ in which a dancer stuffs her pointe shoes with veal before dancing. You can see a clip of Cristiana Morganti (who originated the role) performing the solo in the Wim Wenders film (also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYBfSuMZkiE).
Thanks for the great episode! My friend invented this product that’s used by some dancers… https://perfectfitpointe.com/
Looking forward to the next episode!
Point shoes - my very first lesson in “Pain is beauty” and “Art is hard” - learned at the age of five
a lifelong lover of ballet but had never considered the stubborn design problems presented by the pointe shoe! it's so funny how often we take things for granted as inert. a fabulous episode.
As a Utah native and day-one fan of the show, I’m giddily excited to learn that you’re in Logan! I hope you’re getting coffee every morning at Ibis and eating at Crumb Bros. several times a week!
It’s wild that dancers go through that many shoes, especially when you consider the work/destruction that goes into breaking a pair in!