Her Pointe Shoes Don't Last!

by Bonnie
(Dallas, TX)

Hi, my daughter dances 20-24 hours a week. She is now wearing Bloch European Balance and likes them a lot but they don't last long!

She has a wide metatarsal, and narrow ankle. She's had sickling problems in the past but has a stronger foot now due to exercises that her doctor told her to do daily. Anyway, any suggestions?


**************************************************

Hi Bonnie,

She sounds like a serious dancer. Good for her!

Pointe shoes only have a certain number of hours in them. Spending 3+ hours on pointe will make it seem like they don't last long at all when really that is just part of the cost of real pointe work. My sister went through a pair a month.

My suggestion is to take a look at how she is breaking in her shoes to see if she could maybe not break them too far to start.

Also, if the shank is breaking down you can look at buying a shoe with a stronger shank like Bloch's Serendade MKII or Axiom or Capezio's Elan.

Other than that, just recognize that shoes break. If you plan for pointe shoe replacements, it won't come as a surprise every few weeks.

Good luck!! And thanks for being a supportive parent! I wish every dancer was so lucky.

Ashleigh