Pancaking shoes

[Guest dancergal]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this topic, but here goes...

 

My spring performance is coming up. For one of the pieces that I'm in, the choreographer wants us to pancake our pointe shoes. I've done this once before a few summers ago, but that was basically watching while someone else did it for me. I think that that time the people used alcohol and face powder. The choreographer told us to use powder, no oily stuff to make us slip. But how do you pancake the shoes? Do you just go get some concealer powder and rub it on? And should all of the girls in the piece try to pancake our shoes at the same time, so our shoes are all the same color? Or does it not matter?

 

Thanks!

[MYBkid]

I had to pancake my shoes for my spring show last year. But being as dumb as I am with things regarding make up my friend did it for me. I know for the piece I was in the point of pancaking the shoes was to make it blend to our skin colour, so from the audiences view point it looked like you had no shoes on or they were hardly noticable. I am not sure if that is what your choreographer wants or not.

 

My friend just took the concealer powder and with a makeup pad rubbed it in to the shoes evenly all around. I think she wet the pad also. That is only my experiece with pancaking shoes. I am waiting for other responses because I need to know how to do it as well!

[Mel Johnson]

The only thing you need to do is make sure that you are using the same color pancake makeup as everyone else, and apply just as if you were applying the pancake to your face, except that it's your shoes! Water alone is a sufficient solvent. Try not to get too much on the sole. It can get slick.

[Guest dancinsweetie]

This is a little different but I've heard of people sticking their shoes in the oven AKA 'baking' them. This obviously makes the whole house stink of feet, but does it actually work?

Thanks in advance

[Mel Johnson]

It dries them. Actually, it makes them a little bit brittle, too. You should be careful not to leave them in there too long or at too high a setting.

[Guest TootsiePop]

Its good to stuff paper towls, washcloths or something in your shoes after you've pancaked them to help them keep their shape and not shrink! I've only pancaked my shoes once, and maybe they dont shrink, but I stuffed paper towels in mine just in case ( It was at a SI and alot of people told me too).

[Victoria Leigh]

You can also use Calamine lotion to do this. Use a make up sponge and put it on just like you would pan cake. But, again, as Mr. Johnson said, everyone should use the same thing so the color is the same. And, if you need this for one ballet and not another, then you will need two pair of shoes!

[coffee]

When people say "pancake" do they mean the Max factor Pan Cake stage makeup? Can you simply use any other make up as well? Or is it called pancaking for a different reason...

[Victoria Leigh]

They generally mean the Max Factor stage make up. There are not that many other things out there that are the same at all. The dry pancake is not the same as the pancake which requires a wet sponge to apply.

[coffee]

Thanks! Glad I wasn't too far off with that one!

[Memo]

Knock knock, Memo here. I like the clamine, too, we ad tll te kids do it on different brands of shoes and they all looked very uniform. Not pretty up close but great from the front.

[Guest limeymauve]

I have sort of an opposite question, which I'm not sure should go here, but here goes anyway. My teacher, for some reason, doesn't like us to pancake our shoes, she likes them to be shiny. But even though I just got new shoes, they're already a little dirty, and our recital isn't for a little while (as in about 2 weeks). Is there any way to clean them up a little so they're cleaner but still shiny like she wants?

[Mel Johnson]

Clean them off with a brush. Even a toothbrush. It should have fairly stiff bristles.