Toes Don't Like Ballet Slipper

[tcritte]

I need some help/suggestions as I have been dealing with this issue for over a year.

 

My toes don't like my ballet slippers. The primary issue is that my toes are trying to get away from the end of the shoe and this is throwing me off balance anytime that I have to balance off the barre. My toes don't think of the shoe like a sock/tight, they seem to act as if the shoe is an irritant. And it's almost as if my feet are "sliding" to the front of the shoe (like it was a high heel shoe), no matter the slipper size. Then my toes feel as if they are being bound.

Last night I put over-the-counter shoe insoles in my ballet shoes. They felt great in terms of keeping my foot still and keeping the front of the shoe open, however, they made me feel as if my feet were on coasters and could just slide away from me. Furthermore, my foot no longer fit flat into the back of the shoe (so the heel kept falling off). And you could no longer see as much arch in my foot as usual. My teacher came up to me after class and said she was feeling sorry for me because she noticed I was having issues with my shoes. I told her about what I had done. Her comment was that maybe I have unusually long toes (???), but she didn't offer any suggestions other than that she didn't think the insole was good.

I wear a US size 10 medium width street shoe. My right foot is a little longer than my left (which can fit US size 9 1/2), but both sets of toes don't like the shoes.

 

I have had 4 sets of ballet slippers:

• Bloch 205L letter with full sole size 7C. These were fitted by a man in a dance store. I kept telling him they were tight. He insisted that ballet shoes were supposed to be like that. "Danced" in these for 8 months before I got fed up.
  
• Bloch 205L, size 7.5B and size 8C. I thought since my feet are two different sizes, maybe I needed different sized shoes. Ordered online myself.
  
  
• Bloch 203L split sole letter with canvas arch, size 7.5D. Went back to the store and fully explained my issue with the previous shoes. The young lady who helped me first tried Capezios (which were too small for my length), then went to the Bloch split sole (because she noticed I have a prominent arch) but in a bigger width. I did some relevés and a pirouette in the store in these and felt fine, but now that I'm working across a floor, I'm back to the same issue.
  
  

When I first started dancing I thought the primary issue was that I was new to ballet. So I would go home and practice balances -- however, I practiced barefoot -- which is how I am always in the house. I have gotten much better at balances barefoot, but still having issues with balancing in class.

 

Then I thought the issue was that I wasn't stretching my toes -- that is I was scrunching to try to hold on to a balance. So every time I sit down, I stretch my toes, look at the form, and force my mind to remind my toes to stretch.

 

Now that I see that I am improving on those issues, I am ready to get some help about these shoes.

 

Thanks,

Tracey

Edited October 13, 2006 by tcritte

[Guest pink tights]

Sounds like your shoes are too wide. Do you have a tapered foot? If so, Bloch makes a tapered slipper--which you may need to special order. You may not have a foot suited for Bloch--other than Capezio and Bloch, have you fitted any other shoes. The heel falling off--compressible foot?

 

BTW--I have tapered feet; Bloch shoes always feel and look strange on me.

Edited October 14, 2006 by pink tights

[jddancingqueen]

I'm picky about having enough room to spread my toes in my slippers, and the best ones I've found so far are Grishko performances. To keep for feet from moving around in your shoes,you might try not wearing tights over your feet. Keep in mind that you'll have to wean yourself back into tights before a performance! I made that mistake, and I swear, I thought I was going to slide right out of my shoes! You might also try putting a little rosin on the bottom of the feet of your tights before you put your slippers on. Hope this helps!

[Missgoodytoeshoes]

This may sound like a silly question, but do you have elastics on your shoes? If so where have you sewn them? I've seen some students have trouble when they sew the elastics across the top of the foot "like mary jane shoes) instead of around the ankle.

[dance1soccer1]

Just a thought from a mom of a DD - when she felt slippage in her technique shoes she used split sole shoes so that there was less "wiggle room" and convertible tights. With those you have a small hole in the bottom of the foot where your bare foot touches the shoe. In desperation, she peeled off the toe portion of the tights for a few days, so her foot was half naked, and it helped her get the feel of the shoe.

[tcritte]

This may sound like a silly question, but do you have elastics on your shoes? If so where have you sewn them? I've seen some students have trouble when they sew the elastics across the top of the foot "like mary jane shoes) instead of around the ankle.

 

shoes 1-3 have 1 pre-sewn elastic.

 

Shoe 4, I sewed on myself using info from the lady in the store and http://www.spotlightx2.com/dance/docs/slippers/slippers.asp. They were not sewn mary jane style.

 

Sounds like your shoes are too wide. Do you have a tapered foot? If so, Bloch makes a tapered slipper--which you may need to special order.

I don't know what you mean by tapered foot, and I couldn't find a "tapered" style on the bloch web site http://www.blochworld.com.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I will try the tight suggestions, and look into the Griskho shoes.

 

Are there any other size 10ers out there who've never had/resolved a slipper issue??

 

 

 

[Guest pink tights]

Try Discount Dance Supply--style # SO216LT Tapered Toe Ballet Slipper. Good luck!!

 

As for tapered foot--go to the pointe shoe forum and look for the sticky on foot profiles. It should provide you with lots of info!!

[tcritte]

As for tapered foot--go to the pointe shoe forum and look for the sticky on foot profiles. It should provide you with lots of info!!

Thanks. Since I don't pointe dance, I would have never looked at this forum.

• You are spot on: I have a tapered foot
  
• I have long toes (my big toe is 2 inches long!)
  
• I also have a low profile.
  

[missvjc420]

I think what we're looking for is a soft shoe. Russian Pointe does make them with a selection of vamp lengths if that's where the objection lies. The model is called the Andante, and comes in either full- or split-sole.

 

You may want to look at the Russian Pointe slippers. I understand that they come in tapered styles, or can fit tapered feet, and have long vamps, better for long toes. They also have several different widths in their soft shoe.

 

www.russianpointe.com

 

There are other brands mentioned for tapered feet, such as Grishko and the Capezio Juliet model. Try The Leotard in Portland.

[ami1436]

Yup, missvjc420 is right. I have tapered toes, narrow heel, wider (relatively) forefoot... I've tried the Bloch tapered model, but am still experimenting. My next shoes (still need to sew the elastics) include the Capezio Juliet (nice and soft) and the Russian Pointe - RP has two models, one U vamped and one V vamp. The V Vamp is gorgeous, comes in 3 vamp lengths and 3 widths, and really flatters my foot.

 

But is the problem the shoe fit, or some reaction or so of you toes? I understand how initially the ballet shoes can feel weird. Sometimes my new shoes still don't feel right or irritate the ends of my toes until they've softened up a bit - have you tried taping the end of the toes that are irritated?

[Fiz]

Yup, missvjc420 is right. I have tapered toes, narrow heel, wider (relatively) forefoot...

Sounds like me and my eldest. You know 'New Look', Ami? They had some street shoes in there to die for, and we couldn't even get our feet in them! We were not happy bunnies! Fiz. xxx

[dianec]

... she used split sole shoes so that there was less "wiggle room" and convertible tights.

 

I agree with this advice, split soles always feel much better on my feet, which are tapered. I'd suggest sticking to canvas as well, as it feels a bit more like socks when you've got the right size. I wear Sansha pros or Bloch as both do canvas split sole technique shoes. Good luck!

[Guest pink tights]

Tcritte--Happy to help! Dd and I have tapered feet....over the years we have worn many shoes, in search of the perfect ONE!

 

If canvas shoes are irritating your toes, try the Bloch split sole in leather. My Dd just switched to these. She said they are so soft and buttery. Bloch makes two split soles that I know of--one has canvas in the mid-section, the other is all leather.

[tcritte]

...

But is the problem the shoe fit, or some reaction or so of you toes? I understand how initially the ballet shoes can feel weird. Sometimes my new shoes still don't feel right or irritate the ends of my toes until they've softened up a bit - have you tried taping the end of the toes that are irritated?

I don't think the issue is breaking in the shoes -- I've had this problem for over a year. I wore the first shoe for 8 months before I gave up on it. The shoe does not irritate my foot as in make a rash, take skin off, make the toes sore, etc. I literally scrunch (crunch, or curl) my toes up when I have to balance on a foot -- like the toes are balling up trying to get away from the end of the shoe.

 

You may want to look at the Russian Pointe slippers. I understand that they come in tapered styles, or can fit tapered feet, and have long vamps, better for long toes. They also have several different widths in their soft shoe.

 

www.russianpointe.com

 

There are other brands mentioned for tapered feet, such as Grishko and the Capezio Juliet model. Try The Leotard in Portland.

I looked at the Russian Pointe slipper, and it looks promising. Thank you for the area store. I'm going to go over there today.

 

 

[ami1436]

Do you think you are having some reaction to the material?

 

A well-fitting shoe should help with chaffing/rubbing/etc. Again, too tight, as you know, would exacerbate it though.

 

You may just want to tape the ends of your toes though, at least until they heal?