They use the excuse that "leather stretches." The truth is that while leather does stretch, it doesn't stretch that much [probably less than a quarter of a full shoe size - ed]. I've had many experiences where the fitter has put me in a shoe so tight that my toes curled. You need room in the shoe to let the toes spread out on the floor -- without this room balancing on demi-pointe and working the foot correctly is more difficult. When you are in the store try a few ballet steps to make sure the shoe will work. Do a frappé or a tendu and then try balancing on relevé.

Try to be fitted for shoes at the same time of day that you dance so that your feet will be closer to the same size. If your feet are still growing don't get shoes that are overly large either, expecting to grow in to them. The extra material and bad fit will be distracting or even dangerous.

However leather doesn't necessarily make a better ballet shoe. Since every piece of leather has a slightly different grain and will be finished a little differently, two identical pairs of shoes can have a significantly different feel when brushed against the flooring.

Your weight plays an important role in determing how much friction you experience between your shoe and the floor. This helps explain why guys tend to prefer canvas shoes. Guys are typically heavier than girls making it more likely that the leather will stick rather than slide on the flooring. When leather shoes stick, the finish can be rubbed off quickly and the shoes wear out even faster than thin canvas shoes. This sticking action can leave marks on the floors, make splits and lunges difficult, and causes more stubbed toes.

You need to take care of leather shoes from the inside-out too. Be sure your feet and toe nails are smooth or don't go barefoot inside the shoe because rough spots can tear the cloth lining inside the shoe. When this liner tears the shoe will wear out more quickly because of the uneven stress put on the leather behind the tear.

Let's look at canvas shoes more closely. 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. Recently Bloch seems to be using a more durable cloth than the Capezio models.

Sansha carries a variety of styles and colors of ballet shoes in canvas. The shoes even come with the elastic pre-attached on one side so all you have to do is decide how tight you want to make it and half your sewing is already done. Another thing to note on Sansha's canvas ballet shoes is that the cloth is gathered underneath the sole in places that might be annoying to you -- try them out and expect the raised areas to compress a little with wearing.

Canvas tends to be more popular with guys, but you can get canvas ballet shoes in pink and just about every color. So, the next time you go to a store, don't let them just throw you into leather. Ask to try on the same thing in canvas.

A few other types of shoes are also available. One is leather with a canvas instep. This kind of shoe functions much like the normal leather ballet shoe. Capezio also has a new ballet shoe, the Capezio Stretch Insert Ballet Slipper, that has no drawstring. Instead, the part of the shoe where the drawstring used to be is elastic. The instep is made of a stretchy material that is very comfortable when pointing the foot. It prevents material from bunching up under the arch of the foot. No elastic is needed to hold the shoes on your feet because of the elastic around the top of the shoe.

Another form of ballet shoe used by RAD students, and other students, is using de-shanked pointe shoes for ballet shoes. The dancers will remove the shank out of their old pointe shoes by just pulling it out of the inside of the shoe, a task accomplished easier in some shoes than others. First, remove the cloth insole. Then use a pair of pliers to remove the nails. The shank should come right out. There are, however, some kinds of pointe shoes, such as Schachtners, in which the shank won't come out.

These de-shanked pointe shoes are the closest thing to wearing a pointe shoe. They help prepare pre-pointe students by teaching them how to sew on ribbons and elastic and to work in a boxed shoe. The dancer should not go on pointe in a shoe like this since there is no shank to support the foot. Capezio, as well as many other shoes companies, makes a shoe called the demi-pointe which is a boxed pointe shoe with no shank. Some people argue against the use of these shoes because they lack the freedom and stablity of a ballet shoe. In some ballet schools, such as the Royal Ballet School in London and the Paris Opera Ballet School, ballet shoes are used for the first years of training, and de-shanked pointe shoes are used for more advanced students or in technique class.

Another way to sew on your elastics that is popular with male dancers is to cross the elastics. You simply need two pieces of elastic, and just sew them across the top of the shoe in an "X" shape. This is a good idea if you have tapered feet. This technique can also be used on pointe shoes, especially with shoes that do not have a drawstring, such as Grishko's. Like I mentioned before, Sansha ballet shoes come with one side of the elastic already sewn. The elastic is placed so that you can cross the elastics. It's also better when trying the shoe on because you can tie the elastic on to get an idea of how the shoe is going to fit once sewn.

Art Stone

Award

Baryshnikov

Bloch

Capezio

Danshuz

Gamba

Grishko

Leo's

Patterson's

Sansha

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