The hustle-bustle of the holidays prevented me from sewing the ribbons on my new pointe shoes, but fortunately I checked it off my New Year’s to-do list. I then headed to the studio to give them a try. I wasn’t sure how it would go after not dancing en pointe for thirty years. I was able to rise up on the shoe when I went to Saratoga Dance, Etc. for the shoe fitting, but now it was time to try more than that.  My husband willingly came to the studio for moral support (and in case I hurt myself).

The new pointe shoes were very comfortable considering it was the first time I wore them to dance. I remember pointe shoes of long ago being very stiff when they were new. But the pair I just purchased, Gaynor Minden Extra-Flex, were comparable to most traditional shoes once they are slightly worn.

For extra comfort, I added thin toe pads, which are worn around the toes to protect them from rubbing against the shoe. When I was young, we used lamb’s wool to prevent blisters, but it usually just bunched up in the shoe and often it made things worse. I’ve heard that some of today’s teachers don’t allow students to wear toe pads, because they think the pads prevent the students from feeling the shoes. This surprises me because I found the toe pads to be a wonderful tool. And, in my experience, dancers are usually able to go longer and give a better performance when they’re not in agony.

To begin my inaugural dance in my new shoes, I started with simple warm-ups facing the barre, but tried not to rely on the barre too much. It was easy rising up and down in the shoe. Balancing without holding onto the barre was another story. At first, it was hard to steady myself. I find balancing on two feet on half-toe in ballet slippers to be easy, but balancing on a smaller surface on my toes changes things. After several tries, I was able to make the adjustments necessary to stay up without much wobbling. I spent about fifteen minutes at the barre, adding in some more difficult steps, and then I tried one step away from the barre. I felt that was enough for my first attempt.

I was reminded how intense dancing en pointe can be when I had finished, because the twenty-minute workout felt like I had been dancing for hours. It was tiring, but it felt good to experience pointe work again. Plus, I can use the information to help me teach.  Of course, now I just have to practice enough so I can wear my shoes while teaching pointe class!