Have small heels? Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop gives her top tips on finding the best fitting pointe shoes for when your heel tends to slide around.
Master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop chats with Colorado Ballet soloist Tracy Jones to hear all about her pointe shoe hacks (particularly for dancers with sensitive skin), her darning tips and the differences between what students and pros are looking for in their shoes.
Master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop offers pointe shoe fitting tips for weak ankles, particularly when coming back from a sprained ankle.
Master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop chats with Ballet West soloist Chelsea Keefer to hear about how she prepares her pointe shoes. Keefer offers lots of darning tips, and shares all of the unusual ways that she uses rosin.
Dancers breaking world records before they've even had their morning coffee? Shouldn't surprise you, considering our next-level enthusiasm for absolutely anything that has to do with dance. And that's exactly the feat 300+ dancers—myself included!—achieved this morning on the streets of NYC.
There are a handful of injuries that plague many dancers, tendonitis being one of them. Here, master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop explains how to find the best pointe shoe fit to keep pre-existing tendonitis from becoming inflamed.
Master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based The Pointe Shop chats with Oklahoma City Ballet dancer Amy Potter to hear about how she prepares her pointe shoes. Plus, hear all of Potter's tips and tricks on how she makes her boxes last longer.
Houston Ballet principal Jessica Collado recalls dancing Giselle's Myrtha on an outdoor stage in the thick of a Texan summer. "At the beginning of the act my shoes still had some life in them, but when I bourréed off to go to my grave at the end, there was literally nothing left of them," she says. "They completely died."
While some pointe shoe brands are built with synthetic materials (making them longer lasting), most shoes are still made out of organic components like burlap and paper, which are incredibly susceptible to humidity. "The more moisture there is, either in the air or from your foot sweating, the faster your shoes will break down," says ThePointeShop founder Josephine Lee. Whether you're spending your summer performing outdoors or training in a crowded studio, muggy weather will have a huge impact on your shoes. Here are some tips to make it through.
If you have a shank that twists off your heel, this is the video for you.
This week, Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop discusses twisting shanks, plus, how your feet change over time and why it's important to get fitted regularly.
Master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop is back with advice on vamp length. She explains how to figure out the right vamp length for you based on the dimensions of your foot, and the advantages and disadvantages of different vamp lengths. Plus, some tricks of the trade regarding lambswool toe pads.
I got professionally fitted and my shoes were fine in the store. Now in class, the vamp is digging into my foot in demi-pointe and the heel is sliding off. Is it the size, the width or both? —Mandi
New Miami City Ballet corps member Itzkan Barbosa and her mother Miriam Barbosa pose atop a mountain of Itzkan's pointe shoes. Alexander Iziliaev, courtesy Miriam Barbosa.
On the morning of May 1, Miriam Barbosa posted a photo of her daughter, Itzkan, on Facebook. The image itself is striking—Itzkan stands smiling on pointe in front of Miami City Ballet, where she has spent the last year as a pre-professional student, perched atop a mountain of old pointe shoes of all different sizes. But it's the story behind the picture that's inspired so many people to comment their congratulations and appreciation. The photo contains every single one of Itzkan's pointe shoes, from her very first pair up until the moment she got her first professional contract as a corps member with MCB last month.The imagenot only calls attention to the hard work and dedication necessary for young dancers to achieve their dreams, but to the sacrifices parents make to help them get there.
