Pointe Shoe Myth Busting #2: Certain Pointe Shoes Are "Bad"
Welcome to the second post about pointe shoe myths! Pointe shoe myths exist across all brands and models. Typically, these myths are rooted in some degree of truth--however, the myth stems from very outdated information. We don't expect your average teacher or dancer (let alone parent/caregiver) to stay up-to-date on all of the changing methods and technology surrounding pointe shoes! Our professional pointe fitters at Allegro have made careers out of this education and service. It takes time, understanding, and practice to truly understand the functions of pointe shoes.
The Allegro Pointe Fitting Team knows that these myths and pre-conceived notions can mislead dancers. These dancers can be young dancers receiving misinformation from the beginning of their pointe career, to more mature or professional-bound dancers missing out on an opportunity to experience shoes that might change the game for them entirely.
We've spoken to Allegro's fitters to break down some of the most harmful myths we have heard in pointe fittings.
This one is short, sweet, and to the point(e)!
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Myth: "Plastic pointe shoes are bad." "Russian pointe shoes are too hard." "This brand's pointe shoes are too soft."
Facts: No pointe shoes are inherently bad. Everyone's feet are different, and you should wear whatever brand/style of pointe shoe works best for your feet. It doesn't matter what your friends wear, or what your favorite professional dancer wears. You're the one dancing in the shoes, so they should be the best for YOU!
Any sweeping statements about an entire brand of shoes are too generalized to be true. Each brand has various styles, because they are trying to make shoes that work for all different feet. Just because you’ve tried one shoe in a specific brand doesn’t mean you know how the other styles will feel.
Sometimes teachers/studios will prefer one brand of shoes over another. This doesn't mean that other brands of shoes are bad. Typically, teachers/studios will prefer one brand over another when they've worn the shoes themselves, or they've had students dance very successfully wearing them. At Allegro, our fitters always keep these preferences in mind, but if they really aren't the best shoes for the dancer we are fitting, we will communicate directly with the teacher or studio owner to fit the dancer into something more appropriate.
We do believe that some styles of shoes will be better suited for certain dancers. This will depend on their foot/flexibility requirements or their technic/choreographic demands. The best way to determine the right shoe for you is to have a professional fitting!
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