Pointe Shoes 101 | Kathryn Morgan 

my pointe shoe horror story: my first pointe shoes were 3 sizes too small and 4 sizes too narrow. my feet literally bulged out of them. my toes were always purple when i too them off and numb and i couldn't balance at all because my toes were scrunched to fit.i got a new pair 3 weeks later and my fitter told me that actually the other shop had sold me a model that had be recalled and haven't been sold in the last 3 years!

Would love a video about how to look after your feet/feet hygiene as a dancer. I've just started en pointe and I can't work out how to cut my toenails short enough so that they don't crack/hurt with the pressure of my shoes, but long enough so I don't get ingrown toenails!!!

Can you give pointe shoe tips and tricks for flat footed dancers? Are there pro's who are flat footed but were able to get their foot more flexible?

Get your shoes fitted on a warm afternoon, not in the morning because then when your feet swell up they won't be too small.

what am I doing here? I don't do Ballet...

Where my Bloch squad at ??

I know that this may be silly but, Can you do a video on bourres?

Please make a video about bruised toenails/toenails falling off and how to deal with it!

Grishkos have super soft-super hard shanks, x - xxxxx width. You can get them customised to be with or without drawstring, customised Vamp length, customised heel length AND you can get vegan pointe shoes. They also have that pro flex sole. They're my favourite :)!!

Katie, it would be great if you did a how to sew point shoes video...!!! And maybe a video about ballet body...

I wear Bloch European Balance, and my first pair the shank wore out within two months of one 30-minute class a week. Being my first pair I didn't know and my teacher never said u needed new ones. It was when we got a new teacher that I was told to get new ones, and I wasn't even allowed to wear my old ones because they were too dangerous. I now have the strong version of the European Balance. My first ribbons were the stretchy ones but I always tied those too tight so I switched to the ones that have the elastic partway through and I love them SO much more. Plus, I have a clean line of satin coming from the pointe shoe instead of the dull stretchy material.

At about 2:50 in this [ ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RFYL9L7_EmA.html ] episode of strictly ballet, the girls mention you!! They are excited about the NYCBallet members shoes and they spotted yours!! I wasn't sure if you knew but I thought it was cute! Love you and your videos😘

on an unrelated topic, I love the make-up look you've been rocking!

I am now find myself watching one of your videos every day. I danced ballet for nine years many moons ago and I loved it. I have long term illness now but watching your wonderful videos makes my heart dance again. :]

yes please do an update for sewing pointe shoes😍💗

I have long feet with long toes and a very high arches. My first Pointe shoes were Capezio glisse. I wear them with a very thick gel toe pad. I have zero pain with them. I love them still many years later. I got refitted at a different store 2 years later and they fitted me in grishko 2007. Those look absolutely gorgeous on my feet but they give me blisters and are painful in my toe nails. If I tape my toes with good tape I don't get blisters. But also they are Way to hard for me even in super soft strength. I was most recently fitted in Gaynor Mindens 4 box medium tapered extra flex shank. These the best feeling for me. I do not need an extra toe pad. They are the best look and feel for me with a pre arched shoe. I could wear a hard shank. In traditional Pointe shoes I prefer a flexible shank with hard box so my arch is hugged and visible but I am not too far over my box causing me to fall forward

i’m getting my pointe shoes tomorrow!!!! i’m so excited!!

Another great educational video, thanks so much!

It could be interesting a video about all pointshoes brands that you use during school and in the company. Thanks for this video! :D

fun fact: the first pair I tried on were the ones I bought... I obviously tried on other pairs for the comparison; but the first pair just fit perfectly

Yay, thank you! A professional opinion is so appreciated on such a topic. Young girls everywhere must be chanting hallelujah! 🙌 hahaha, thank you!

💫pointe shoe sewing hack💫 *video explanation at bottom* Use one ribbon per foot (same overall length per foot but not cut in half)! 1️⃣You know the way pointe shoes come in the box folded into each other? Well the back of the shoe tends to fold in this case. Fold it this way. 2️⃣Take a pen 🖊 and put the tip in one of the back corners of the v-shaped fold. 3️⃣Make a line with the pen all along the edge of the shoe starting from that back corner. Repeat on the other side until you have a full arc by the heel of the shoe. 4️⃣Place the one ribbon across this line on the side closest to the block. Then sew, keeping some ribbon sewn in the bottom of the shoe. ‼️This will help your ribbons stay in your shoe, which will help your shoe support your foot‼️ 🥰This is hard to explain through a RU-vid comment, but I’ll try and edit this with the link to a video explaining it. This is the way my teacher recommends and so many dancers I know have done this and loved it.🥰 EDIT: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GkPC22visX4.html Watch that video for a better explanation!!!!

Dear Katie, please help me. I love dancing and would like to get a professional or a teacher. I'm working hard and not that bad, but I do not have the right hips for ballet. Because of that I can't turn out 100% and I can't do the middle split. Do you think I can do ballet professional? And thank you for all your videos. I have learned a lot and with your exercises I have improved a lot and get inspired to work even harder on my self. I hope you could answer.

I love this!

I'm getting my pointe shoes next week but Ive only been doing ballet for about 5 months and im really scared I'll not be able to do it

What is your opinion on Gaynor Mindens?

OMGGGG I JUST GOT MY FIRST POINTE SHOES AND IM GETTING THEM APPROVED TOMORROW IN CLASS SO I CAN SEW THEM AND BREAK THEM IN AND IM SO EXCITED BC IVE HAD TO WAIT FOUR DAYS TO WEAR THEM AGAINNNN SINCE BEING FITTED

I have the worst problem. I have wide feet. I have good feet to but the places around me ether don't have a good supply or they are clueless on how to size them. The only one that has worked for me is block but they only have one sized shank and I need a strong one and they make me look sickled and there is a bunch in the magazine but I don't want the get ones that don't fit or don't look right.

I wear Russian Sapphires. I have a pretty high arch and these shoes work perfectly for me. I got the wrong size pointe shoe about a year ago and I ended up getting tendentious. The size really does matter.

I would like to get some advices on paddings :)

I love this!

I loveee you!!! This video helped soo much! Greetings from Greece 💞

What are your thoughts on Gaynor Mindens?

i dont have the most archeyist feet. ( i mean there good but no Svetlana Zakahrova ) i tried Grishko 2007 and the shank just died immediately. right now, im trying the Grishko Nova Felx with a hard 3/4 shank and i can already feel the shank going. and ive only had rhem for a week. suggestions?

Thank you so much, Katherine!! I got fitted last Tuesday and I noticed that the shank stopped in the middle of my heel. I was worried that it wasn't the right shoe for my foot, but coming from a professional that it is supposed to do that, IS A LIFESAVER!! Thank you

i have wide metatarsals and short toes, but with a narrow heel and pretty flexible feet. i have tried Bloch European balance and they felt pretty good in the store but now i am starting to sink down in them. any advice?

I have really stubby toes, and I own Bloch European Balance Pointe shoes, they fit really well. It only started to suck when I broke my left foot, my ankle weakened, and I was the one of last in my level to go on Pointe again. My second toe grew longer than my big toe, and toe spacers are a big burden. This is a great video and I have done so much better with my Pointe shoes, both en Pointe, and just taking care of them. ❤

Sorry, everyone is commenting their pointe shoe problems, but I really want some advice about this. I started a pre-pointe class last fall, but I haven't been in a couple of months (partly because of timing and also because of my shoes). I think the vamp of my shoes might be too long since I am barely on my platform, even in first. Also, when I try to do demi-pointe in my shoes, the throats of the shoe digs into my foot just above where my toes connect to my metatarsals. I don't have super archy feet, but they're not flat, I'd say like moderately archy. I have short toes and feet that are wider at the toe joint and are narrower at the heel. My heel is probably "medium" width if we're talking about street shoes, but the toe joint area is more "wide." I want to continue pointe, what should I do?

Hi Katie, do you have any advice for male dancers when picking variations? I know you said in your video on the subject to play to your strengths, but all the male variations seem to focus on grand allegro and on beats, two areas which I am not very good at. Do you know of any male variations that don't focus on one of these areas? Any help would be much appreciated.

Body Wrappers/Angelo Luzio has stretch ribbon as well. Been using it since I started pointe and it is an achilles life saver! Katie, any (future) tips for pointe shoe fitting for compressible feet would be appreciated :-)

Thinking back to my first points and fitting. It was terrible. They only had capezios and blochs. Bloch is what I ended up with but my long toes and wide metarsels were still cramped. Plus, super high arches! Lol. I want to dance ballet again and eventually get back en pointe! Thanks Kathryn! ❤️

Hey Katie, what is the normal amout of time pointeshoes should last? I just got my second pair of pointe shoes and my first pair lasted one and a half year. (And that is pointe class once a week plus a few extra rehersals and a performance.) In our ballet school we all wear bloch and we take them to the shoemaker downtown and he makes leather dance soles for the tip on them so the fabric doesn't frail. We also break them in by doing exercises instead of breaking them in by force.

Just wanted to add here, the Grishko Maya 1 (and most of the Fouetté last styles) has a shorter vamp. They're not commonly stocked in US stores, so I think that's why Grishko has that reputation.

Hi Kathryn! Thank you for your amazing and informative videos, they're very helpful :) I'm a guy and I've been doing pointe for almost two years now, but I can't seem to find any other person like this. Do you have any experience with guys on pointe? Is it possible for guys to be able to dance on pointe in companies, albeit only during classes? I'm pretty tall and my pointe shoe size is 9. The biggest pointe shoe store in my entire country only seems to have one type of shoe that fits me (Bloch serenades). While I do think they are good for my feet, It's still a shame that I can't try on different brands. Do you have any tips on how to get around this? Thank you very much, keep up the great work! :)

Can you do a video that explains how to do/improve pacarus (I don't know how to spell that, sorry)

when I got my shoes for the first time ("sansha", no idea what a brand is it) i hated that short thing under the heel and i walked like a duck literally hah.

Grishko are the best for me because I have narrow feet. I started with a ss shank (equivalent of soft for other brands), and now I have a medium. I experimented with russians a couple of times.

I have insanely strong feet, but I wear Freed Studios II s I'm basically in love with them. I got over the wingblocks. At the fitting, I tries feed classics, and it looked like I had been wearing these shoes for weeks, they were completely bend over

What is name of the ribon that you recommend from Bloch? The stretchy one!

Dear Katie. I hope you could talk about bunions. Maybe you're so lucky you never had them but dancing en pointe with bunions is often painful and worrisome. Thanks.

Hi! When I put on my pointe shoes and i go up on pointe the muscles near to my left foot hurt and i don't know why... have you guys some tip to give me to get better?

Love & adore these videos - I've been through years of tweaking my shoes - including different brands, styles, makers, etc, and even I got SO MUCH from this video! Thank you, Katie, I really love your videos about pointe: pointe shoes/pointe exercises, pointe tips...you've changed my feet for the stronger/better! I'm definitely "pro" more videos like these! Also: I've recently gotten back into darning the tips (just once or twice around the platform) ...any feelings on darning? Thanks so much, Katie- You're such a lovely individual

Do you have any recommendations for a soft shank shoe?

i don't do ballet but I'm getting some pointe shoes because I have always wanted to try and I'm starting ballet next year anyone have any tips or stm to help me learn??

I just got my Pointe letter yesterday! Going through the rite of passage with my dance friends!

Thought that the world should know that I am getting my pointe shoes tomorrow!!!!!!

can somebody tell me why having high arches is desired? I dont do ballet, I jsut go and watch, but to me it is prettier when I see streamlined feet, one unbroken line. So not sure why ballet people consider having that break in the feet good?

Thanks for the tips on making them bigger! My shoes fit very well they just get tighter than they should be. I'll have to try that soon!💕

Once I got a pair of Bloch shoes that were way too wide. My shoes width had been messed up, but I was really new to pointe and did not think much of it. After one rehearsal in them I almost broke my ankle and had to get new shoes. I recently started wearing the whisper MS140 shoes from Mirella and I love them! They fit so well and are so comfortable!

I’m getting pre pointe shoes soon and this is still very helpful 😄 Thx for your help

Can you make a video of how you glue your pointe shoes?

I went to the store and said i want Bloch but they put me in Capezio. I imedietally fell in love. The owner walked by me during my fitting and said your feet look good in any brand. So i have Capezio but the box is just a little bit long i hope i can stay with Capezio 🤞🏼

I wear Bloch Eurostretch shoes as well! When I got fitted for the first time, I really wanted to get grishkos, and they ended up looking really good on me. However, by the summer, I was getting way too many blisters, I could barely stand in them without pain. I quickly got refitted and ended up with Blochs. I'm so happy to be in them now, they definitely have saved my feet!

I'm so excited- my teacher just told me I'm ready for pointe. I'm going to get fitted sometime after Christmas and I just cannot wait!!! (I'm 12)

i need advice! i was just givin the okay and my class is getting our first pointe shoes!! i was super duper excited, but when i started doing more research and i have a few questions! my studio has a store and they only carry Bloch products. the only pointe shoes they have are Bloch TMTs (Thermal Morph Technology) and with them you are only able to heat them up and morph them to your feet. i was wondering if it would be better to look around for a more professional fitter with more options or just go with the Blochs? thanks:)

My box always dies way too quick, but I only dance on pointe 3 to 4 times a week. I don’t dance in them a lot and I’m not a professional dancer. Do any of you know brands with hard boxes?

Thanks, Katy!!! I love your videos, and this weekend I am actually performing a production en pointe this weekend! This was very informative! 💕 I'm a Freed Studio Professionals 5 1/2 D with hard shank.

I have tried the solid elastic ribbons before, but I always seem to have a problem with them stretching too much and the shoe not staying on my foot. Any tips on how to keep my shoes on? Ive tried all sorts of ribbons/elastics, heel grips, rosin, etc. Help!

when I was fitted for my pointe shoes no matter what I tried the pinch is always really loose & baggy :( is there a way to fix it? maybe my heel is just abnormally small

2018? And btw im getting en pointe in September!!!!! But i might even get them sooner if im lucky!!!

I'm going on point next week ,wish me luck!

i just got russian pointe almaz pointe shoes and they are amazing! i tried freeds, blochs, capezios and none of them fit as well at the russians!!!

I just have 2 white elatics crossed in my pointe shoe

In regards to shank strength... Bloch Hannah were so soft that I couldn't fully roll up (I am on the heavier side as well as being tall). Now I understand why my other fitters fitted something like the Bloch Aspiration, GM Extraflex, Bloch Triomphe or Bloch B-Morph (current). They support me and I feel like I am not going to fall off my shoes. I was scared to dance in the because the support was not there.

Some people say that they don't hurt YOU WRONG

thanks, Kathryn! :-)

my ribbons are too low but im getting on top of the block PERFECTLY Thursday was my first day and my teacher had me passè at the barre, she said she wasnt worried about me... I DIDNT KNOW I WAS THAT STRONG OMG

Im not wearing a pointe now in my dance career ... But im looking forward to wear it ❤ wish me luck

For students looking to compare different brands and models that work well for different foot types, this website is excellent: pointeperfect.com. Also, a note on sewing ribbons: the placement of ribbons that will look best as well as support your foot best is at the peak of the arch. When the ribbon is sewn at the peak of the arch (but NOT at all under the heel, just from the peak down the foot), it pulls the shoe into the optimal position to ensure the shank conforms to the foot and breaks in properly. It also brings the ribbon into the aesthetically most attractive spot on the foot and ankle keep the shoe snug and highlight the arch: beautiful form and function together!

I find it very helpful and of course whenever I get a chance to get on pointe eventually. it's very best to try out everything. Do you have a foot care routine?

Where’s my Nikolay squad! 😎

i have really arched feet and use Grishko but i always go through them really fast :( i also tried Capezio but those hurt my feet :( any suggestions?

I have Bloch Serenades. My ballet teacher sells them, and ONLY them, so when I needed a second pair of pointe shoes, I went to the only dance store in my area to have a professional fitting. I tried on a LOT (Grishko, Bloch, Gaynor Minden, and probably more), but there were only two models that fit me because my left foot was to broad for most models. One of them were Gaynor Minden shoes, and the other one Bloch Serenades... Since they didn't have the right size of the first model, and it would have been much too expensive anyway, I ended up with the same model as before, just a half size smaller. So now, I have two pairs of Bloch Serenade, the old one in 5 and the new one in 4 1/2.

I use to wear Bloch Axis. Each of my classes last up from 1.5 - 3 hours per week. Since Bloch has a lot of different types too, I wear use too wear Axis then I changed to Bloch Sylphide. It was supposed to be shoes for beginners but I all tall and unfortunately my teacher doesn't order the the size of Bloch Axis for my foot which was size 7. Because of my big feet, the suppliers rarely ship in pointe shoes in this size due to the small amount of people in my country that has the same issue because they think they will either ship in much more than the amount of pointe shoes in this size more than the we need, or they will not ship enough to satisfy our needs, so they decided to not ship it in at all. So the only thing my teacher could do was to buy me another type of Bloch pointe shoes that had my size, and that was Slyphide. But the first time I wore my new pointe shoes, I could already feel it getting soft by the end of my 3 hour lesson. I was to have my exam 3 weeks later and my teacher does not do pointe work every single week. So a week before my exam, my teacher decided to run through everything thoroughly. I could feel my pointe shoes getting softer and softer but it couldn't be help because suppliers had sold it all out. On the day of my exam, I was half way doing pose turns when my pointe shoes gave way and I tripped. After that, each and ever exercise, I would never be able to execute it to my best because my pointe shoes died on me I the middle of my exam. After that we had a audition to be in a play. It was a play associating with Asia Ballet Academy. The teacher, Ms Ivy was kind enough to bring down a he brand of the pointe shoes her students in her company uses, Fuzi. She let all of use test it and i loved it immensely, the shank was 3 quarter hard and it showed off my arch and it was comfortable. I bought 2 pairs just in case I she won't be able to ship them in time when they die on me. We now have rehearsal with one of her teachers, Ms Cathy and we are constantly doing pointe work. I don't know how long my shoes will last because I use two pairs at once, I season the first pair, the I season the second pair so I won't have to work with a hard shoe when my first pair dies on me. For now, the first pair is already getting " comfortable" ( it means is starting to get soft) so I do hope it both of my pointe shoes will last me until the end of November... I think that's kind of impossible but I do hope this brand will last longer than Bloch. We will be having our ballet performance next year at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next year on the 18,19,20 January. I'm sorry I bored you with my story but I just wanted to write this down even though a lot of you are probably wondering why the hell am I talking about all this random information about my ballet life. Thank you for reading my long ass comment, goodbye and have a nice day 👋👋

isn't it also good for dancers with low arches to use lower vamps? at least for me this is the struggle! i don't have a problem with the shanks but i can't get over the box. and i don't even have short fingers. only low arches

Is there a difference between a grishko Nova flex and a grishko 2007 because my first pair of pointe shoes was Nova flex and I really liked them but the fitter had them too wide and when I got my second pair they we're narrower but they're grishko 2007?

The worst two brands I ever wore were Fuzi and Gamba. Fuzi wrecked my feet and Gamba was too weak and didn't last anytime. I always like Capezio and Bloch.

When I put on my pointe shoes, they make my feet look sickled, even though im winging them super super hard! What do i do? please help!

Thank you Kathryn! I just went en pointe. I got my first shoes yesterday.

When I went and got fitted the person fitting me HAD NO CLUE what she was doing and my pointe shoes don’t fit the best! I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!

I killed a pair of Grishkos in three days and i have archy feet

Do you have any tips for people who live in countries like Australia which have a really limited selection of brands ? We don’t really have ‘dance’ stores per se here mostly brand stores like capezio and Bloch so trying on a range shoes is kind of impossible especially if you have wide or large feet (above an 8.5 is hard to buy for here)

I accidentslly bought shoes with a longer box. The pointe shoe fitters werent reslly good either, because they didnt object to it. definitely not going there again. but another thing i have a problem with is the support on the sides of the box. even in my first pair it broke, and the box was shorter and less narrow. I'm feeling very discouraged in the whole Pointe Shoe World. its a pain, but i know i'm going to have to go through a few shoes before i know what fits my foot, but i still feel like it's so discouraging and hard.

I would try grishkos except my feet are so wide they only feet in Blochs and gaynor mindens I know what you're saying they make wider shoes but I'm currently wearing a size 4 width in European balance which are some of the widest shoes I've seen

So excited!!!!! Today, my teacher gave me the okay to go en pointe in fall!!! YAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!

I bought some new pointe shoes but there’s just something off about them. I don’t feel like I have enough support compared to my last shoes (I switched from Capezio) I dont know if it’s because of the ribbons (this year I’m using the stretchy ones but last year I used the regular satin ones) or if it’s because of the shoe or maybe something else

Hi Katie!! I was wondering-should the pointe shoe ribbon be crossed (like how they are on your demi-pointe shoes) or should it be by your ankle like the way you have it in the shoe you show in this video?? Or can it be either way??

Do you have any tips on how to get ON POINTE? I would like to soon, I am twelve years old and been doing ballet for ten years and other types of dance

Can you please do a video on performing everything swan lake?

I think I need a long box, my toes are very long. I'm not sure though. I'm getting fitted June 6th, can't wait!