1. After you have received approval to progress to pointe from your ballet teacher and physiotherapist, contact the store to book a pointe shoe fitting. Appointments are essential. You can do this by calling, emailing or visiting us in-store. Ensure you allow up to 60 minutes for your appointment as this process can not be rushed.
2. Once you have secured your appointment time slot it may be a good idea to let your teacher know and invite them along. While they absolutely do not need to attend, some teachers appreciate being involved in the process and many dancers find this adds an extra special element to the day.
3. Prior to your appointment, please ensure you have trimmed all your toenails so they don’t protrude past the edge of the toe. Its also important that you do not have any painful bruises, blisters, cuts or abrasions on your feet that will impact your fitting.
4. Get yourself ready for the big day. Some ballerinas choose to get dressed up in their favourite dancewear for the occasion, while others just come in casual clothing. The choice is completely yours, however please make sure that you are able to comfortably plie and rise in your attire. Your fitter will need to see your bare feet at the beginning of the fitting so if you are coming in dancewear, please wear convertible stockings.
5. Make sure you arrive on time to your appointment so that you have the most possible time with your allocated fitter. Not being rushed also helps ensure you are in a calm frame of mind.
6. Please make sure you bring along your physiotherapy clearance letter. If this isn’t your first pair of shoes, we encourage you to bring along your previous pair so that we can see how they have worn. This will help inform our decisions for your next pair of shoes. If you still have your pointe shoe accessories (e.g.; ouch pouches) in good condition, please bring them along otherwise you will need to purchase some more for your fitting. This also applies to socks/stockings for your fitting.
7. Once you have arrived in store go and notify staff at the main counter, they will then introduce you to your fitter. Your fitter will begin by assessing the shape and strength of your feet and asking some background questions to get a sense of what type of shoes may be best suited to your unique needs.
8. They may need to start by fitting you with some accessories to accommodate your specific needs. Following this you will begin trying shoes on. You will find that you will try on a lot of shoes, this is because there are many components in a pointe shoe that your fitter needs to adjust for.
9. They will ask you to come up to the barre and perform some simple exercise such as a plie and rises in a few different positions. They are checking not only the alignment of your foot in the shoe and how it supports you but also the aesthetic and function. It’s important that you are honest but also realistic with your fitter as it is a collaborative process to find the perfect pair of shoes. Its okay, and actually encouraged, to ask lots of questions if you are unsure.
10. Once we have found that perfect pair, your fitter will give you an opportunity to take lots of photos. This is a super special milestone so make sure you capture it. While you’re doing this, your fitter will collect you some ribbon, elastics and suede toe caps. They will also print you off some handouts explaining how to attach them to your shoe. They will then package this all up for you, see if you need anything further such as a mesh bag or shoe covers, before processing your sale. Don’t forget about us when you’re gone, we LOVE to see photos of you wearing your new pointe shoes so don’t be shy in sending them through.