pointe shoes

hiya well it goes good enough here right? they're kinda clothes/fashion lol :P (sorry mods feel free to move it) i just got my first pair of pointe shoes:

http://www.dancedepot.com/media/Cate...ointe/2007.jpg

they really didn't give me any info on them but just said go home and practice since they want me to do a pointe solo next year. the shoes i have are borrowed so they're REALLY beaten up and stuff. i'm not really concerned about keeping them intact since they're just for the summer. however i need to know where i should practice and what kinds of exercises i should do. i have strong ankles which is why i'm on pointe now and i read that you shouldn't dance on carpet but most of the reasons i read about was because it damages the shoes so is it okay or should i avoid it?

thanks for the help :)

If you've been told not to practice on carpet it's prob best not to, at least until you get hold of someone who's properly in the know because there might be some health/safety reasons for it too. Regardless, you don't want to wear away holes in the toes even if you don't particularly care how the shoes look :P

My sister's done pointe for a few years now... I'll call her over!

Exercises: To get the end in the pointe shoe try doing exercises such as rolling onto full pointe through demi to get the bend. You can also do this by hand by bending the shoes in half - just be careful not to snap them! For the box, Gently massage the sides of the toe box with your hands to soften them up. Some dancers also slam the box inbetween a door frame to soften it up if it's hurting. Another way to mould the top of your shoe is to boil a kettle and hold the inside of the shoe (near the box) to the steam and then quickly put them on your feet and go on pointe. This will mould them to the shape of your foot.
Walk on demi pointe too. One of the best ways to break in pointe shoes is to simply put on the shoes and walk around in them. Try rising onto demi pointe and walking, forcing the shoes to conform to your own arches.

Where to practise: You shouldnt practise on carpet because the box needs a strong floor to be able to grip to. Try to work at the barre too. Try lots of plies, concentrating on rolling through demi pointe, all the way up to full pointe, then down flat again.



Hope that's helpful, if you have any questions I'd be happy to forward them to her.

thanks to both of you lovelies :)