The Backpacking Ballerina

Yesterday I had the chance to have my first Gaynor Minden pointe shoe fitting with Gaynor Mindens International sales director Ms. Jeanne Share. I guess It’s about time that I officially had my pointe shoes fitted for me. But based on what I learned from Jeanne, she told me that  most things you just pick up from experience. With each person she fits she says she learns something new. So how does one become an official pointe shoe fitter like Ms. Jeanne? Experience.

There are short courses to such profession, of course it wouldn’t matter unless you are actually a dancer. How would you know what kind of shoe fits you best when you haven’t even tried on a pair of pointe shoes, yet alone advice another dancer on which pointe shoes to be wearing. I had so much fun listening to Ms. Jeanne, I was finally able to find my actual pointe shoe size with her and it felt much better than the pairs of Gaynor shoes that I’ve been trying on for 9 years. Not being blessed with good feet and with my constant weight fluctuation, I have always had a problem with the pain from my toes and now I have found the culprit and the solution.

Culprit, my greek feet. I’ve always known that my feet were “SPECIAL”. (HAHA) Unfortunately its always been painful for my second toe because it looks exactly like that picture. Now I’ve tried everything from Cotton to cushions but I never knew that Gaynor actually has a thing called a Totally toes fitting kit. Now i just need that small arch semi circle looking thing to be stuck under my shoe to help me with the missing space between my toe and my second toe.

Now trying my shoes with Ms. Jeanne I learned that size 8 fits me better than 8 1/2’s and I always though that 8 1/2’s were better, which was most probably to make way for my second toe. I definitely was happy to know what shoe would actually fit me better. I also listened to her speaking to other girls about how the drawstring should be pulled or how much space there should be to accommodate your toe pads and the sort. Some of which I probably figured out on my own as a dancer, but it was nice to hear nonetheless from someone who has probably fitted thousands of girls with their new shoes and pointe shoes.

Hearing her story and on how she started firsthand was really inspiring. I realised how important the right fit of your shoes are. How it can affect the look of your feet and how it can also affect your dancing. The people behind these small little details are who inspire me a lot. Imagine if we didn’t have these experts then the ballet world wouldn’t be as beautiful as it is. After reading a brief history on how the Gaynor Minden shoes were created I have a little more bias towards the brand of the shoe. ( You can read more about them on dancer.com )

I know that most people do not really use Gaynors and stick to the traditional shoes. A teacher of mine used to tell me “You will not get strong if I used Gaynor shoes and your feet will be spoiled”. I’ve read however on Gaynor Mindens site about how even the Pro’s like my favourites Alina Cojacaru or Gelsey Kirkland prefer Gaynors. My mom told me this afternoon after a chat on the shoe fitting. “Even the ballet shoes needs to evolve”. Its true that I guess traditional shoes are much harder to break into or wear and less comfortable, but I guess to each his own. It really all depends on what feels best for you or shows off your feet the most.  

You can read more about Ms. Jeanne and her profile on Dancer.com and if you are every near a Gaynor Pointe shoe outlet you should definitely get your shoes fitted for you with a professional. My own ballet teacher Perry had fun getting her shoes fitted too.

❤ Much love to every dancer out there. Keep on Dancing! You can now find my products at The Dance store PH and on dancebylina.bigcartel.com