“Can my daughter just try out some pointe shoes?”

People are fascinated with pointe shoes.  They are a huge part of ballet, and they are often the most appealing part to young girls just beginning their dance education.  Some little girls getting ready for their first ballet classes have only ever seen Barbie dance before.  I have been faced with pre-schoolers who genuinely believe that they will be getting pointe shoes.  It breaks my heart to have to explain that most dancers get pointe shoes around age 11, and it requires years of hard work in order to be safe.  To a four-year-old, having to wait 7 years (nearly twice her current lifetime) is as good as saying “never in a million years.”  I have had dancers cry in front of me, which makes me extremely uncomfortable.  I am obligated to protect dancers’ safety and deliver factual information, but I wish that this didn’t sometimes crush the hopes and dreams of small children. 

I have also experienced older girls and young teens, accompanied by their mothers, who announce that they want to try pointe.  When a few more questions reveal that they are new to ballet, I am forced to say no.  You cannot just “try” pointe.  You cannot put on a pair of shoes, even ones that are expertly fit, and become a ballerina.  It is extremely unsafe and disrespectful. 

I can’t reiterate enough how important it is for a qualified ballet teacher to decide when a student is ready for pointe.  Different schools follow different guidelines pertaining to the age at which students can begin pointe, but all require that students be at least in middle childhood (for strong bone development and emotional maturity) and to have completed multiple years of serious ballet training. 

I wish more young dancers were aware of the fact that pointe is a process, not just one magical moment that can be called up at any time.  When mothers are thinking of putting their daughters in ballet class, a few clicks to a website like mine will give them enough information to be able to answer some of children’s most common questions about dancewear.  I do not blame parents for not knowing much about ballet, but I do wish that efforts would be made to find the correct answers rather than keep fostering a possibly dangerous fantasy.

If you and your child are curious about pointe shoes, I recommend asking an advanced student and/or teacher at a ballet studio to show you their shoes and explain how they work and what they do.  Some shoe fitters at dancewear stores are also willing to take some time to show pointe shoes to young dancers and explain a few things.  It is good to get the facts from a person who has “been there” with pointe shoes.

If you are dedicated to helping your daughter achieve her goal of going en pointe, there are a few things you can do as a parent to help her along the way.  Start her in ballet no later than age 8, which is usually when children’s dance classes transition from just fun to fundamental.  Have her attend as many classes per week as you can, an encourage her to practice at home.  When she is about 9 or 10 years old, get her an exercise band and encourage her to use it to strengthen her feet.  Help your daughter eat and exercise to be strong and healthy (an unfortunate truth is that overweight dancers have a much more difficult time with pointe than those at a healthy weight, and underweight dancers sometimes lack the muscle tone necessary to dance en pointe successfully).  Most important is that you support her at her level, do not push her, and do not push others on your way to the goal.  Emotionally mature dancers who work hard and show enthusiasm will be rewarded and eventually achieve their dreams.

Benefits of mesh backseam tights

Are you overwhelmed by the many different styles of ballet tights available at dancewear stores and online?  All styles have their pros and cons, but one type consistently rises to the top for serious ballet students.  Mesh backseam tights, though often the most expensive option, are almost always the best choice for ballet.

--One of the biggest benefits is that mesh backseam tights can be worn for class and on stage.  They are usually required for classical ballet performances.  If you wear these tights to class regularly, you will not necessarily need to buy multiple new pairs every time you perform

--The weave of these tights is generally stronger than the weave on regular non-mesh ballet tights.  Mesh backseam tights tend to get fewer runs and holes, so they last longer.  The fabric is strong enough to be sewn if the tights get a run. (Carefully stitch the sides of the hole back together with a regular needle and pale-colored thread.  Dab a smidge of clear or sheer light pink nail polish around the edges of the stitching to keep it from running in the same place again.) 

--Mesh backseam tights are usually a rich classical peachy-pink color.  They do not turn gray after washing (they do fade slightly, though), and they match well with various brands of ballet shoes and pointe shoes.

--The tights are a little looser than regular non-mesh tights, so they are more comfortable.  This can lead to some dancers wearing tights that are too large and look a bit bunchy, but careful consideration of the size chart can usually mitigate this issue.

Brand Spotlight: Wear Moi

Wear Moi is a French brand that has become popular worldwide.  Beautiful leotards and unique warm-ups are Wear Moi’s most popular products.

pronunciation	Wear-mwah
website	wearmoi.us/en (English/US), wearmoi.com (worldwide home, in French)
styles of dance included	ballet, pointe, jazz, modern/lyrical/contemporary
types of items	bodywear, shoes, warm-ups, accessories
country of origin	France
price point	lower-end Luxury
quality	excellent
availability	Somewhat available at local dancewear stores in the US and abroad, good selection on discountdance.com, full selection on official website (can order online and ship to most countries)
sizing	Leotards run true to size, but shallow in bust and bottom. (For reference, I am 5’4” 99 lbs with long torso, and I wear a small.)  I have not tried on any Wear Moi shoes.
Jillian’s top pick	Mabel, Kyara, and Odette Leotards
Jillian’s item to avoid	None to speak of

Help! My hair is too short for a bun!

Is your bob or pixie cut too short for a ballet bun?  Don't despair.  There are many ways to wear your hair so it meets the requirements for the given situation.  My hair is super thin, and I prefer to wear my hair around shoulder length.  My buns are often pretty small.  I use many tricks of the trade to keep my hair in place.

Before we discuss solutions, let's get into a little bit of "why."  Why do ballet dancers wear their hair in buns in the first place?  This hairstyle ensures that a dancer's hair will not hit her in the face when she turns.  A bun placed on the crown of the head can also theoretically improve balance since it is in the center of the head and does not add weight to one side of the body or another.  For most situations, it's more important that you keep your hair out of your face and in a balanced style than actually creating the bun.

If the uniform for your ballet class specifies that your hair must be in a bun, you can probably just fix your hair so it is neatly pulled back away from your face (but check with your teacher to make sure she's ok with it).  Spray your hair with water or leave-in conditioner, and put it  in a ponytail if it is long enough.  If your ponytail sticks straight out and/or does not hit you in the face when you turn, that's all you need to do.  Add a few clips or bobby pins around the sides to make sure stray strands don't start to fall out.  If your hair is too short for a ponytail, use clips and bobby pins to pull your hair back away from your face.  Finish with a spritz of hairspray to keep everything in place when you start moving.

For performances, you will almost certainly need to wear a hairpiece.  Different looks are needed for different occasions, so you will need to talk with your teachers, the artistic director, and the costumer to make sure you know what is needed for your part.  If you are a party boy in Nutcracker, you may not need to fix your hair at all, but if you are performing in the corps of Swan Lake, you will need to create a fake bun.  If you are the lead in Alice in Wonderland and need to have long hair around your shoulders, you will need to use a different hairpiece or even wear a wig.

If you need to create a fake bun, you have a few options.  For all of them, your hair needs to be long enough to create a ponytail (or at least a "half-up" ponytail with the top portion of your hair).  If your hair is not long enough to make even a baby pony, try to let it grow as much as possible before the show. 

Option 1 is a donut or "bun maker."  These can be purchased at Claire's Accessories stores, beauty supply stores, some dancewear stores, and online.  Claire's Accessories carries donuts in many colors and sizes, including very tiny ones with diameters of about 2.5 inches.  If your ponytail is long enough, slip the donut over your ponytail and wrap the ponytail down to cover the donut.  Secure the hair around the donut with bobby pins, and use pins and hairspray to clean up any "fuzzies" around the sides or at your neck.  If you have ethnic, textured, or very curly hair, the mesh donut texture can appear to match your hair texture from a stage distance.  You can secure the donut to your hair with pins without worrying about wrapping your hair around it completely. 

Option 2 is a pre-made fake bun.  You can purchase a fake bun online (Capezio/bunheads makes a product called the Allegro Bun, available on discountdance.com) or at a wig store.  To arrange a fake bun, put your hair in a ponytail and use bobby pins to attach the fake bun to your hair on top of the ponytail.  Fake buns look very realistic and take less effort on your part, but they can be heavy and are only "good" for a handful of uses before they start to look a little sad.  Most fake buns cannot be disassembled and brushed out.  They cannot look new again once they are used.

Option 3 is using a switch (fake ponytail) to create a bun.  This option is also excellent for dancers with thin hair or hair that wraps to a very small bun (like me).  You can purchase a switch at a wig store, or you can make your own by purchasing an elastic band hairpiece (I like the brand "Dancing with the Stars" that is available at Sally Beauty and Ulta stores) and carefully cutting the elastic.  This will leave you with a long elastic string with hair attached to the length of it.  Use a needle and thread to reinforce the stitching that holds the hair to the elastic band at each end.  DO NOT purchase a cheap "fashion" hair piece or fake ponytail from Asian-based retailers online; this will leave you with a very heavy and overly long poor quality plastic hair piece that will be very difficult to attach to your natural hair and wrap into a bun.

To create the bun, put your hair in a ponytail and attach the switch to your ponytail (it's easiest to tuck it into your elastic).  Depending on how long the switch is, you can choose to attach it at one end or at the middle of the length of the hair.  Twist the switch so it wraps up your natural hair in the fake hair, and wrap it into a bun.  Pin in place with bobby pins, and follow with a hair net to keep any little pieces from sticking out.  I prefer this method because the bun looks very realistic, it's not hard to wrap, and the switch can be brushed and washed so it always looks nice.

If you need advice about styling your hair for any dance occasion, don't hesitate to ask in the comments below!

Pointe shoe myth vs. fact

1.  Pointe shoes last only one hour.  

Myth, kind of.  How long pointe shoes last depends on a huge number of factors including the dancer’s strength/level, the difficulty of the choreography, the climate, the brand and construction of the shoe, and how the dancer likes the shoe to feel.  Some shoes, such as Freed Grand Classics, are made of extremely degradable materials in order to perfectly fit an individual dancer for just a short amount of time.  Dancers who like Freeds may wear a new pair each day in class, and up to one pair per act when performing in ballets.  In this case, a shoe may last just one hour.  Other shoes, like Gaynor Mindens, are made of strong and resilient plastics so they can be worn for months with little degradation.  Most traditional paste pointe shoes (Grishko, Bloch, etc.) that have the appropriate strength of shank for the dancer’s level last between 12 and 24 hours of wear, which works out to approximately 3-4 months for a beginning student, 1-2 months for an intermediate student, and about 2 days for a professional.

2.  All dancers get disfigured feet from wearing pointe shoes.  

Myth, again, kind of.  It is possible to get foot disfigurements from pointe shoes, but that does not mean that it happens in all cases.  Professional fittings and proper padding can prevent most of the common issues that caused foot disfigurements in years past.  (In “the olden days,” dancers often wore pointe shoes that were too tapered and used minimal padding.  Professional fittings were few and far between, and most dancers went for aesthetics rather than function.  This resulted in the severe bunions and hammer toes that are frequently associated with ballet dancers.)  Most dancers who have been en pointe for several years will experience mild bunions and foot widening, as well as occasional blisters and callouses.  These are not disfigurements, but natural changes that happen when the feet strengthen with years of pointe.  Severe bunions, constant blisters, and other problems are the mark of an ill-fitting shoe.  Usually getting re-fit in a different shoe with a better fit will prevent most major foot problems.

3.  Dancing en pointe hurts.  

Fact, but maybe not as bad as you think.  A better way to describe it is as uncomfortable.  Maybe this will help non-dancers get the picture:  your arms ache after doing a lot of push-ups, your bruised knee throbs when you hit it on something, and your hand cramps up when hand-writing a long letter.  Working en pointe causes lots of muscle fatigue, which is not usually a good feeling.  Pointe also sometimes causes minor injuries like a bruised toenail or blister, and the shoes’ tight fit can lead to feet feeling smushed after a long rehearsal.  These things cause pain, but not severe pain.  Most pointe-related pains feel like other pains you get in your day-to-day life and would normally work through. 

If you do feel severe pain en pointe, then your shoes do not fit correctly.  It is common for dancers’ feet to change with physical growth and improved technique, so if your pointe shoes begin to cause huge pains after you have been wearing the same brand for a while, you may want to get refit in something different.  There are also many toe pads, spacers, tapes, and other things you can use to reduce pain in your shoes.

4.  If my friend and I have the same shoe size, we will wear the same pointe shoes.  

Myth. Huge, mega, bigtime myth.  I don’t know how many times I have had dancers ask if they can try a Grishko 2007 because their best friend has one.  It’s not bad to ask other dancers what shoes they wear and what they like/dislike about them, but you can’t take this information and apply it to yourself without considering your individual characteristics and needs.  Two dancers may wear the same size in regular street shoes, but this does not mean that their feet are similar at all.  One might have a wide foot, the other may have narrower feet.  One may be more tapered, bunion-prone, stronger, etc. than the other.  All of these factors (and more) contribute to what size, model, brand, etc you need in a pointe shoe.  It is highly unlikely that you will wear exactly the same shoe down to model and size as any other dancer in your class. 

5.  Barbie ballet movies show ballet and pointe accurately. 

Mostly fact, but with a few bigtime exceptions.  The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Pink Shoes were all animated based on video of professional dancers performing the variations included in the films.  All of the dancing, including how a dancer moves en pointe, is pretty accurate (at least as accurate as it can be in gumby-ish computer animation).  The parts of The Pink Shoes (opening credits, I think?) that show dancers putting on pointe shoes and warming up are pretty accurate.  However, the parts of The Pink Shoes that show dance company life are immensely inaccurate and oversimplified.  

6.   I need to manually break in my pointe shoes before I wear them.  

Myth.  The important words here are “manually” and “need to.”  You do not need to break in your pointe shoes before you wear them by using your hands or other objects to smush or bash your shoes.  First time pointe students should not do anything to their shoes without a teacher’s permission and supervision.  For your first few pairs, it is very beneficial to let your feet do the work of breaking in.  Even advanced students and professionals do not need to manually break in their shoes; it is possible (and still beneficial) to let your feet do the breaking in.  However, it is also totally fine to manually break them in if you know what you are doing.  Just remember that not all shoes break in the same way, so something that works on one type of shoe may not work so well on another.  It is possible to destroy pointe shoes if you break them in too much or in the wrong ways, so refrain from manually breaking and ask for help if you are unsure.

7.  Only girls do pointe.  

Myth.  You may see only female dancers between ages 10 and 30 with pointe shoes on, but male dancers sometimes do pointe, and older adult dancers frequently do pointe as well.  Pointework is wonderful for strengthening the feet and ankles, so for trained dancers, it can be practiced as a form of exercise.  Some male and older adult dancers choose to work en pointe for this reason.  Male dancers can also perform character roles that require them to be en pointe, such as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella.  Community dance theaters with only a few annual performances are ideal for younger students, retired professionals, and dancers who began later in life to perform roles en pointe.