Spacer Roundup

When ballet dancers wear pointe shoes, some use spacers to help align their toes within their shoes.  Like many things in the dance world, there are many options for spacers.  This guide will go over the most common styles and how they are used.

Classic spacers

These are the most common type of spacers used in the dance world, and they are also commonly used by athletes like skiers and hikers.  They are great for filling a gap or providing comfort between the first and second toes.  What I find a bit nonsensical, though, is that these are probably the least effective in preventing and correcting bunions.  Because these spacers are short in height, the big toe can still curve inward over the spacer.  Due to this, I highly recommend this type of spacer to dancers who need to fill a gap between the toes, but I don't think it's the best choice to correct bunions that are already present.

Oversized or "P" spacers

These big spacers are perfect for keeping the big toe from curving inward.  Because they are usually as tall as the big toe, it can't curve over the spacer.  Nothing is more effective for preventing or correcting bunions.  However, because these spacers are very large, they take up a lot of space in shoes and may not work well for small-boned dancers.

Mini spacers

These are meant to go between toes other than the big and second toes.  If you get blisters between your toes or have pinky-toe-side bunions, mini spacers can be a big help.  When using them, you may need to add some tape over and/or under the toes you place the spacer between in order to keep it from falling out.

Wedge spacers

Wedge spacers can be a good alternative to oversized spacers for younger or smaller dancers.  They also prevent the big toe from curving inward, but they are usually made of softer and more flexible gel material than oversized spacers.  Tape may need to be used with these as well since they are less secure between the toes.

Homemade spacers

If you think you might benefit from spacers but don't want to buy them yet, you can make your own temporary ones.  A foam wedge makeup sponge can be a good trial run for a wedge spacer.  A cotton ball or two slipped between the first and second toes can imitate the feel of a classic spacer.  Small ovals of craft foam can be a slightly-less-flexible alternative to mini spacers.

A new thought on protecting your feet

Apolla Performance Wear reached out to me a couple weeks ago.  The company's mission is to help dancers reach their potential by building a strong base of foot care.  Their products are shocks (shoe+sock) meant to fit like a second skin and take the beating our feet don't need to. 

How often have floor burn or callouses made modern class a painful experience?  Have you worn socks under your jazz or tap shoes, only to find them bunched up and uncomfortable within an hour?  And what about that time you tried doing barre in socks to better feel the floor, only to find you were sliding around all over the place?

Apolla endeavors to improve the dance experience by improving the footwear.  While it might not sound like a revolutionary position, the amount of dedication the company has put into the goal is worth noticing.  Well-known choreographers and dancers around the world (recognize some of your favorites from So You Think You Can Dance in the video?) are wearing Apolla Shocks and seeing great results.  And this mission is definitely something I can get behind.

Check out Apolla's website here https://www.apollaperformance.com/.  It's extremely thorough and informative! 

Tiny tips: Spandex content

You may notice that some fabrics feel much strechier than others.  This can be especially apparent with dance tights.  If you have an athletic body shape like me, some brands of tights can be hard to pull over muscular calves and thighs while other brands slide on no problem.

Tights are usually made of a blend of nylon and spandex (sometimes called elastisene or elastic).  The higher the spandex content, the stretchier the tights will be.  Look carefully at tights packaging to see the material breakdown.  Most tights are between 85 and 88% nylon, and contain 12 to 15% spandex.  Unseamed tights generally have a higher spandex content than seamed tights.  If you need the look of a professional backseam tight but don't like the lack of stretch, try a faux-backseam tight from Capezio or the modern mesh tight from Gaynor Minden.

Tiny Tips: bare minimum + 1/2

        Are you torn between boredom and anxiety when hanging out backstage at a performance?  Never sure when you should start getting ready?  Don't know how many bobby pins you need for your hair?  Try applying this rule.  Figure out the bare minimum, add 1/2, and you should be good to go.

        Let me explain.  It takes you exactly 10 minutes to get in costume.  Give yourself 15 minutes so you can relax and not rush, but you won't be ready so early you're likely to mess around and miss your cue.

        Need 8 bobby pins to secure that headpiece? Make sure you have at least 12, and you're good to go if you need a spare or two.

        A sandwich is just enough  fuel for the performance?  Better bring a sandwich and a granola bar just in case.  You have more if you need it, but not so much your bag is over packed.

        This rule is a great tool for reducing backstage anxiety.

Tiny Tips: Tape your toes ahead of time

If you have pointe at the end of your ballet class (common for beginning pointe dancers) or you take center en pointe (common for advanced dancers), it's sometimes challenging to get pointe shoes on quickly so you don't miss any class time.  To make the process more expedient, tape your toes or apply Band-Aids before class starts.  Apply your tape, then put on your regular ballet shoes for the flat technique part of class.  It might feel a little funny to have taped toes in your flat shoes, but it shouldn't impair your technique.  Then when it's time to put on your pointes, you can just slip on toe pads and shoes, tie your ribbons, and be ready to go.

Perfect porridge recipe

I like to start my heaviest dance days with a mix of healthy carbs, protein, and fruits.  Here's my recipe for the perfect breakfast porridge.

-¼ cup dry quick-cooking oats

-1 tbsp ground flaxseed

-1 tbsp black chia seeds

-1 tbsp vanilla protein powder (I prefer Vega Protein and Greens)

-A handful (3-5 tbsp) of nuts (walnuts and pecans are great)

-A handful of fresh or dried fruit (or a combination-I like both raisins and fresh fruit)

Mix these ingredients in a bowl (or a Tupperware if you want to prepare ahead of time).  When you're ready to eat your porridge, add 1 cup (give or take, depending on your texture preference) of water or almond milk, mix, and microwave until thickened.  OR, you can add one cup of boiling water to your dry ingredients and stir until thickened.  Maple syrup, cinnamon, and banana make great garnish.

Tiny Tips: avoid new fleece sweats

This may seem quite odd, but fleece sweats are not wonderful warm-ups.  Sure, they're cozy, but they can ruin your tights.  New sweats are often super fuzzy on the inside, and the fuzz can stick to your tights and make colored pills that don't come off, even in the wash.  I learned the hard way not to wear burgundy sweat pants to Nutcracker rehearsal even though they were festive.

If you love sweats as warm-ups, stick to those with a terry lining or wear ones that have already been washed and worn a lot.  Most sweats and warm-up pants from dance brands are safe, but not all are.  If anything is fleece, like these Sansha overalls, they will still mess with your tights.