Brand Spotlight: Grishko

Grishko is a relatively young brand founded in 1989 by Nickolai Grishko in Moscow, Russia.  Master-crafted handmade pointe shoes are the big claim-to-fame, but Grishko makes all ballet essentials, plus basics for other styles of dance.  Many Russian ballet academies have their students wear exclusively Grishko products.  Grishko North America is a subdivision of the company that US dancewear stores order through.  They have a flagship store in New York City.  Technically all US orders are supposed to be placed through/regulated by Grishko North America, but it is easy to order directly from Russia so you can access a wider selection of products (just be aware that shipping times can be long).

pronunciation	exactly as written
website	grishko-world.com (browse selection), grishkoshop.com (purchase directly from Moscow), grishko.com (North America home page, browse only)
styles of dance included	ballet, pointe, jazz, modern/lyrical/contemporary, character, ballroom, tap, hip-hop
types of items	shoes, bodywear, warm-ups, accessories, costumes
country of origin	Russia
price point	Luxury (some items like tights and certain shoes are moderate)
quality	excellent
availability	Limited availability in the US at dancewear stores and online (discountdance.com, etc.).  Broader availability overseas.  Full availability from grishkoshop.com, but all packages ship from Russia.
sizing	pointe shoes:  2007, Nova, Miracle, DreamPointe: down 1.5 sizes from US street size.   Elite, Fouette, Triumph, Maya: down 3 sizes from US street size. leotards/bodywear: true to size, but on a European sizing scale.  (in general, 34=xs, 36=s, 38=m, 40=l, and 42=xl.  Sometimes American dancewear stores do not know how to deal with Euro sizing and will arbitrarily assign US sizes.  Be aware of this, and look for the Euro size on each item to assess how it will fit. )  Leotards are also very shallow in bust and bottom. tights: size chart is accurate, but consider going one size up for long legs
Jillian’s top pick	2007 and Dreampointe pointe shoes, DA-1254 Leotard
Jillian’s item to avoid	None to speak of, but Grishko leotards flatter a slim, non-curvy body.