Caring for your first pointe shoes

Getting your first pointe shoes is magical! After all those years building strength, perfecting your technique and diligently practicing your pre-pointe exercises you finally get to put on that first pair of beautiful satin pointe shoes. We get so many questions about what to do with your first pair, it can feel a little like foreign territory when you’ve not been used to pointe shoes – so to make it a little easier for you, we’ve put together a handy guide for you!

Preparing your first pointe shoes

Ribbons, Elastics, and Suedes 

We recommend that pointe shoe ribbons and elastic are sewn low into the shoe towards the sole in the correct place.

Ribbons: Should be placed on either side of the shoe towards the centre (near the middle seam). Ribbons should be sewn on a slight angle pointing towards the front of the shoe, to find this angle fold the back of the shoe flat against the inner sole and follow the line of the side seam, remembering to keep the ribbon low inside.
Elastic: Should be placed at the back of the shoe on either side of the back seam. Fold the back of the shoe over to access this spot. Remember to keep the elastic low to the sole of the shoe.

Suedes: Once upon a time, we used to darn the end of our pointe shoes to protect them. Today, we have a much simpler solution! Suede tips are glued onto the ends of pointe shoes to protect the satin and to provide the dancer with some grip. We recommend a superglue such as Tarzan’s Grip. Apply the glue to the suede tip and allow it to go a little tacky before attaching to your shoe. Once completely dry, you may need to trim the edges with some small nail scissors.

Care for pointe shoes

Pointe shoes require care to get the most wear out of them. After every wear pointe shoes should be aired out, this will help the glues and resins in the pointe shoes harden, and be less likely to break or turn mushy early on. To air out pointe shoes remove all accessories including toepads, box liners, sock liners etc. and hang up on a door or rack etc. Pointe shoes should not be left inside dance bags over night after use. 

Care for accessories

To make your pointe shoe accessories last and to get the best out of them they need to be looked after, this includes washing. We recommend washing your accessories each school holidays. Wash toepads and spacers with warm soapy water and rinse clean. Allow them to dry naturally

Remember to bring your accessories along with you for your next fitting appointment. It is important for us to fit your pointe shoes the same way you’ll be wearing them in class. If you’ve looked after your accessories, you’ll find they will last you through multiple pairs of shoes.

We so love helping our dancers with their very first pair of pointe shoes! The first pointe fitting is such a special milestone in a ballerina’s life and we’re honoured to be a part of so many dance journeys.

To book a fitting with one of our specialist fitters, give us a call on 4322 8179.

Happy Dancing,

Alisa