Got Pointe Questions? This Pointe Shoe Workshop Has Answers
Ballet dancers never, never, NEVER tire of discussing their pointe shoes—what brand and make they wear, how they discovered their perfect fit, their most innovative/bizarre padding strategies, their latest gross/amazing foot deformities. Pointe shoes are the tools of our art, the means by which we (hopefully) achieve beautiful ends. Of course we’re obsessed with them: They’re THAT important.
Because they’re so important, they can be sources of serious anxiety for a lot of dancers, especially those just entering the world of pointe. But fear not, anxious pointe-ers: The School at Steps Pointe Shoe Workshop & Fair is here to address all your shoe-related worries.
Boston Ballet principal Lia Cirio’s shoes (Lauren Pajer, courtesy Boston Ballet)
The annual workshop will be held at NYC’s Steps on Broadway on Sunday, February 7. (Sponsored by our friends at Pointe magazine, it’s part of Steps’ Complete Dancer Series, which is all-around awesome—more info here.) The fun kicks off at 6:30 pm with a panel of experts discussing shoe fitting and foot care. And we do mean experts: Current American Ballet Theatre principal Stella Abrera, former ABT principal Ashley Tuttle, a pointe shoe fitter, a professor of orthopedic surgery, and Pointe editor in chief Amy Brandt will all be on hand to offer words of wisdom. Then, newly informed, you’ll have a chance to try on pointe shoes from a range of manufacturers, including Capezio, Chacott, Gaynor Minden and Grishko.
Tickets are just $15 and sure to go quickly—get ’em here. Not a New Yorker but still eager for pointe advice? Take a look at our story about what to expect at your first pointe shoe fitting, for starters. And make sure you’ll be getting our March Ballet Issue, which features expert tips from six ballerinas about how to find the perfect pair.
