by Gavin Larsen | Oct 20, 2026 | Cross-Training, Pointe+, Technique, Training
When Indianapolis Ballet company artist Ava Bernardo started pointe at age 11, she faced a major hurdle: getting fully on top of her pointe-shoe box. She had already been working hard to improve range of motion in her feet and ankles, which weren’t very flexible. “But...
by Josephine Lee | Apr 25, 2019 | Profiles, Viral Videos
Master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop chats (in Korean!) with Joffrey Ballet artist Gayeon Jung before a performance of Anna Karenina earlier this year to hear all of her pointe shoe hacks and customizations. Jung shares her...
by Amy Brandt | Mar 29, 2019 | Ask Amy
I never seem to find the right pointe shoes. I break them in very quickly, even with hard shanks. My teachers think it’s because my feet lack strength. Should my shoes be more supportive? Or should my feet be strong enough to pull myself up in my pointe shoes...
by Josephine Lee | Mar 26, 2019 | Health & Body, Trending, Viral Videos
This week, master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based ThePointeShop answers another of your pointe shoe questions: “How come my pointe shoes fit perfectly at the fitting and don’t anymore at home?” Lee explains the ways that your...
by Josephine Lee | Feb 25, 2019 | Training
This week, master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based The Pointe Shop answers another of your pointe shoe questions: “I personally don’t have very flexible feet. I started pointe a year ago, so I was wondering if you could talk about...
by Josephine Lee | Jun 5, 2018 | Training, Viral Videos
A few weeks ago, we shared the first five vlogs from master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee’s West Coast tour. Now, Lee is back with videos from four California cities—Morgan Hill, San Francisco, Roseville and Oakhurst—to wrap up her 20-day tour....
by Josephine Lee | Dec 12, 2017 | Training, Viral Videos
There are a ton of different kinds of toe pads out there, and even more opinions about them. It’s all about finding the perfect balance between control and comfort. Master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based The Pointe Shop reviews five...
by Andrea Marks | Oct 19, 2017 | Health & Body
Bianca Bulle was always prone to ankle sprains. When she was 18, her recoveries became more complicated: She started experiencing Achilles tendonitis due to muscle weakness and fluid buildup in the ankle. “The last thing to get back to normal would be my...
