by Chava Pearl Lansky | Sep 16, 2020 | Profiles
Pointe shoe brand Gaynor Minden recently welcomed 32 young dancers to its coveted roster of Gaynor Girls. But this year, the company included two applicants who push the boundaries of what it means to dance on pointe. While both Mason Simon Underwood and Colleen...
by Josephine Lee | Aug 31, 2020 | Profiles, Viral Videos
When it comes to her pointe shoes, Houston Ballet principal Yuriko Kajiya has been on a multi-year quest to find the perfect fit. (She has even worn two different brands at the same time onstage.) Below, watch expert pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee interview Kajiya...
by Amy Brandt | Aug 10, 2020 | Ask Amy, Training
I’m 14, and I feel totally stable and on my box on my right foot on pointe. But my left foot? Not so much. How can I fix the problem of being on one box and not all the way on the other? —Summer I spoke with Judy Weiss, master pointe shoe fitter for Grishko USA,...
by Julia Guiheen | Aug 4, 2020 | Instagram, The Latest, Training
Pointe shoes, with their ability to elevate a dancer both literally and metaphorically to a superhuman realm, are the ultimate symbol of a ballerina’s ethereality and hard work. For students, receiving a first pair of pointe shoes is a rite of passage. The shoes...
by Josephine Lee | Jul 30, 2020 | Profiles, Viral Videos
Did you know that Royal Ballet principal Yasmine Naghdi’s pointe shoes are actually made up of two different models, combined? Below, watch pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee interview Naghdi on all of her pointe shoe hacks, from her anti-slipping tricks to her...
by Chava Pearl Lansky | Jun 8, 2020 | Dance Spirit, Instagram, News, The Latest
Updated on June 12, 2020 Last year, in a segment on “The Today Show” on diverse shades of pointe shoes, Dance Theatre of Harlem artistic director Virginia Johnson reflected on the groundbreaking 1970’s-era performance, when DTH founder Arthur...
by Gavin Larsen | May 5, 2020 | Health & Body, Training
Despite the seemingly endless pointe shoe brands and styles to choose from, many dancers find themselves plagued by common, and often painful, problems. Stubbornly twisting shanks, baggy heels, incessant corns or a sickled look can be signs you need a different size,...
by Hannah Foster For Dance Spirit | Apr 22, 2020 | Technique, Training
We’ve rearranged our living rooms, commandeered office chairs for ballet barres, and we’re doing our best with video classes streamed into our homes. But there’s one element of your training that might feel particularly daunting without the...