Best Pointe Shoes for Beginners

As a new pointe student, your first step is to understand your feet - it 's impossible to choose a shoe without knowing the shape of your foot! So this article on foot shape is essential reading.

The next step is to go to a professional pointe shoe fitter. However, the reality is that not every ballet store has an experienced fitter. So it's useful to have an idea what to look for.

The best shoe for any beginner is the shoe that fits her foot best. However, there are some shoes you shouldn't buy!

Most major pointe shoe brands offer professional models which can sound very attractive and look lovely - but they are unsuitable for class pointework. They're deliberately designed to break-in fast, but that also means they "die" faster - expensive for a student! They're also often less supportive because most fully-trained dancers like more flexibility and less restriction in their shoes. Developing dancers need good, strong support.

Also avoid any kind of plastic shoe like Gaynor Mindens or Capulets - unless you've checked with your teacher first. There's nothing wrong with these shoes, but some ballet teachers disapprove of them and won't even allow them in the studio!

Bloch is unusual in having three pointe shoes designed specially for beginners, one for each type of foot. The "beginners" tag means they're priced at the budget end of the range, with few "fancy" features, and are very supportive.

The Amelie is a somewhat tapered shoe, best for a Grecian foot. It has a heat-activated paste which molds to the foot during the first few hours of wear - then you simply coat the inside of the box with shellac or jet glue, and the shoes will hold that shape.

If you have square (Giselle) toes, the Amelie won't suit you - but the Aspiration may. It's a durable budget shoe designed for new students.

Bloch's third beginners' pointe shoe, for Egyptian feet, is the Sylphide, which offers a rounded toe to make it easier to roll up en pointe.

Unfortunately, just because Bloch has three shoes to offer, that doesn't mean one of them must fit your feet. There are other factors to consider, like the length of your toes or the profile of your foot.

There are one or two more "student" or "beginner" shoes made by other pointe shoe makers, but the bottom line is - find yourself a shoe that fits, regardless of its label. That's the right shoe for you as a beginner.

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All text by Marisa Wright. Photos by Treivilo.