Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 7/13/2011

Question
hi there...again. :) well, I have this new problem, as you know I got my pointes about 3 weeks ago, and I broke them in with my hands a bit first (not in the middle of the shoes, just a bit under my heel as I got told to do) anyway, it seems that one shoe has broken in more than the other and it feels really weird. is this common? what should I do?? It looks a bit weird, too...help?? thankyou!

Answer
Hi Kira. It is typical that one of our feet is more flexible, and weaker in some way than the other foot. In other words one foot is exerting a different pressure on the pointe shoe than the other.

When doing foot exercises you can sense whether one foot is tiring before the other...or feels less sensitive to your mental "commands", or is less flexible.

You can then fine tune your foot exercises to accommodate a weaker or stiffer foot.

When I was a student I always used to switch pointe shoes from right to left every time I wore them. (I have one foot that is quite a bit different from the other).

Ask your teacher about your shoe that is feeling weird. She may know a technique of strengthening that shoe so it lasts as long as the other. And maybe she will have an idea about the disparity (if any) in your feet.

If the foot in the "weird" shoe is sliding around in the shoe, make sure you ask her right away, before you dance in them again.

You'll develop your technique of tweaking your pointe shoes as you train.

Regards, Dianne