Returning to Relevé

I'm trying yet another new pair of pointe shoes, this pair recommended to me by a shoe mistress from a professional ballet company. They're a Freed Wing Block, size 5.0 XX. Wing Blocks have hardcore shanks, and one of my issues with the RPs (according to the shoe mistress) was that they weren't conforming to my arch properly, and were restricting my technique. She recommended that if I wanted to try the Freeds, I should 3/4 the shank, and suggested I practice on some old pairs to work out exactly where it should hit my foot. Cutting shanks is not an easy-peasy chore, let me tell you. I experimented on several different pairs (two different old pairs of Blochs, and the RPs) and it was sort of fascinating how different the shanks were in each pair. The Bloch Heritage shank, cut and beveled Alas, those shanks did not prepare me for the Wing Block shank. While I was able to cut ALL of the aforementioned pairs with a Stanley utility knife, that knife (and my fancy Bok

During a meeting between the advanced class and the AD recently, someone suggested that we add a stretching class after one of our technique classes. All of us loved that idea--it would give us a chance to work on our flexibility while we were nice and warm, and relax a bit as well. Well, apparently we got the wrong idea, because this class actually happened, only it was called "Strengthening, Conditioning, & Stretching," and involved lots of unpleasant things like jumping jacks, planks, push-ups, crunches, and lunges (oh, and a little stretching). I am not here for this. Now, on one hand, I like the idea of conditioning and working on my core so that I can balance and turn better and so forth, but I've already been feeling a little bit like I'm overdoing it (and my body is telling me I am correct ). I can't help but think that doing 100 jumping jacks is not going to improve matters. In addition, I dance (or take dance-like classes like Zumba) because I

Rehearsals for our winter show are in full swing right now, which means all of us are starting to get a little exhausted and stressed. We're all doing our best to stay healthy, but it doesn't help that dance studios are giant incubators for germs. I caught a cold last week despite my best hand sanitizing/washing efforts. Boo. I'm in the same role as last year, a dancer in the corps (which performs all the big group dance numbers). I've managed to remember some of the choreography (yay!), though several dances are changing slightly, plus they're adding one!  We're in seven (!) numbers, and it can be pretty exhausting. I feel like a corps part is actually better than a lead part (of which there are very few in our production) because you're basically in the ENTIRE show. Plus, lots of dancing, which is what I adore anyway. I think I own more dance shoes than regular shoes. In the land of silks, things are progressing a little more slowly, but I've

So, apparently my search for the perfect pointe shoe ISN'T over . As I mentioned in my last post, I recently got a bruised toenail from the RP Entrada Pros. I've also started getting some cramping along the outside of my foot, under my smaller toes. That can't be good, right? I'm back on the hunt. The next shoe victim looks like it might be a Freed.  Will the Freed suffice? Are my feet too sensitive? Am I too old for this nonsense? (Maybe, possibly, probably). We shall see.