The Freed is a no-go. I kind of want to curl up in a corner and cry. I've purchased and worn SO MANY pointe shoes this year (7 different shoes to be exact), and most of them for only a couple of classes each!
It's a good thing I'm single with no dependents, because good Lord.
The Freeds really seemed like they were going to work, but apparently they're too narrow for my foot (though I didn't notice a problem when I tried them initially). The box has gotten mushed out of shape on the outside (pinky toe edge), and the shoe is twisting which is shifting my alignment off the platform (i.e. instead of being over my big and second toes, I'm shifted over my pink toe! NO GOOD).
When I had shown them to the AD of the school originally, she'd expressed some concern over that side, but in the end was willing to let me give them a shot. I had two different teachers look at them yesterday (now that they're more broken in) and both said they thought the box was too narrow. LESSON: listen to your teachers, kids.
On the plus side, I *did* really like the 3/4'd shank and didn't have any issues with that. I was also able to wear very little padding with these (even though the box is really wrong). I had it down to a thin gel tip on my big toe, tape on my pinky toe and both bunion joints, and the toe of an old sock as a "pad." Go me!
I had cut the shank of a pair of the Bloch Heritage (the 5.5XX) as one of my practice pairs (as I mentioned in my Pointe Shoe Surgery post), and while trying it on during that process, I noticed that it didn't feel half bad. I'm wondering if my problems with that shoe came from too much padding, and so may give them another shot. That would at least save me some money.
It's a good thing I'm single with no dependents, because good Lord.
 |
| Ye olde box of pointe shoe rejects |
The Freeds really seemed like they were going to work, but apparently they're too narrow for my foot (though I didn't notice a problem when I tried them initially). The box has gotten mushed out of shape on the outside (pinky toe edge), and the shoe is twisting which is shifting my alignment off the platform (i.e. instead of being over my big and second toes, I'm shifted over my pink toe! NO GOOD).
 |
| You can see how I'm leaning to the outside of my feet in this shot. This is bad. |
When I had shown them to the AD of the school originally, she'd expressed some concern over that side, but in the end was willing to let me give them a shot. I had two different teachers look at them yesterday (now that they're more broken in) and both said they thought the box was too narrow. LESSON: listen to your teachers, kids.
 |
| Note the awesome pinky bulge and how the shoe doesn't look straight |
On the plus side, I *did* really like the 3/4'd shank and didn't have any issues with that. I was also able to wear very little padding with these (even though the box is really wrong). I had it down to a thin gel tip on my big toe, tape on my pinky toe and both bunion joints, and the toe of an old sock as a "pad." Go me!
I had cut the shank of a pair of the Bloch Heritage (the 5.5XX) as one of my practice pairs (as I mentioned in my Pointe Shoe Surgery post), and while trying it on during that process, I noticed that it didn't feel half bad. I'm wondering if my problems with that shoe came from too much padding, and so may give them another shot. That would at least save me some money.
Hiiiiii Jackie! Thanks for the shoutout on the latest post. I was reading this one and I feel for you! I find on Grishkos particularly I need to apply a coat of super glue to the inside of the platform in the shoe to help it stay hard longer, before I even wear them once.
ReplyDeleteDid you try standing on the box to flatten your freeds? That should help widen the box a bit so your foot may fit more straight in the shoe, but yikes your pic is making me cringe a little bit with sympathetic pain. It sucks buying so many pairs, I totally feel your pain. :(
Haha, it makes ME cringe, too! Yuck. I didn't step on them to flatten them out because I wanted to see how they'd break in "naturally"--I didn't want them to get TOO wide (like my Blochs) after they broke in. They're sitting in Pointe Shoe Purgatory right now, so I could still try that just to see what it does.
DeleteI'm actually trying another Grishko at the moment (the Nova), and so far things seem to be going well (*knocks on wood*). I haven't noticed anything wonky with the platform yet, though I do have super glue on hand.
Thank you for visiting! <3 Your blog is one of my favorites.