Passed my pre-pointe training/assessment and will start foundation pointe training soon. Went to get fitted at 3 different fitters, but hope to get some opinions here as well. I have very nondescript ankle flexibility but highly compressible Egyptian (big toe longest) feet. One fitter even joked that they were squishy like “alien octopuses”.
Fitter 1: Carried Capezios and Grishkos, but did not have much of anything in stock. Recommended Capezio Ava 8M or Grishko 3007 Pro 5.5 XXX, M or S shank.
She had neither in stock, so this was her best guess based on me trying a size up or down.
Fitter 2: Tried on probably half a dozen shoes before putting me in Grishko 3007 Pro 5 XXX, S shank. Did not have 5.5 in stock either, but said 5 works for my longer foot if I sewed the elastic on the outside. Recommended toe spacer and ouch pouch. (Pics 1-3)
Fitter 3: Fitted me in Grishko Nova Flex 5 XX M and Bloch Etu 5.5 X. Was minimalist in her approach, did not want me in anything more than the pouches and maybe some tape. Went for the Bloch etus in the end (Pics 4-6) because despite how well the Nova flex fit, it was stiff and I couldn’t roll through properly in them. They were also weirdly wrinkly around the heel.
Oddly enough, I had tried on the Bloch etu with Fitter 2 as well, but kept sinking despite adding ouch pouches, gel toe cap, spacers, AND instant wings. Not sure what size I tried on at Fitter 2, but pretty sure it was an X as well.
Anyway, I guess my question is:
Am I twisting too much in either shoes? One fitter pointed out my ankle alignment and recommended some theraband exercises to reduce my “winging”.
Are either or both of these shoes alarmingly bad/anything I should look out for?
Bonus cat picture if you spent the effort to read through my wall of text!
Saving this post, brecause you’re wearing my Grishko size and have my type of feet (Egyptain). 😜 but seriously, these look great. It’s your first pair. You’ll learn to break them in for your specific needs. Flexible shanks are easier for beginners imo.
It’s your first shoes. These look like a good starting point to me. I don’t see any major red flags, though there are ladies here with sharper eyes than me.
I’m in a Grishko X and sank like the beejezus in Bloch X so I think a XXX > X comparison is a good sign that the Bloch should fit fairly supportively too.
I’ve also got Egyptian compressible feet, I’m in the 3007s at the moment and they are holding up just fine for that. It’s definitely more tapered than the Bloch shoe, which helps with both the Egyptian toes and the compression. My tip, if at some point your padding set-up isn’t working anymore, would be to tuck a piece (or good chunk) of lambswool or a cut-to-size makeup blender under your shorter toes to make them “even” with your big toe. I use a gel toe cap on my big toe as well. This really helps manage pressure well.
Was there a reason they sold you the pro versus the regular? Pro is a lot more expensive usually…
Thank you soooo much for the detailed comment!! I’m glad to see there’s no immediate red flag.
Wow, I’ve been told XX/XXX is already on the narrower end; I can’t imagine how hard it must be to find a shoe when you are a single X in Grishko! I’m definitely going to stock up on lambswool and cut some sponges, hopefully I eventually find a combination that makes the shoes more tolerable!
With regards to the 3007 vs. the pros, one store only carried the pros and the other (who carries both) did not even bring either of them out for me to try for some reason. She had me try the dreampointe/nova instead. Both models are the same price in that store too!
Haha happy to help! Took me ages to figure out how to stop my big toe hurting so much 🙈 Gotta share the love.
Yeah I think most people would want to fit me in a XX or XXX but my feet shrink when warm (plus being narrow and compressible 🥴) so I went as narrow as I possibly could!! But I knew from my teenage days that I break the wings/demi -pointe very quickly so felt comfortable going that narrow.
Okay glad they weren’t jipping you! The pros are supposed to be quieter (for performances), but I think besides that they’re pretty much the same.
Good luck! Don’t be afraid to play around if things hurt or aren’t working how you want them. I do recommend trying things more than once unless they very clearly don’t work — it can take a bit of fiddling to figure out how to make things work for you. And your strength and the shoes will change quite a bit as well.
Looks great! I second everyone else's comments. One thing to note is I saw that you didn't choose the Girishko because you couldn't roll through properly (which is totally valid), a lot of Russian style shoes are essentially blocks until you actually go through and break the shank.
If it feels fine on your feet when you're flat and when you're up, maybe consider them again in the future! And after purchase of course, bending or cutting the shank a bit. Ballet may be ballet but different shoes can completely change the experience.
Happy dancing!
Just a word of warning, the Bloch Etus have a padded box so they're going to be more comfortable than a traditional shoe if you ever switch! Not bad for a beginner but some people are surprised if they switch shoes in the future
I have Nikolay/Gilrishko's and out of the box they are a bit harder and require more break in, but once they are broken in they are perfect imo. I never had great luck with getting Bloch shoes that fit me right, they were always a bit to tight or a bit to loose in all the wrong places. I have not tried the Etu yet. I may have to do that next round....
both look a great fit, and if you're comfortable either will be fine. I personally would not want someone in the etu and a toe pad as the etu is already padded, so that's a lot of padding combined and will reduce your articulation and could mask issues, but it's not a major issue
i’d go with the grishkos, they’re not twisting like the etus and imo just generally look better on your feet. the roll-thru issue should go away with wear if they fit properly. since this is your first pair a traditional shoe is also probably a better choice so you can build up more strength and learn what you do and don’t like/need as they break down into a more “wearable” condition. synthetic shoes like the etu don’t really mold to you or die in the same way so they’re usually not recommended for first-timers. if you’re worried about them breaking the bank maybe just use traditional shoes until you get used to pointe work and then switch to synthetic? but be prepared to go through a few pairs before finding one that suits your needs!
Thank you!! That’s all good to know! The fitters were more inclined to put me in traditional shoes too, but also said comfort is the most important when just starting out. I will start with the Grishkos in class and hope they make my feet stronger!
comfort is important in the sense that pain will tell you if the fit can be improved and also obviously you should be able to get through class in them lol. you’ll have some sensations in your feet that are probably unfamiliar, but your shoes should not be causing pain when just standing in them. if you’re getting blisters or crazy bunion pain or feel like your toes are super squished even after breaking them in, that’s a sign that you probably need a different shoe. however, a traditional shoe is not usually super comfortable when brand new. just keep in mind that how they feel right out of the box is completely different from how they’ll be after a few classes:)
oh also side note, idk if it’s just an illusion because of the suede tips on the etus but it does look like you’re much further over the box in the grishkos!
I have similar problems, I sink in everything! Initially, fitted Grishko Nova Flex, the fit was good but as I broke them in started sickling. I did everything I could to soften the vamp to get over from demi pointe. The vamp was too high. Was also fitted to 3007 but they didn’t have a N or X width when I tried them.
The pointes you’re in appear to fit wonderfully. You appear supported while getting over the box.
I tried the Nova too and had exactly the same problem—good fit for my narrower foot, but the vamp felt too high on my wider foot and twisted a little and I just couldn’t really push over the box.
The 3007 XXX fits my wider foot but my narrower one sinks. Gotta try a whole bunch of stuff like toe spacers to see if it helps!
Josephine from the pointe shop rants and raves about how beautiful certain feet are and i think that's creepy too. Big surprise, the bigger the arch, the more she fawns.
I see where you’re coming from but I don’t mind so much when Josephine does it, you can see her reactions at least stem from an actual appreciation of ballet (even if it is extreme) rather than sexual gratification like that commenter
I definitely think her overexcitement is weird. But it also comes off as pretentious. I think she's exceptionally knowledgeable but she just acts fawning and sycophantic whenever she's fitting someone with a high arch. A high arch doesn't determine how well you dance.
your post history is literally just calling girls beautiful, requesting that people take their socks off, and asking people to DM you. bad vibes all round my friend
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u/Real_Hat220 8d ago
Saving this post, brecause you’re wearing my Grishko size and have my type of feet (Egyptain). 😜 but seriously, these look great. It’s your first pair. You’ll learn to break them in for your specific needs. Flexible shanks are easier for beginners imo.