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[DiabloLoco]

My oldest minion has just been cleared by her dance instructor to get fitted for pointe shoes. A very important milestone in a young dancer's career. I am extremely proud of her. We started her in dance at the age of three, and it has been so wonderful to see her develop her skills and unwavering commitment to perfecting the art. It's a strong commitment from my SHW and myself too! My SHW does most of the running around to all the classes and workshops (I just go to the performances), but my end of the commitment is most certainly the monetary end. Dance is EXPENSIVE!!!! It's like having a car payment. Not a cheap car either! A nice one! Oh well. It's only money, and damned well worth it in my book. Investing in my minion's future is never wasted money. I will say this though......Those pointe shoes cost $70/pair. Guess how long they last? Well.......about 10-20 hours of use. Yeah. That's right. I said hours.

Looks like I'll have to take a second job.

Sorry. No "real" pictures. OPSEC and all.

[MamaLiberty]

I'm glad if you are glad... but the cost of the shoes is going to pale quickly against the cost of the orthopedic doctors, and the pain she will feel lifelong if she pursues ballet dance for long. sigh The destruction of the bones and ligaments in the feet and ankles is very similar to the bent toes foot wrapping practiced by the Chinese. And basically irreversible.

[DiabloLoco]

I'm glad if you are glad... but the cost of the shoes is going to pale quickly against the cost of the orthopedic doctors, and the pain she will feel lifelong if she pursues ballet dance for long. sigh The destruction of the bones and ligaments in the feet and ankles is very similar to the bent toes foot wrapping practiced by the Chinese. And basically irreversible.

I understand your concerns. I have contemplated that myself. That's why it's so important to get a good "fit" for the shoes. It must be done by someone that does that for a living. It's a very specialized skill. A bad "fit" and improper technique can most certainly lead to problems down the road. That is also the reason why it's not recommended to have the dancers start "pointe" until they are at least 11 or 12 years old. Any earlier, and serious complications can arise that are lifelong, as the bone/ligaments are not mature/solid enough. Also, the dancer must be EXTREMELY fit and strong and be generally very thin. One of the Mom's of another girl at the studio was complaining to my SHW about the owner/instructor not allowing her daughter to pursue "pointe", and my daughter is one year younger and is already in her second year of "pre-pointe". The instructor didn't say this outright (to spare feelings or whatever), but the main reason is that her daughter is overweight and it's too risky.

[MamaLiberty]

I understand your concerns. I have contemplated that myself. That's why it's so important to get a good "fit" for the shoes.

Those "shoes" provide zero support, no matter what the fit. Pain and deformed foot structure are the acknowledged cost of a ballet career, as told by many in the profession for a very long time. Talk to some orthopedic doctors about this if you have any doubts. As long as it is pretty much a hobby, and she goes on to other things as she grows and matures, she's probably fairly safe, but as a career it is a killer.

[DiabloLoco]

I understand your concerns. I have contemplated that myself. That's why it's so important to get a good "fit" for the shoes.

Those "shoes" provide zero support, no matter what the fit. Pain and deformed foot structure are the acknowledged cost of a ballet career, as told by many in the profession for a very long time. Talk to some orthopedic doctors about this if you have any doubts. As long as it is pretty much a hobby, and she goes on to other things as she grows and matures, she's probably fairly safe, but as a career it is a killer.

Well.....There's no way to know exactly how her dance "career" will play out. Maybe she'll go in a different direction after high school/college. Maybe she'll go "pro". Maybe she'll become a dance instructor. Maybe she'll open her own studio. Who knows? For now, all I know is that she enjoys it, is very good at it, and is learning the value of commitment and persistence. All good things. The future will bring what it may. 

[MamaLiberty]

The future will bring what it may. 

Good luck.