How to Choose Ballet Slippers
Ballet is a demanding art form. Dancers use their feet to bend, jump and twirl around, so choosing the right footwear is crucial to safeguarding dancers' feet and making their dancing truly outstanding. A badly-fitted ballet slipper can lead to blisters and more serious injuries. Here are some guidelines that will help you make the right choice at the dance store.
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Instructions
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Decide between full-sole and split-sole slippers. Younger students will benefit from full-sole slippers, while more advanced students with stronger feet will prefer the more flexible split-sole slippers. So if you're a beginner, stick with a full sole in order to give your feet as much support as possible.
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Decide between canvas or leather slippers. Younger students will benefit from leather slippers, and more advanced students with stronger feet will prefer canvas slippers--again, for their flexibility. Leather slippers will also be warmer in cold studios, but canvas slippers are much more uniform from one slipper to another, since leather has a grain that is different in every slipper and therefore will not perform consistently from one pair to the next.
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Try on slippers while wearing tights or peds. Usually the store will provide these items if you do not have them with you. This will give you a better idea of how well the slippers fit your feet.
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Pull the drawstrings tight while trying the slipper on in the store. Tie the drawstrings in a bow to secure the slippers on your feet. There's no point in trying ballet slippers without having them tied snugly, since that's the way you'll be dancing in them.
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Find your favorite brand and stick with it. There are many ballet slipper brands out there, and some dancers swear by one brand or another (see Resources below). Once you feel comfortable with your slippers and have danced a few months while wearing them, stick to that brand. If you continuously feel uncomfortable with your slippers, next time try a different brand and see if those slippers feel better in the long run.
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Remember that your foot will expand as it gets warmed up. Once you start dancing, your foot will expand inside the slipper. Do not take that into account when you choose your slipper at the store, since ballet slippers--especially leather ones--are designed to expand with your feet.
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Tips & Warnings
Always bring students to the store to try on shoes. Ballet slipper sizes are not the same as regular street shoes and can also vary greatly between brands.
Purchase elastic at the dance store to sew on the slippers if they do not already have elastic sewn on.
Students should have their teacher check the fit of the slippers before sewing the elastic on.
Ballet slippers should fit snugly, without the toes curling underneath. Do not ever fit for room to grow!
Never wear ballet slippers outside of the dance studio.
