Are My Pointe Shoes Dead?

Determining when shoes need to be retired is a difficult task that takes practice, and is complicated by the fact that it varies with temperature, class load, and performance demands. With each new make of shoes you try, where and when they break will vary. In Freeds, for example, I am a box breaker and relied on copious amounts of shellac to extend the shoe’s life to 2 or 3 weeks. In Nikolay shoes I am a shank breaker, so I shifted to ¾ing to extend their life. 

An early sign of deterioration is flexibility in the wings. Difficulty getting over the box, sinking, feeling the floor more, and tension at the back of the ankle are all signs of shoe death. As soon as you notice any of these issues, apply glue to the weak area. Then, with future shoes, experiment with how early you need to apply glue and how frequently you need to layer it onto that trouble spot.

Remember, glue cannot save dead shoes. Once enough of the original glue has melted, the integrity of the shoe is gone. Instead, glue layers on top, reinforcing and providing a bit of longevity.

We walk a fine line as dance students between extending the life of our shoes to save money and materials and retiring them to prevent injury. As a dancer who adores hard, new shoes and hates the feeling of dead shoes, this balance is far easier to strike. If you have flexible feet and prefer the freedom of dead shoes, keep notes on how many times you have worn each pair, how much glue you have applied, and when you first started noticing them deteriorating. Remember, executing technique in dead shoes is not a sign of foot strength, nor does it does not build foot strength. Hard, new shoes actually build stronger feet, forcing the arches and intrinsic muscles to push through the resistant material to articulate the shoe.

Visit our blog on purchasing your next pair of pointe shoes.

Explore the Dancing Feet Digital Guide to learn more about caring for and extending the life of your pointe shoes.

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