Ohohoho it definitely is. As a dancer I’ve seen girls cry from the pain from the shoes and the harsh standards. But we love it, so that is why we push through.
This reminds me of breaking on grips as a gymnast, but we get a new pair of grips every two years or until they start to rip, it’s such a long and painful process breaking them in I couldn’t imagine doing it every week.
@@misty5618 I’m also level eight. Different grips can wear easier than others. Our gym gets ones that we can use for longer periods of time before getting new ones
I once had a shank snap on me in the middle of the nutcracker. Wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t the beginning of the weekend and my shoe wasn’t colored grey for my part 😂😅😭😭 Thankfully the company sent me a new pair and my codancer friend helped me sew, color, and break them for the next show 🥲
Ask someone who started in ballet for so long I had really strong ankles. I was so used to pointe shoes and soft ballet slippers and I went into figure skating I wore Jackson Artiste. They killed my feet for the full two years that I wore them. They were way too stiff and hurting me. Artistes!! do you know how low those skate levels are for hardness LOL?
@@meri3076 nope. Despite how tough it is and how competitive it is to be one, in Australia most professional ballet dancers earn around the median wage for their short careers and then usually move into teaching.
The shoes legit dont fit them because of how they have to be made in order to hold that point shape. Theyre basically not physically capable of handling the stress and get wrecked in 1-2 weeks, but doing that stuff beforehand makes it oossible to get them on. Think of how a normal shoe for your shoe size is a little tight when you first get it? Box shoes are that, but the vacuum sealed version.
@@ChestersonJack that's what I'm confused as well 😭 like surely after how many years by now people already suggest how to make it better?? And no need for us to improve it ourselves after buying it??
@@Mrs.ragnvindr31 every dancer customizes a little differently. The manufacturers cant possibly provide for all our different variations so they make different bases and the ballerinas make it work for them
@@melyndaphillips932 I guess that make sense but it just baffle me after so many years people still can't make it at somewhat close, she even need to cut the sole 😭
I like to - crush mine in the door crack - Cut the shank out 3/4 - do 60 releves - Sit on the boxes - give it a good old college slam against some pavement - Add hairspray rosin and a DROP of water under the shoe to make it sticky - cut the satin off the toe - criss cross my elastic - add my elastic ribbons All done!
I knew this one girl in school who put her heart and soul into being a ballerina and one day I accidentally stepped on her foot and she broke down and couldn’t stop crying. I was confused as to why her foot was hurting so bad and told her to take off her shoe to see if it was bleeding. NOPE basically half her foot was bruised from having to practice so much and so hard ever since that day ballerinas have always had my respect.
I dont think she was crying from the pain, but some repressed fears and stress, and maybe also pissed you step on her foot but she was unable to lash out. It’s like professional pianist and their hands. It’s very important to them
You are a man and didn't offer to MASSAGE HER FOOT WITH CREAMS AND LOTIONS? ESPECIALLY AFTER YOUR BIG AHH STEPPED ON AN ANGELS FOOT???? SMMFH. (JOKES duh.)
@@nomorefries3616 understandable. As a lifelong cross country and long distance runner, my feet and legs are the most important thing to me. If they get injured, I feel very overwhelmed and scared.
@hilarycastle4937 It's not. That's how the shoes work. They are made with this fabric-like material, which is dipped in a substance that allows it to be shaped when it hardens. Breaking the shoes just means cracking this hardened liquid to get movement from the fabric material and for it to shape to your feet.
@@ND1966p They can't. That's how the shoes work. They are made with this fabric-like material, which is dipped in a substance that allows it to be shaped when it hardens. Breaking the shoes just means cracking this hardened liquid to get movement from the fabric material and for it to shape to your feet.
It depends on how often you wear them. People starting out don’t go through shoes quickly at all. Professional, adult dancers are the ones running through multiple pairs a week.
There are a actually! They hold up 4-8 times longer than normal papermachee Pointe shoes. I forgot what that company was called but I've seen it. So instead of 1-2 pairs a week you will only need one every 2 - 3 months. And they are not that much more expensive. Pretty much comparable to normal ones. I'm not a ballerina so I don't know why they are not much more popular. But I'm sure the years following they will be spread more. Edit: I looked it up the brand is called Gaynor Minden. In case anyone is interested to check it out
I remember I was over a friends house when I was a bit younger. Her shoes arrived. she was so excited. She took them out the box and immediately started demolishing them. I snatched one and was like “OMG WHY WHY STOP WHAT ARE YOU DOING”. She explained she had to, but it still hurt to watch lol
Respect for having a negative reaction to a person destroying their own things, shows your a good friend and more likely not to f up my things either ✊🏾
I was preparing my pointe shoes while on FaceTime with my friends and let me tell you they were definitely astonished 💀 Edit: now how da hell did I get so many likes 💀
I'd say that I hate that juxtaposition rather than enjoy it. It's unnecessary. Pretentious shit. They could make anything nowadays but omg don't improve ballerina shoes. They're sacred relic. You'd think Jesus balleted. Whatever.
@@A_Ducky fair!! my use of the word love wasn’t meant to be so literal/ black & white, at the end of the day it’s their personal choice, a sort of culture if you will, and you’re allowed to hate it while others are allowed to enjoy that pain or lifestyle, kinda sadistic ya but to each their own right lol
i mean there have been some improvements but honestly they have to be easy to mold to your feet for safety reasons. if pointe shoes were too hard then you would never be able to fully get on your boxes and thats super dangerous. there’s even different strength shanks depending on how strong your feet are. finally, professionals have to have nicely broken in shoes almost immediately for shows and whatnot. i make pointe shoes last about 2-3 weeks. :)
For any new dancers who just got their first pair of pointe shoes: this kind of breaking in is only meant for professional dancers! Don’t destroy your shoes unless you want to have to buy two pairs of shoes a week.
Aside from cutting a portion out, this is pretty standard practice for all pointe shoes in my experience. Although I'd suggest they run them through a few exercises first so they can feel where the floor lands so they know what part of the shoe will need more attention to suit their foot.
@@peace_n_jellybeansfor younger dancers who do ballet maybe twice a week and are barely into high school shouldnt need this much effort put in. This much prep is only really for in an intensive program or a week long summers. School or something. For the most part all point shoes need breaking in, but but not quite to this extent for beginners.
I took Ballet when I wrestled in high-school. It was painful at first but after I got used to it I had a great time. Not to mention my reverse hip toss was excellent.
I went on pointe at ten. I was so proud of my new shoes. I get to class and my teacher says “let me see them”. And she proceeds to BEAT THE FUCK out of my beautiful new shoes. I was so distraught 😂😂😂
If this story is true you had a BAD teacher. 10 is way too young, and you shouldn't be doing this to your first pair of pointe shoes. Students should be breaking in this shoes at the barre, not by smashing them.
@@shannon4386 I was the youngest student she ever had that went on pointe. Most of the others were 15-16. She wasn’t a bad teacher. She was my god mom, part of a professional company that toured globally, and taught me from the time I was old enough to walk.
i can just watch ballerina's "breaking" their shoes as a whole compilation. you guys have so different customizing from one another it's weirdly satisfying to watch
@@Channel24377 In the video she said that there are companies that make the custom shoes but thats too expensive and its easier and faster to do it yourself. Also I assume that doing the breaking yourself lets you find the specific way u want the shoe to feel.
For anyone who's not in a company/college/dancing professionally, you shouldn't be going through pointe shoes that fast. Anywhere between 1-4 pair a year is more normal, and really it should even be on the low end of that. It largely depends on how much you dance, but if you're still in high school and not in some private school ballet program and your shoes are dying that quickly, look into either a different brand or a different shank, depending on where your shoes start to die first. Talk to your pointe shoe fitter, or even try a different fitter if you can, and tell them your concerns and see if they can help you find something stronger. You should only be going through a pair every few weeks if you're dancing professionally or pre-professionally for several hours every day most days of the week.
Exactly!!! Also it is not recommended for non professional students to "break in" their shoes at all- dancing breaks them in. The reason that professionals do it is because they need their shoes to be at the perfect dancing softness all the time, especially for performances, so they'll prep them like this to the perfect point for dancing in, and then it will break after that - like just after, sometimes mid performance. If you are not professional do not do this to your shoes, you have more time to break them in with your foot as you dance, and only with your foot as you dance , than professionals. Also this whole process gradually strengthens your foot, which it's the point, not to rely on your shoes, so as it becomes slightly more and more flexible, your foot becomes gradually stronger and stronger. It's dangerous to soften a shoe if your feet aren't strong enough to completely hold up your body in the right way, you could seriously injure yourself and injuries like that last for a lifetime. Also professionals know which things they need from their shoes, and already have yhe built strength in their feet, it's an individual process which is how they break them in, because they're trying to speed up the process of it becoming flexible, non professionals should not do this xxxx Josephine from the Pointe Shop is an excellent youtube resource for how a pointe shoe should fit and how everything is so individual xxxx
Really insightful comments from both of you. I always wondered why dancers have to break the shoes if they're made like that, and it makes so much more sense now. Of course, they have to for each performance!!
@@kikidee9623 no, even with changes in production from some companies, most pointe shoes should still last a while. Often beginning pointe dancers go through shoes because either they were fitted in a shoe that isn't right for them, so in dancing on it they find pressure points or weak points, or because some dancers think you *have* to manually break in your shoes before you can use them, and that's not only not true but also can destroy your shoe if you don't know what you're doing. If your crush the box or break the vamp too much or in the wrong way compared to what your feet need, the shoes are anywhere from only going to last you half as long to unusable at all.
As a figure skater yall ballerinas deserve so much respect, putting on new skates is hell so I cannot IMAGINE how hard this is considering it’s supposed to be tight in your foot.
I throw away maybe one shirt a year, everything else I donate. My neighbor on the other hand, she has like a wardrobe worth of clothing in her trashcan every week, we steal it, wash it and donate it on her behalf…
@@fielddart8204 you don’t understand. A lot of the time people don’t realise and think the stealing channel is the actual channel which leads to them making a profit.
I had an instructor for years who made us break in ALL of our new shoes naturally while dancing because she said it “builds character” and strengthens your feet etc. girl…. I still have scars physically and emotionally 😅
I was never a professional or anything and I also couldn’t afford so many shoes so I used to just wear mine pretty much as is to class and that’s how I broke them in. It was painful sometimes but they lasted sooo much longer!
Everyone’s got their own technique and being an athlete in general, everyone’s got their own tricks or whatever for them. It’s cool to see everyone’s process from torching the shoe to an abundance of padding. I’m always shocked when performers rarely edit the shoe at all, it’s literally a cement brick just hanging on by semi good satin stitching😂
I learned very recently from my mother what ballet learning is actually like, as a man, i'm honestly suprises people are doing this voluntarly and enjoying it, you guys are brave and talented
When I was a child I wanted to do pointe SO bad!! I begged my ballet teacher at the time to let me do it, and she would always have the same answer “Honey, pointe is HARD and VERY damaging for your feet. If you still want to do pointe by the time you’re 16, then we can discuss it. Until then, let’s stick to the basics, okay?” I’ll always appreciate that she never just outright said no to me, and that she encouraged me to wait until I was older to make such a big decision. She’ll always be special to me. Unfortunately she passed when I was about 12-13, but she was the absolute best teacher and I’ll forever cherish the memories I made in her class. R.I.P Mrs. Kelly. Thanks for saving my toes ❤
Girl i was the same way when i finally was let into the class i quickly regretted it but my mom mad me stick wit it but wen the yr was up i went back to lyrical n ballet cuz its hard
16? Wtf did you dance once a week Lmfao you usually start pointe around 11 and it’s technical readiness that determines it. When I was growing up we would get put on pointe as young as 9 if we had made it to that point in our technique training now we know that your bones are not yet strong enough until around 11-12 so most will wait. But literally by 16 you are either nearly done dancing or need to be ready to be seen by companies for a job either waiting until 16 is ludicrous 🫠
@@jessicaaslay okay so I wasn't the only one thinking this lolll cuz ya know shorts are short hence why they're not called longs....people always nitpicking
my mom did pointe when she was younger, probably around 25-27 years ago. she didn't do it often so we still have the pairs she has. one pair is in perfectly good condition and it's currently in my room
It's like your regular everyday leather shoes. They're uncomfortable at first, they need to be broken in. Except with ballet shoes you kinda need them to be broken in before you even start wearing them.
Because no one persons foot is the same and you can’t have shoes that are perfect for every body unless you go around to every single person in the world and make a different pair just for them according to their foot
She’s correct. At the age of eleven I received my first pair of pointe shoes when I became a prima ballerina. I had to do the same exact thing. I also had to use lambs wool. Now times have changed since then as they now have better means of comfort and toe protection for dancers.
That’s so interesting! I had heard prima ballerina meant the top ballerina of a company or something like that. Is that not true or were you doing that at 11?! Either way it’s impressive !!
@@daniellelewis2152 hi yes I was one of the top dancers in the dance academy I attended. What was awesome was that we also had a 9 year old that actually received her toe shoes early. She was phenomenal. It was fun and exciting. Now that Im almost 46 I somewhat regret not continuing my dance trainings.
basically the ones you buy are universal and stiff, and you have 2 options. 1. not doing anything and wearing them until they mould to your feet (which is quite painful) or 2. breaking them and making it more comfortable to wear and move.
@@dawnriddler thank you for explaining, its so satisfying to hear and watch the shoes crack sound to me😂, sometimes I wish I were some ballerina, so I can experience cracking my shoes for my convenience😂
Yeah... I know why they destroy their shoes now, but I have no idea why they should need to destroy their shoes. This seems like a massive failure. Or the machinations of and extremely sadistic person.
once my ballet friends brought their shoes with them to a group gaming session and they randomly started murdering their shoes when we were waiting in the queue peak friendship
I remember my phase of wanting to pursue ballet as a casual hobby- that idea was killed by the amazing pointe ballerinas of tiktok who’ve shown me exactly how hard (and expensive) it is to partake in💀
ballet isn’t just pointe! you have to train for a very long time to be prepared for pointe. i recommend just going into basic level classes! ballet shoes are less than 30 bucks, and if you aren’t dancing daily (like professional trainer ballerinas do) they can last you a while. ballet can be casual, as any kind of dance can be, and if something you want to take up i definitely recommend it!
On top of what the other folks have said, there's a difference between dead shoes and ugly shoes. Professionals need performance ready shoes, but for class it's not uncommon to have shoes that are scuffed up, dirty, and peeling.
it’s kinda like breaking in doc martens?! they definitely drive my feet crazy until theyre fully broken in, i can just imagine the pain when you’re DANCING in shoes that aren’t. shout out to you for doing a beautiful and painful art
My friends always made comments about how easy it seemed for me to break in my docs. But after pointe shoes they were a breeze, also all the nerve endings in my feet were dead.
Im a dancer(mostly hiphop focused tho) and when i was younger and discovered ballerinas did this with their pointe shoes,i started doing something similar with my regular shoes and dance shoes so they’d hurt less when tried them out for the first time and honestly its a life changing trick
@@sampdickles5095 “having sex with old ladies for money, and bear traps. Those are my two bugga-boos.” I’ll never pass a chance to quote step brothers 😂
Pointe shoes are very expensive, and painful to break in, especially if you forget to clip your tonails or lose one of your toe pads. I had a classmate from school one day ask me, "why do you do ballet if it hurts your feet?" and I had to explain to him that it's what every dancer works up to. And it's totally worth it when you get your first pair of pointe shoes. Pointe is so exciting and fun, and if you're a dancer (or are thinking about becoming one) I would definitely encourage it. I was nervous at first because I knew how awful ballerinas feet got, but when I started dancing I immediately loved it and decided I would do whatever it took to continue. Idk why I'm telling you thus, but if you needed to hear this then... great! Have fun dancing ❤️
They do this because new ballet shoes are VERY stiff and VERY hard and near impossible to work into to mold to your feet. So they have to help the shoe along so that it will fit to their feet better and cause less damage
Some people asked why the shoes are made like this in the first place and I have a couple of answers (though I’m not an expert so feel free to fact check me): beginning pointe dancers will likely have weaker ankles so the extra support is needed. And like others have said, every ballerina has their own preferences. There are a million different ways to customize them how you want so it’s good that everyone just buys the base pair so that they can do whatever the want with them. Lastly, I don’t think there’s much that can be done to help these shoes to be more wearable or whatever. The box in the toe part is where you stand on the tops of your toes. It’s actually made of tons of cardboard layers pasted together. No matter what, you’re going to hurt since your body is not designed for this at all. Imagine the pain you’d feel if you decided to hold the weight of your body while only being able to be on the tips of your toes. It feels horrible! Most of the other materials that could be used just won’t hold up to the task bc they’re either too soft so you’ll sink and hurt yourself or too hard so you’ll hurt yourself. Pointe shoes will never be fantastic similar to why even the best pair of high heels will often still hurt if you wore them all day. More can be done with high heels though. But either way, your body can only take so much of it. These are just my opinions on the knowledge I have. Check other sources before regurgitating these talking points 👍
I second the point made by Dez! It seems like an advanced dancer doesn’t even want to support provided by a traditional shank going all the way up the arch (seeing as how the girl in this vid broke her shank intentionally) so maybe make “advanced shoes” have a significantly shortened shank?
i do ballet everyday and i get through only 1 per week...if anyone is new to ballet/needs new pointe shoe ideas i recommend basically anything from bloch they work really well. they feel not as uncomfortable at first as other pointe shoes ive tried...they also make me look more graceful and elegant but thats just my opinion xoxoxoxo
@@jeaniehat yeah personally i could work with either but i also prefer a more tapered box...but bloch seem to last longer than any other pointe shoe i tried so ig ill stick with them
I wanted to be a ballerina so badly growing up. I remember watching that opening scene in Center Stage of them breaking their shoes in and I loved it! I was so mesmerized by it all.
Considering the fact that I didn’t know any of this before mindlessly scrolling on UA-cam…no this did not clear anything up. In fact, I have more questions…
my first ballet teacher didn't tell us about breaking our shoes so we danced on unbroken shoes until they broke themselves then she'd force us to get new ones so we'd be back in unbroken shoes. the amount of injuries I had from not only the shoes but from being so unexperianced is insane
Well actually that’s what ur supposed to do… if it was your first couple of pairs then your foot wouldn’t have been strong enough and they would have had to adapt to the shoes and have the shoe adapt to your foot. Breaking them in naturally strengthens your foot and prevents a shit tone of injuries. And when your teacher got you to get new ones after they broke in, it was because again, your foot was not strong enough to withstand the broken in shoe and would have led to very very many ankle injuries. But of course as you get older your foot is strong enough and you can dance in broken in shoes for much longer, but of course not to long to wear them out, and also you get to break in your shoes normally like in this vid cause your feet don’t have to go through that process anymore. Trust me, what your teacher did was perfect and what should be done, and as for the injuries you received, it pretty much happens to every dancer whenever they first go on pointe. And you are muchhhhhhh more susceptible to injuries in a broken in and worn out shoe then you are to unbroken in shoes, and tbh I think shoes that haven’t been broken in are probably when the least amount of injuries are prone to occur
@@ooolalaaa4360 got it, so my issues were from her lack of explanation rather then her lack of care. She never really explained much, she never told us why she's take our shoes the second they'd break, she never told us why we were being forced to wear them the entire rehearsal even though our feet hurt, and she never explained fully why she had the teaching methods she did.
@@lyndsay._.x yeah I would say it was completely the teachers fault for not informing any of her students of the method she was using. Must have been confusing not knowing why you were going through a hell of a lot of pain
“They feel like bricks when they’re brand new” And the only last 3-7 days?? They must just be getting somewhat comfortable and it’s time to break in a new pair 😭
The amount of time they last depends on how much you wear them. Professionals are dancing for several hours most days of the week so they wear out faster than someone who wears them for one hour once a week
Basically every dancer needs incredibly minute differences in there shoes - making enough variety to accommodate everyone would be impossible. It also comes down to the life of the shoe. Pointe shoes are made with layers of glue and fabric, which is what makes them so hard. If they were made softer, they would die faster or not be usable since the structure is what's supporting the body weight on the toes. Usually professionals are in companies, though, and most companies pay for your shoes. Professionals also need their shoes at a specific point quickly (say a week's worth of "break in" in two days) for a performance, which is another reason to manually break shoes. Students who are still learning should only be going through 1-4 pair a year, and for the most part should not be destroying their shoes like this. It's incredibly easy and likely that they would do something wrong for their foot or take something too far and make the shoe too broken to use safely, which means buying another $70-$100 pair. For beginning point students they just wear them out of the box and break them in by dancing in them at class, molding the shoe to their foot through heat and moisture generated through use. That's not only better for the shoe, but builds strength in the dancer's foot.
I get the reason for destroying your shoes and I get that diferent ballerinas and performances require breaking the shoe in diferent ways. What Im confused about is why is this a DIY project when they are "Custom made" shouldnt the shoe maker ask you, what are your needs and make it so. Even if it doesnt come out perfect your essentialy paying someone to make something for you only to tear it apart and put it together again how you want. It just sounds like you could have asked instead of building a shoe twice. Ps I dont know anything about Ballet please educate me.
It is interesting to see how ballerina's have each their own customization's they do. It makes sense that a generic shoe is not going to suit everyone and that you would want to customize it so its not making so much noise and other things for esthetics and comfort. Respect
@@Etianen7 Not really, since every dancer has different specific needs, so needs the shoes broken in different places. There are some brands that use synthetic materials that are designed to not need breaking in, such as Gaynor Minden, but they're usually more expensive, not everyone likes them, and a lot of companies are sponsored by other brands which limits the options for most professional dancers (e.g. New York City Ballet are sponsored by Freed of London, so all of their dancers have to wear Freed; The Australian Ballet are sponsored by Bloch, so their dancers wear Bloch). It's also usually recommended that students who are new to pointe break in their shoes gradually by wearing them because the shoes last longer and the students can better build strength in their feet, whereas professionals need their shoes broken in right away and generally already have strong feet. Some dancers also prefer customising shoes themselves as it allows them to bond with their shoes.
im a young dancer and im at a small studio so i’d go through shoes once a year probably. i only have dance once a week too. but the more professional it is the more you use it and the faster it wears down. i could totally see it being once or twice a week for her
When I was dancing, which was for a small studio and for fun, never to become a professional. I also only went through 1-2 pairs a year. I’ve heard it’s better to not break them in like a professional when you’re new to pointe because you still need to build the strength in your feet. It also helps you figure out what you like in a shoe. Do what works for you and your circumstances.
Every dancer needs incredibly minute differences in there shoes - making enough variety to accommodate everyone would be impossible. It also comes down to the life of the shoe. Pointe shoes are made with layers of glue and fabric, which is what makes them so hard. If they were made softer, they would die faster or not be usable since the structure is what's supporting the body weight on the toes. Usually professionals are in companies, though, and most companies pay for your shoes. Professionals also need their shoes at a specific point quickly (say a week's worth of "break in" in two days) for a performance, which is another reason to manually break shoes. Students who are still learning should only be going through 1-4 pair a year, and for the most part should not be destroying their shoes like this. It's incredibly easy and likely that they would do something wrong for their foot or take something too far and make the shoe too broken to use safely, which means buying another $70-$100 pair. For beginning point students they just wear them out of the box and break them in by dancing in them at class, molding the shoe to their foot through heat and moisture generated through use. That's not only better for the shoe, but builds strength in the dancer's foot.
@@Izzy-cp8yt, thank you for taking the time to give an understandable answer to those that do not dance. I always feel such empathy for dancers feet! Now I understand more. 💖
I saw a girl whos glue started melting and had to cut her foot out of her shoe😭, she was arpund 18-19 too, ballet point is..well something id never be able to do
I've dated a couple dancers, and their poor feet. The amount of personal discomfort and straight up pain that they go through to achieve their careers and to make ten thousand people stand and cheer, is incredible and earns my respect. Cheers ladies. Underneath those beautiful faces lays a heart that beats fiercely.
@@SickTwisted Doctors don’t have to preform surgery on someone that’s dying. Regardless of how many years they spent learning how to preform a surgery they don’t deserve recognition. They chose that career. A hairdresser who now has arthritis at 30 doesn’t deserve a break because they chose that career. A parent deciding to go hungry so their kid can eat something doesn’t deserve a thank you. They chose to have that kid. Apparently, just like how a dance who chose to dance deserves no recognition. If thats your logic nobody deserves anything. We all choose to be alive. Some of us may be making sacrifices to do something we and other people enjoy/need but thats not respect worthy. I usually say have a good day, but nobody has done anything respect worthy.
The reason that pointe shoes come blank like that and not customized to you is bc it’s like a blank canvas and the dancers are artists. They “break” them and all that to make it mold better to their feet. If they don’t it’s just gonna be like a brick on your foot that doesn’t fit. - a ballet dancer myself Hope this cleared up some of the confusion!
Me: *gets my first pair of pointe shoes* My mom: “don’t ruin them!” Me: 😏 This is literally a true story. Today I got my first pair of pointe shoes and my mom said, “don’t ruin them,” and I was just like, “oh mother..”
Oh dear, if those are your first pointe shoes, you really shouldn’t follow what professionals do to their shoes! You can softly help them mold to your feet, but don’t abuse them!
You aren't supposed to do any of this if you're not a professional- young students with their first pair are supposed to literally just dance in them - dancing breaks them in. Your feet are not strong enough yet to completely hold you up by themselves, and it's the shoes that, as you dance in them and they get gradually softer, make your foot gradually work harder and harder, which makes them gradually stronger and stronger. It is not recommended for any non professionals to "break in" their shoes at all- dancing breaks them in. You have enough time to do this, (professionals don't) and as you dance in them, they will soften in the right way. Professionals already have strongest feet and go through so many because they are dancing in them full time all day every day, and their companies pay for new ones so it's not expensive for the dancer. Each performance has to be in new shoes too, and that's why they break them in like this so they're at their perfect softness for dancing that performance, and only that performance, and they "break" right after this, sometimes mid performance. For non professionals, especially your first pair, do not do anything to them other than put them on and dance in them, you could and will seriously injure yourself if you make your pointe shoes too soft for your feet to cope with, given they have not built that strength yet. And those injuries last a lifetime. It is dancing in the non broken in pointe shoes that strengthens your feet properly, please don't disadvantage yourself. Josephine from the Pointe Shop is an excellent youtube resource on how shoes should fit and how unique it all is and this kind of information, watch her fittings of first pair of pointe shoe videos - they're very interesting and informative. As a commenter above said, non professionals really shouldn't be going through more that 2- 4 pairs a year, and it really should be on the lower end of that scale. I promise you, I have done ballet and pointe, please don't do this to your shoes you could and will really hurt yourself if you do. There's a lot of misinformation about this and the media focuses on the alarmist shocking things to get people's attention, but it just seriously and dangerously misinforms everyone about ballet, and what this is even for. Especially younger students. This is not for non professionals. Professionals know exactly how their feet break in their shoes because they have spent 10+ years dancing in their shoes - only - to break them in, and when they do this - by hand- they are getting it ready to be at the perfect point of softness for dancing for the next few hours, then it will break. So they know exactly how their foot and dancing will break in a shoe, but they don't have months to do it, so they do it with their hands. But their feet are strong enough to hold their body up by themselves because they are in their 20s and up and have been dancing since the age if 3 or 5. And danced in pointe shoes in their teenage years without doing anything to them other than putting them on and dancing in them. You need to do that to. Please be safe and don't disadvantage yourself. Strengthen your feet properly with your shoes and let your feet only soften them. Xxxx
@@electriclllady Yes, don’t worry. I know I’m not supposed to break in my shoes like this. What I was trying to say is my mom thinks the shoes will stay brand new forever, when they will clearly wear out at some point. I didn’t mean it like that at all.
@@bobaxxedits9748 Oh thank goodness!!!! I've come across so many young people thinking they have to do this when they get their pointe shoes - and I'm- so!- worried that this kind of misinformation spreading will hurt them and a lot of new to pointe dancers - I don't want anyone to hurt themselves!! Phew!!!@ Thank you for replying and putting me at ease hehe 💓 💗 💖 Regardless they will last a long time, we actually used to get the front top of the pointe shoes covered with like a leather sort of sole at a shoe cobbler - everyone in my dance school had to - it did mean that the tip with the satin didn't rip because it was covered - not quite as pretty but I think it did prolong their life a bit! Xxxx
![James Fridman Photoshop Trolls [2020]](/img/n.gif)
Every aspect of ballet looks and sounds like a painful sacrifice
It is.
Not just physically, too!
It probably is
You know physically it is but its one of those things that stays with you as a discipline that I think makes it worth it. At least for me
Ohohoho it definitely is. As a dancer I’ve seen girls cry from the pain from the shoes and the harsh standards. But we love it, so that is why we push through.
THEY PROVIDE YOU WITH POINTE SHOES?!?!? That’s crazinesss I didn’t know that they did this I have been having to buy all these
I wish there was a company that made ballerina shoes you dont have to break just to make comfortable
"It's kinda like a new pair of underwear. At first it's constrictive, but after a while it becomes a part of you." -- Garth Algar
But then again undies shouldn’t be constrictive
@@cneer17 I like to think it's because his mom buys his underwear for him, and that's why it's so tight
This reminds me of breaking on grips as a gymnast, but we get a new pair of grips every two years or until they start to rip, it’s such a long and painful process breaking them in I couldn’t imagine doing it every week.
Every two years?! I’m a level eight and get a new pair every 2-3 months.
I’m a level 5 and I get them prob every 9 months
Worst part about grips was you had to tear up your hands and get those calluses before you got to use grips!
@@misty5618 I’m also level eight. Different grips can wear easier than others. Our gym gets ones that we can use for longer periods of time before getting new ones
Im a dancer and i can conform this, also usually you have to sew them and some dancer go through 4 shoes a week.
It’s one of those things that the more it’s explained the more it doesn’t make sense .
It was always my dream to be a ballerina 🥺
*Destroys shoe*
...
*Glues shoe*
You’d think after all this time of ballet being a thing they’d redesign the shoes to be perfect out of the box and last longer lol
I once had a shank snap on me in the middle of the nutcracker. Wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t the beginning of the weekend and my shoe wasn’t colored grey for my part 😂😅😭😭
Thankfully the company sent me a new pair and my codancer friend helped me sew, color, and break them for the next show 🥲
This is why I am staying on flat 😅
POV: my chiropractor
Genuine question, why don’t they just re design the shoes to better fit the dancers needs in the first place??
Bro looked like a chiropractor at first
And because it sounds satisfying
Chiropractics be like
As a former ice skater this is insane to me. Getting new skates is hell so going through this 1 to 2 times a week?! Crazy
Same! I can’t imagine!
righttt!!!
Same
Same
Ask someone who started in ballet for so long I had really strong ankles. I was so used to pointe shoes and soft ballet slippers and I went into figure skating I wore Jackson Artiste. They killed my feet for the full two years that I wore them. They were way too stiff and hurting me. Artistes!! do you know how low those skate levels are for hardness LOL?
"Dancers usually go through shoes one or two pairs a week" *What*
*Skateboarders has entered the chat*
Professionals do. N the fact their company pays for it is amazing. But for how underpaid they are n the verbal abuse they take, they should
@@lmin6207 underpaid? how much do they make? i feel like being a professional ballet dancer would pay well
@@meri3076 nope. Despite how tough it is and how competitive it is to be one, in Australia most professional ballet dancers earn around the median wage for their short careers and then usually move into teaching.
@@grimmkiller2161 fr? I skate and depending on the shoe it's only about monthly
“Ballerinas destroy their shoes before they even use them. We go through 1-2 pairs a week. Hope this clears up the confusion.” No it doesn’t lol
Girl posts a video of her banging out some box and gets 1.5 million views, I do that and I get banned
The shoes legit dont fit them because of how they have to be made in order to hold that point shape. Theyre basically not physically capable of handling the stress and get wrecked in 1-2 weeks, but doing that stuff beforehand makes it oossible to get them on. Think of how a normal shoe for your shoe size is a little tight when you first get it? Box shoes are that, but the vacuum sealed version.
If you cant connect the dots after the video then maybe you should get checked for autism?
We’re you not paying attention? 😂
Why not make them like that in the first place...?🤷♂️
I was breaking in my pointe shoes while my boyfriend was over and he was so confused why I kept banging them against the floor and wall. Lol 😂
This almost made me spit out my drink ☠️🤣 too relatable
What do you mean that you cannot die😮😂❤❤❤
Same here but with my siblings😭😭
@@F3L1XLUVR single😂
😂👌
"Hope that cleared some of the confusion"
No ma'am. I have wayy more questions now..
It's kinda funny that the process to prep them is half the reason they go through so many so frequently.
Same. I just… then why are they made like that?
@@ChestersonJack that's what I'm confused as well 😭 like surely after how many years by now people already suggest how to make it better?? And no need for us to improve it ourselves after buying it??
@@Mrs.ragnvindr31 every dancer customizes a little differently. The manufacturers cant possibly provide for all our different variations so they make different bases and the ballerinas make it work for them
@@melyndaphillips932 I guess that make sense but it just baffle me after so many years people still can't make it at somewhat close, she even need to cut the sole 😭
“Here I’m softening up the box” *sounds of breaking bones ensue*
That part
I'll soften up ur mum's box
“Softening up the box” 😏😏
@@Fvckyourfxce you couldn't resist.
@@Fvckyourfxce dirty dirty, bad, bad . Hand me your phone Now!!!😭
“I’ll explain it to you”
*becomes a shoe chiropractor*
💀 bro 226 likes no reply? Bruh now u got one
My favorite thing is that every dancer has their own customization routine
I like to
- crush mine in the door crack
- Cut the shank out 3/4
- do 60 releves
- Sit on the boxes
- give it a good old college slam against some pavement
- Add hairspray rosin and a DROP of water under the shoe to make it sticky
- cut the satin off the toe
- criss cross my elastic
- add my elastic ribbons
All done!
@@Tigerheiress WHOA 😯
she was like a shoe chiropractor at the start 😂
this is an elite comment
best comment
Lol that's what I was gonna say
I thought she was breaking her foot
I thought she was breaking her foot
“ hope that cleared up some of the confusion “
Me: being confused af after seeing this video
😂😂😂😂
I have so many more questions now...
🤣😂🤣😂
😂🤣
Yeah like I wasn’t confused ever before because I knew nothing about point shoes and now I am so confused and stressed AF 😂
Ballet is the literal saying “Beauty is pain”
Exactly
AHHHH I CAN'T EXPLAIN TO YOU HOW GOOD IT FEELS TO HEAR SOMEONE BREAK IN THEIR POINTE SHOES. it's makes me feel a sort of way deep down in my soulll
It sounds like breaking bones...but go off, I guess...😆
Same it sounded so satisfying, might I suggest chiropractor videos LOL
Hmm asmr idea
Go watch a chiropractic video or something 😭
@@tunzlunz pointe shoes ASMR.... I feel like you're into something.
I knew this one girl in school who put her heart and soul into being a ballerina and one day I accidentally stepped on her foot and she broke down and couldn’t stop crying. I was confused as to why her foot was hurting so bad and told her to take off her shoe to see if it was bleeding. NOPE basically half her foot was bruised from having to practice so much and so hard ever since that day ballerinas have always had my respect.
best of luck to her
I dont think she was crying from the pain, but some repressed fears and stress, and maybe also pissed you step on her foot but she was unable to lash out. It’s like professional pianist and their hands. It’s very important to them
You are a man and didn't offer to MASSAGE HER FOOT WITH CREAMS AND LOTIONS? ESPECIALLY AFTER YOUR BIG AHH STEPPED ON AN ANGELS FOOT????
SMMFH.
(JOKES duh.)
@@nomorefries3616 q wel my
@@nomorefries3616 understandable. As a lifelong cross country and long distance runner, my feet and legs are the most important thing to me. If they get injured, I feel very overwhelmed and scared.
Her- fixing up her point shoe with satisfying cracks
Me-“ ooh she a shoe chiropractic”
🤣
Fr satisfying ASF 😌
😂😂😂
😂😂😭😭
The guy at the ballet store took my shoes in the back and broke them for me. Thank God for that guy
Weird. U should break ur shoes . It's a custom thing 😄
But why dont they make them already broken in?
@hilarycastle4937 It's not. That's how the shoes work. They are made with this fabric-like material, which is dipped in a substance that allows it to be shaped when it hardens. Breaking the shoes just means cracking this hardened liquid to get movement from the fabric material and for it to shape to your feet.
@@ND1966p They can't. That's how the shoes work. They are made with this fabric-like material, which is dipped in a substance that allows it to be shaped when it hardens. Breaking the shoes just means cracking this hardened liquid to get movement from the fabric material and for it to shape to your feet.
me cracking every single bone in my body as soon as i wake up:
If this is Joe you crack them I wanna see your walls floors and your skeleton😂😏😳💀
“Its the symphony for me” - From a Webtoon
Same lol
I can't believe that in hundreds of years they still did not invent ballerina shoes that lasts for at least a year
It depends on how often you wear them. People starting out don’t go through shoes quickly at all. Professional, adult dancers are the ones running through multiple pairs a week.
There are a actually! They hold up 4-8 times longer than normal papermachee Pointe shoes. I forgot what that company was called but I've seen it. So instead of 1-2 pairs a week you will only need one every 2 - 3 months. And they are not that much more expensive. Pretty much comparable to normal ones. I'm not a ballerina so I don't know why they are not much more popular. But I'm sure the years following they will be spread more.
Edit: I looked it up the brand is called Gaynor Minden. In case anyone is interested to check it out
Right, can’t they make them out of some kind of rubber or like whatever crocs are made of
That's what I say
Imaging the smell JAJAJ
I remember I was over a friends house when I was a bit younger. Her shoes arrived. she was so excited. She took them out the box and immediately started demolishing them. I snatched one and was like “OMG WHY WHY STOP WHAT ARE YOU DOING”. She explained she had to, but it still hurt to watch lol
This shi so funny to me I’m here dying laughing
Respect for having a negative reaction to a person destroying their own things, shows your a good friend and more likely not to f up my things either ✊🏾
😆😆😆😆 I could totally picture this!😆😆😆
"My new shoes, I'm so excited!" Immediately starts ripping at them!
🤣🤣
"Pointe shoe prep: just break them. Just try your best in every way possible to break them apart like they weren't even expensive"
I was preparing my pointe shoes while on FaceTime with my friends and let me tell you they were definitely astonished 💀
Edit: now how da hell did I get so many likes 💀
💀
All of my close friends do ballet with me lol
@@GingerSnapy I wish but I was w my school friends hehe some of the girls at my dance class were kinda snobby but I had some friends there
@@analisserosales4152 oh gosh. The ballet company I go to is wonderful and all the girls are so nice (maybe like a couple arnt)
@@GingerSnapy yeah some of the girls there think they’re better than everyone else
I love the juxtaposition between a quiet and graceful dancer under soft spotlight vs the harsh reality dancers go through to make that happen
Solution: toe stops. Roller skaters use them. Another version is jam plugs.
I'd say that I hate that juxtaposition rather than enjoy it. It's unnecessary. Pretentious shit. They could make anything nowadays but omg don't improve ballerina shoes. They're sacred relic. You'd think Jesus balleted. Whatever.
@@A_Ducky fair!! my use of the word love wasn’t meant to be so literal/ black & white, at the end of the day it’s their personal choice, a sort of culture if you will, and you’re allowed to hate it while others are allowed to enjoy that pain or lifestyle, kinda sadistic ya but to each their own right lol
i mean there have been some improvements but honestly they have to be easy to mold to your feet for safety reasons. if pointe shoes were too hard then you would never be able to fully get on your boxes and thats super dangerous. there’s even different strength shanks depending on how strong your feet are. finally, professionals have to have nicely broken in shoes almost immediately for shows and whatnot. i make pointe shoes last about 2-3 weeks. :)
i meant months sorry 😭
For any new dancers who just got their first pair of pointe shoes: this kind of breaking in is only meant for professional dancers! Don’t destroy your shoes unless you want to have to buy two pairs of shoes a week.
Aside from cutting a portion out, this is pretty standard practice for all pointe shoes in my experience. Although I'd suggest they run them through a few exercises first so they can feel where the floor lands so they know what part of the shoe will need more attention to suit their foot.
@@peace_n_jellybeansfor younger dancers who do ballet maybe twice a week and are barely into high school shouldnt need this much effort put in. This much prep is only really for in an intensive program or a week long summers. School or something. For the most part all point shoes need breaking in, but but not quite to this extent for beginners.
I definitely didn’t break them in that hard as she is but we did break them in when I was growing up
I took Ballet when I wrestled in high-school. It was painful at first but after I got used to it I had a great time. Not to mention my reverse hip toss was excellent.
I went on pointe at ten. I was so proud of my new shoes. I get to class and my teacher says “let me see them”. And she proceeds to BEAT THE FUCK out of my beautiful new shoes. I was so distraught 😂😂😂
This is comedy gold
Ten? That is so young.
If this story is true you had a BAD teacher. 10 is way too young, and you shouldn't be doing this to your first pair of pointe shoes. Students should be breaking in this shoes at the barre, not by smashing them.
@@shannon4386 I was the youngest student she ever had that went on pointe. Most of the others were 15-16. She wasn’t a bad teacher. She was my god mom, part of a professional company that toured globally, and taught me from the time I was old enough to walk.
@@shannon4386 not to mention, even new students need their shoes softened.
i can just watch ballerina's "breaking" their shoes as a whole compilation. you guys have so different customizing from one another it's weirdly satisfying to watch
@@Channel24377 In the video she said that there are companies that make the custom shoes but thats too expensive and its easier and faster to do it yourself. Also I assume that doing the breaking yourself lets you find the specific way u want the shoe to feel.
Same 😂
Your gross
Noooo..... Shit I'd lame asf
For anyone who's not in a company/college/dancing professionally, you shouldn't be going through pointe shoes that fast. Anywhere between 1-4 pair a year is more normal, and really it should even be on the low end of that. It largely depends on how much you dance, but if you're still in high school and not in some private school ballet program and your shoes are dying that quickly, look into either a different brand or a different shank, depending on where your shoes start to die first. Talk to your pointe shoe fitter, or even try a different fitter if you can, and tell them your concerns and see if they can help you find something stronger. You should only be going through a pair every few weeks if you're dancing professionally or pre-professionally for several hours every day most days of the week.
Exactly!!! Also it is not recommended for non professional students to "break in" their shoes at all- dancing breaks them in. The reason that professionals do it is because they need their shoes to be at the perfect dancing softness all the time, especially for performances, so they'll prep them like this to the perfect point for dancing in, and then it will break after that - like just after, sometimes mid performance. If you are not professional do not do this to your shoes, you have more time to break them in with your foot as you dance, and only with your foot as you dance , than professionals. Also this whole process gradually strengthens your foot, which it's the point, not to rely on your shoes, so as it becomes slightly more and more flexible, your foot becomes gradually stronger and stronger. It's dangerous to soften a shoe if your feet aren't strong enough to completely hold up your body in the right way, you could seriously injure yourself and injuries like that last for a lifetime. Also professionals know which things they need from their shoes, and already have yhe built strength in their feet, it's an individual process which is how they break them in, because they're trying to speed up the process of it becoming flexible, non professionals should not do this xxxx Josephine from the Pointe Shop is an excellent youtube resource for how a pointe shoe should fit and how everything is so individual xxxx
Really insightful comments from both of you. I always wondered why dancers have to break the shoes if they're made like that, and it makes so much more sense now. Of course, they have to for each performance!!
It’s not planned obsolescence right? Are newer dancers going through more shoes because the quality is lowered?
@@kikidee9623 no, even with changes in production from some companies, most pointe shoes should still last a while. Often beginning pointe dancers go through shoes because either they were fitted in a shoe that isn't right for them, so in dancing on it they find pressure points or weak points, or because some dancers think you *have* to manually break in your shoes before you can use them, and that's not only not true but also can destroy your shoe if you don't know what you're doing. If your crush the box or break the vamp too much or in the wrong way compared to what your feet need, the shoes are anywhere from only going to last you half as long to unusable at all.
when your in company you go through 2+ a month and that’s ok just not while your just taking classes
As a figure skater yall ballerinas deserve so much respect, putting on new skates is hell so I cannot IMAGINE how hard this is considering it’s supposed to be tight in your foot.
What part of this looks worse than a skate??
Its also sucks to wear workboots that are too small or too big. OR to wear boots too worn out so it must also suck to be a ballerina for feet pain.
@@tehjamerz do you have to get new skates fitted twice a week?
@@natelungle9591 for my mouse, yeah
Ex figure skater here (roller skates not ice) - my god I do not miss breaking in boots, I used to cry when I did my figures 😂
“Americans go through and throw away more clothes every year than any other country”
Ballerinas:
We also grow food only for decoration purposes.
it’s unsafe to dance on soft pointe shoes yiu can get seriously injured if your not wearing new ones
I throw away maybe one shirt a year, everything else I donate. My neighbor on the other hand, she has like a wardrobe worth of clothing in her trashcan every week, we steal it, wash it and donate it on her behalf…
China actually throws away more clothes, followed by America, Australia and the UK
@@MelodySharp. I love this ♡ wish I lived near by I'd take 'em
Laura! A channel called Ballet is stealing your videos
That's right!
@@fielddart8204 …that only works if she copyright claims them. If she doesn’t know about it, she can’t do that
@@fielddart8204 not true
@@fielddart8204 you don’t understand. A lot of the time people don’t realise and think the stealing channel is the actual channel which leads to them making a profit.
@@fielddart8204 that’s a bold lie
I had an instructor for years who made us break in ALL of our new shoes naturally while dancing because she said it “builds character” and strengthens your feet etc. girl…. I still have scars physically and emotionally 😅
All ballet instructors are sadists
@@ellielou52 agreed
@@ellielou52 righhht but if they are supposed to be broken why not just make them that way to begin with???
@@highclassnetworkhcn2267 I assume because then they would wear out too quickly and wouldn’t be worth the price tag.
I was never a professional or anything and I also couldn’t afford so many shoes so I used to just wear mine pretty much as is to class and that’s how I broke them in. It was painful sometimes but they lasted sooo much longer!
Everyone’s got their own technique and being an athlete in general, everyone’s got their own tricks or whatever for them. It’s cool to see everyone’s process from torching the shoe to an abundance of padding. I’m always shocked when performers rarely edit the shoe at all, it’s literally a cement brick just hanging on by semi good satin stitching😂
I learned very recently from my mother what ballet learning is actually like, as a man, i'm honestly suprises people are doing this voluntarly and enjoying it, you guys are brave and talented
When I was a child I wanted to do pointe SO bad!! I begged my ballet teacher at the time to let me do it, and she would always have the same answer “Honey, pointe is HARD and VERY damaging for your feet. If you still want to do pointe by the time you’re 16, then we can discuss it. Until then, let’s stick to the basics, okay?” I’ll always appreciate that she never just outright said no to me, and that she encouraged me to wait until I was older to make such a big decision. She’ll always be special to me. Unfortunately she passed when I was about 12-13, but she was the absolute best teacher and I’ll forever cherish the memories I made in her class. R.I.P Mrs. Kelly. Thanks for saving my toes ❤
Did you end up doing pointe?
@@bribri1652 i’m wondering the same thing
aw hope she’s resting in peace
Girl i was the same way when i finally was let into the class i quickly regretted it but my mom mad me stick wit it but wen the yr was up i went back to lyrical n ballet cuz its hard
16? Wtf did you dance once a week Lmfao you usually start pointe around 11 and it’s technical readiness that determines it. When I was growing up we would get put on pointe as young as 9 if we had made it to that point in our technique training now we know that your bones are not yet strong enough until around 11-12 so most will wait. But literally by 16 you are either nearly done dancing or need to be ready to be seen by companies for a job either waiting until 16 is ludicrous 🫠
You talked so fast, I'm still confused. 💀
how slow do u talk💀
Yeah, I was lost with how fast that went. Had to re-watch it.
u would not last a day in scotland lol
@@jessicaaslay okay so I wasn't the only one thinking this lolll cuz ya know shorts are short hence why they're not called longs....people always nitpicking
@@aug3842 how do you figure??? Are you hinting at tap/Irish/Scottish dancing??
I just thought it was a primal urge to take revenge on the vile shoes that only dancers understand
my mom did pointe when she was younger, probably around 25-27 years ago. she didn't do it often so we still have the pairs she has. one pair is in perfectly good condition and it's currently in my room
Why do they make the shoes that way if they know you are going to rip them apart lol. Why can’t they be more accommodating? 😢😂
Thats exactly what I was about to say
Each foot is different.. it's kinda like clay, just mold it until it feels nice n looks good
It's like your regular everyday leather shoes. They're uncomfortable at first, they need to be broken in. Except with ballet shoes you kinda need them to be broken in before you even start wearing them.
Because no one persons foot is the same and you can’t have shoes that are perfect for every body unless you go around to every single person in the world and make a different pair just for them according to their foot
@@ooolalaaa4360 I think the better question is not why are they not more accommodating but why do they then break up so quickly?
I have so much respect for y’all bc my ankles would be straight obliterated toes would be no more honestly god bless yall 😭😭😭
bruh my high ass thought she had her foot in her hand 😂😂
what you puffin
😂😂😂
Same bruh
@@owenstech1256 that humboldt zaza it hit diffrent bro
Blunt in hand died laughing at this
“My shoes are expensive custom shoes”
-girl just cut half the insides out. “Customized”
Just waiting supplies
@@robertlangston5801 it’s not though.
She said hers aren’t custom
She said you COULD get them custom
She’s correct. At the age of eleven I received my first pair of pointe shoes when I became a prima ballerina. I had to do the same exact thing. I also had to use lambs wool. Now times have changed since then as they now have better means of comfort and toe protection for dancers.
That’s so interesting! I had heard prima ballerina meant the top ballerina of a company or something like that. Is that not true or were you doing that at 11?! Either way it’s impressive !!
@@daniellelewis2152 hi yes I was one of the top dancers in the dance academy I attended. What was awesome was that we also had a 9 year old that actually received her toe shoes early. She was phenomenal. It was fun and exciting. Now that Im almost 46 I somewhat regret not continuing my dance trainings.
Toe protection now hasn’t really changed all that much! We still use lambs wool or toe pads, or some even just tape! 😅
@@ThatGurlRiRi77Cap
When I danced we would do anything to not break our shoes 😢 they were like $85 and if they broke we were in huge sh*t lol
"I'll explain this to you" I watched it twice and still no idea...
basically the ones you buy are universal and stiff, and you have 2 options. 1. not doing anything and wearing them until they mould to your feet (which is quite painful) or 2. breaking them and making it more comfortable to wear and move.
@@dawnriddler thank you for explaining, its so satisfying to hear and watch the shoes crack sound to me😂, sometimes I wish I were some ballerina, so I can experience cracking my shoes for my convenience😂
Yeah... I know why they destroy their shoes now, but I have no idea why they should need to destroy their shoes. This seems like a massive failure. Or the machinations of and extremely sadistic person.
Same.
@@dawnriddler yeah, I connected the dots. I was referring to her fast mumble. Barely can understand one word.
So what I'm getting from this is... ballet is expensive lol
Some companies pay the cost for the shoes
@@bnhalemon7098 raising a ballerina costs on average $100,000. They may be paying for the shoes but you're paying for the tuition and training
@@piaaadah I know, that ballerina/dancer was me for the first 16 years of my life
once my ballet friends brought their shoes with them to a group gaming session and they randomly started murdering their shoes when we were waiting in the queue
peak friendship
I remember my phase of wanting to pursue ballet as a casual hobby- that idea was killed by the amazing pointe ballerinas of tiktok who’ve shown me exactly how hard (and expensive) it is to partake in💀
ballet isn’t just pointe! you have to train for a very long time to be prepared for pointe. i recommend just going into basic level classes! ballet shoes are less than 30 bucks, and if you aren’t dancing daily (like professional trainer ballerinas do) they can last you a while. ballet can be casual, as any kind of dance can be, and if something you want to take up i definitely recommend it!
On top of what the other folks have said, there's a difference between dead shoes and ugly shoes. Professionals need performance ready shoes, but for class it's not uncommon to have shoes that are scuffed up, dirty, and peeling.
On average $100,000 to raise a ballerina
I'm glad I didn't keep going to ballet practice. Really expensive plus what happens to thier feet.
@@piaaadah lol pp k lol
normal people with normal shoes: **puts shoes on and leaves**
her: “so anyway, i started blasting”
it’s kinda like breaking in doc martens?! they definitely drive my feet crazy until theyre fully broken in, i can just imagine the pain when you’re DANCING in shoes that aren’t. shout out to you for doing a beautiful and painful art
That's what I was wondering. I've always thought breaking in Docs were the worst, but they are always so nice after.
My friends always made comments about how easy it seemed for me to break in my docs. But after pointe shoes they were a breeze, also all the nerve endings in my feet were dead.
Omg yes! the stages of breaking in Docs for me is 3 times before I can wear them without getting blisters
You can get doc's in nappa leather, it's essentially pre broken in. Mine were super comfy from day 1.
nicks boots break in is a process too. dear god...
Man I love paying $90-$200 on some new pointe shoes only to have to destroy them before even using them
i need to go find some asmr of ballerinas cracking their shoes😭😭
Fr tho😂
Right
Totally!! Cracking ballerina shoes, lacing boxing gloves, soccer cleats on pavement, tightening tennis racket strings .... an ASMR channel of quiet athletic sounds would be awesome.
ua-cam.com/video/zCTOFaYXC2E/v-deo.html
Ong
Im a dancer(mostly hiphop focused tho) and when i was younger and discovered ballerinas did this with their pointe shoes,i started doing something similar with my regular shoes and dance shoes so they’d hurt less when tried them out for the first time and honestly its a life changing trick
The one career you couldn't pay me enough to put myself through
I could think of a few more 😂😂😂
@@sampdickles5095 “having sex with old ladies for money, and bear traps. Those are my two bugga-boos.” I’ll never pass a chance to quote step brothers 😂
@@canseeno1shit if I had to choose between sex with old ladies or being a ballerina your grandma is gonna be very happy.
It doesn't pay well to be an adult dancer too
Pointe shoes are very expensive, and painful to break in, especially if you forget to clip your tonails or lose one of your toe pads. I had a classmate from school one day ask me, "why do you do ballet if it hurts your feet?" and I had to explain to him that it's what every dancer works up to. And it's totally worth it when you get your first pair of pointe shoes. Pointe is so exciting and fun, and if you're a dancer (or are thinking about becoming one) I would definitely encourage it. I was nervous at first because I knew how awful ballerinas feet got, but when I started dancing I immediately loved it and decided I would do whatever it took to continue. Idk why I'm telling you thus, but if you needed to hear this then... great! Have fun dancing ❤️
I’m expecting that shoe to glow at night 😂
😆
Underrated comment 😂
Twice a week of this sounds actually insane
They do this because new ballet shoes are VERY stiff and VERY hard and near impossible to work into to mold to your feet. So they have to help the shoe along so that it will fit to their feet better and cause less damage
Some people asked why the shoes are made like this in the first place and I have a couple of answers (though I’m not an expert so feel free to fact check me): beginning pointe dancers will likely have weaker ankles so the extra support is needed. And like others have said, every ballerina has their own preferences. There are a million different ways to customize them how you want so it’s good that everyone just buys the base pair so that they can do whatever the want with them. Lastly, I don’t think there’s much that can be done to help these shoes to be more wearable or whatever. The box in the toe part is where you stand on the tops of your toes. It’s actually made of tons of cardboard layers pasted together. No matter what, you’re going to hurt since your body is not designed for this at all. Imagine the pain you’d feel if you decided to hold the weight of your body while only being able to be on the tips of your toes. It feels horrible! Most of the other materials that could be used just won’t hold up to the task bc they’re either too soft so you’ll sink and hurt yourself or too hard so you’ll hurt yourself. Pointe shoes will never be fantastic similar to why even the best pair of high heels will often still hurt if you wore them all day. More can be done with high heels though. But either way, your body can only take so much of it. These are just my opinions on the knowledge I have. Check other sources before regurgitating these talking points 👍
N ❤️
So why aren't there diff types of shoes for diff levels?
I second the point made by Dez! It seems like an advanced dancer doesn’t even want to support provided by a traditional shank going all the way up the arch (seeing as how the girl in this vid broke her shank intentionally) so maybe make “advanced shoes” have a significantly shortened shank?
Hearing them pop and crunch is a stange yet soothing ASMR for me. I can't help but love it.
It sounds nostalgic to me like visiting an old loved one
Was thinking of putting my daughter through ballet. Now I don’t wanna put myself through ballet 😂
i do ballet everyday and i get through only 1 per week...if anyone is new to ballet/needs new pointe shoe ideas i recommend basically anything from bloch they work really well. they feel not as uncomfortable at first as other pointe shoes ive tried...they also make me look more graceful and elegant but thats just my opinion xoxoxoxo
Bloch's box was too square for me. I needed a more tapered box.
@@jeaniehat yeah personally i could work with either but i also prefer a more tapered box...but bloch seem to last longer than any other pointe shoe i tried so ig ill stick with them
@@missviktoriya You have to do what works for you!
so, you buy these in bulk?
@@JugglingFinance not really i get them free from my studio
So crazy that it takes all of this pain and discomfort. But you would never know from looking at them dance.
I'm just so in love with any video about ballerinas making their shoes more comfortable, is so relaxing in some weird way....
Their chiropractors for pointe shoes😂
These are definitely days I do not miss. I miss dancing, but I hated having to break my shoes in.
I remember many days of shoving my point shoes into our studio’s break room door to break in the arches
I wanted to be a ballerina so badly growing up. I remember watching that opening scene in Center Stage of them breaking their shoes in and I loved it! I was so mesmerized by it all.
What a film! The red dress😍
Yesss same
Considering the fact that I didn’t know any of this before mindlessly scrolling on UA-cam…no this did not clear anything up. In fact, I have more questions…
my first ballet teacher didn't tell us about breaking our shoes so we danced on unbroken shoes until they broke themselves then she'd force us to get new ones so we'd be back in unbroken shoes. the amount of injuries I had from not only the shoes but from being so unexperianced is insane
Well actually that’s what ur supposed to do… if it was your first couple of pairs then your foot wouldn’t have been strong enough and they would have had to adapt to the shoes and have the shoe adapt to your foot. Breaking them in naturally strengthens your foot and prevents a shit tone of injuries. And when your teacher got you to get new ones after they broke in, it was because again, your foot was not strong enough to withstand the broken in shoe and would have led to very very many ankle injuries. But of course as you get older your foot is strong enough and you can dance in broken in shoes for much longer, but of course not to long to wear them out, and also you get to break in your shoes normally like in this vid cause your feet don’t have to go through that process anymore. Trust me, what your teacher did was perfect and what should be done, and as for the injuries you received, it pretty much happens to every dancer whenever they first go on pointe. And you are muchhhhhhh more susceptible to injuries in a broken in and worn out shoe then you are to unbroken in shoes, and tbh I think shoes that haven’t been broken in are probably when the least amount of injuries are prone to occur
That's what you should be doing as a student. This process is more for professionals. Breaking in your shoes naturally helps strengthen your feet.
@@ooolalaaa4360 got it, so my issues were from her lack of explanation rather then her lack of care. She never really explained much, she never told us why she's take our shoes the second they'd break, she never told us why we were being forced to wear them the entire rehearsal even though our feet hurt, and she never explained fully why she had the teaching methods she did.
@@lyndsay._.x yeah I would say it was completely the teachers fault for not informing any of her students of the method she was using. Must have been confusing not knowing why you were going through a hell of a lot of pain
“They feel like bricks when they’re brand new” And the only last 3-7 days?? They must just be getting somewhat comfortable and it’s time to break in a new pair 😭
The amount of time they last depends on how much you wear them. Professionals are dancing for several hours most days of the week so they wear out faster than someone who wears them for one hour once a week
I dont understand why there are no alternatives like why is no shoemaker making shoes so that you dont need to break them
Basically every dancer needs incredibly minute differences in there shoes - making enough variety to accommodate everyone would be impossible. It also comes down to the life of the shoe. Pointe shoes are made with layers of glue and fabric, which is what makes them so hard. If they were made softer, they would die faster or not be usable since the structure is what's supporting the body weight on the toes. Usually professionals are in companies, though, and most companies pay for your shoes. Professionals also need their shoes at a specific point quickly (say a week's worth of "break in" in two days) for a performance, which is another reason to manually break shoes. Students who are still learning should only be going through 1-4 pair a year, and for the most part should not be destroying their shoes like this. It's incredibly easy and likely that they would do something wrong for their foot or take something too far and make the shoe too broken to use safely, which means buying another $70-$100 pair. For beginning point students they just wear them out of the box and break them in by dancing in them at class, molding the shoe to their foot through heat and moisture generated through use. That's not only better for the shoe, but builds strength in the dancer's foot.
I get the reason for destroying your shoes and I get that diferent ballerinas and performances require breaking the shoe in diferent ways.
What Im confused about is why is this a DIY project when they are "Custom made" shouldnt the shoe maker ask you, what are your needs and make it so.
Even if it doesnt come out perfect your essentialy paying someone to make something for you only to tear it apart and put it together again how you want.
It just sounds like you could have asked instead of building a shoe twice.
Ps I dont know anything about Ballet please educate me.
I broke in my pointe shoes right before class just to get that last little crunch and my friend was like we have class in 2 minutes 😂
It is interesting to see how ballerina's have each their own customization's they do. It makes sense that a generic shoe is not going to suit everyone and that you would want to customize it so its not making so much noise and other things for esthetics and comfort. Respect
i feel like making a great shoe for these dancers is an unlocked market just waiting
If you can do what every shoemaker has been unable to do for 200 years than yeah you can make a bunch of money
@@Sb_747 Can't they pre-bludgeon them before selling them? :D
@@Etianen7 Not really, since every dancer has different specific needs, so needs the shoes broken in different places. There are some brands that use synthetic materials that are designed to not need breaking in, such as Gaynor Minden, but they're usually more expensive, not everyone likes them, and a lot of companies are sponsored by other brands which limits the options for most professional dancers (e.g. New York City Ballet are sponsored by Freed of London, so all of their dancers have to wear Freed; The Australian Ballet are sponsored by Bloch, so their dancers wear Bloch). It's also usually recommended that students who are new to pointe break in their shoes gradually by wearing them because the shoes last longer and the students can better build strength in their feet, whereas professionals need their shoes broken in right away and generally already have strong feet. Some dancers also prefer customising shoes themselves as it allows them to bond with their shoes.
@@caityjayde96 Thank you!
im a young dancer and im at a small studio so i’d go through shoes once a year probably. i only have dance once a week too. but the more professional it is the more you use it and the faster it wears down. i could totally see it being once or twice a week for her
When I was dancing, which was for a small studio and for fun, never to become a professional. I also only went through 1-2 pairs a year. I’ve heard it’s better to not break them in like a professional when you’re new to pointe because you still need to build the strength in your feet. It also helps you figure out what you like in a shoe. Do what works for you and your circumstances.
Someone should create a new design. That’s just crazy.
Every dancer needs incredibly minute differences in there shoes - making enough variety to accommodate everyone would be impossible. It also comes down to the life of the shoe. Pointe shoes are made with layers of glue and fabric, which is what makes them so hard. If they were made softer, they would die faster or not be usable since the structure is what's supporting the body weight on the toes. Usually professionals are in companies, though, and most companies pay for your shoes. Professionals also need their shoes at a specific point quickly (say a week's worth of "break in" in two days) for a performance, which is another reason to manually break shoes. Students who are still learning should only be going through 1-4 pair a year, and for the most part should not be destroying their shoes like this. It's incredibly easy and likely that they would do something wrong for their foot or take something too far and make the shoe too broken to use safely, which means buying another $70-$100 pair. For beginning point students they just wear them out of the box and break them in by dancing in them at class, molding the shoe to their foot through heat and moisture generated through use. That's not only better for the shoe, but builds strength in the dancer's foot.
@@Izzy-cp8yt, thank you for taking the time to give an understandable answer to those that do not dance. I always feel such empathy for dancers feet! Now I understand more. 💖
@@blue_moon6490 of course! I've danced all my life (and got my degree in it!) so I like sharing it with others!
@@Izzy-cp8yt, it is a beautiful gift to the World, to dance! A joy to watch! Thank you. ✨
we going to need a ASMR of them shoes 😳
I saw a girl whos glue started melting and had to cut her foot out of her shoe😭, she was arpund 18-19 too, ballet point is..well something id never be able to do
I've dated a couple dancers, and their poor feet. The amount of personal discomfort and straight up pain that they go through to achieve their careers and to make ten thousand people stand and cheer, is incredible and earns my respect. Cheers ladies. Underneath those beautiful faces lays a heart that beats fiercely.
@@SickTwisted Doctors don’t have to preform surgery on someone that’s dying. Regardless of how many years they spent learning how to preform a surgery they don’t deserve recognition. They chose that career. A hairdresser who now has arthritis at 30 doesn’t deserve a break because they chose that career. A parent deciding to go hungry so their kid can eat something doesn’t deserve a thank you. They chose to have that kid. Apparently, just like how a dance who chose to dance deserves no recognition.
If thats your logic nobody deserves anything. We all choose to be alive. Some of us may be making sacrifices to do something we and other people enjoy/need but thats not respect worthy. I usually say have a good day, but nobody has done anything respect worthy.
Some people respect seeing people work hard to achieve their goals. He didn't say everyone has to respect them, he said he does 🤷
@@chelseathibodeaux7029 its stupid
@@justsomeone2391 I commend you. You shut them down better than anyone else could’ve done.
@@SickTwisted it's literally your fault for existing. Don't expect anyone to respect or love you. 🥴
I never thought id say “that’s actually pretty interesting” about ballerina shoes in my life. But here I am.
The point shoe gets a whole chiropractor session
The reason that pointe shoes come blank like that and not customized to you is bc it’s like a blank canvas and the dancers are artists. They “break” them and all that to make it mold better to their feet. If they don’t it’s just gonna be like a brick on your foot that doesn’t fit.
- a ballet dancer myself
Hope this cleared up some of the confusion!
Me: *gets my first pair of pointe shoes*
My mom: “don’t ruin them!”
Me: 😏
This is literally a true story. Today I got my first pair of pointe shoes and my mom said, “don’t ruin them,” and I was just like, “oh mother..”
Oh dear, if those are your first pointe shoes, you really shouldn’t follow what professionals do to their shoes! You can softly help them mold to your feet, but don’t abuse them!
You aren't supposed to do any of this if you're not a professional- young students with their first pair are supposed to literally just dance in them - dancing breaks them in. Your feet are not strong enough yet to completely hold you up by themselves, and it's the shoes that, as you dance in them and they get gradually softer, make your foot gradually work harder and harder, which makes them gradually stronger and stronger. It is not recommended for any non professionals to "break in" their shoes at all- dancing breaks them in. You have enough time to do this, (professionals don't) and as you dance in them, they will soften in the right way. Professionals already have strongest feet and go through so many because they are dancing in them full time all day every day, and their companies pay for new ones so it's not expensive for the dancer. Each performance has to be in new shoes too, and that's why they break them in like this so they're at their perfect softness for dancing that performance, and only that performance, and they "break" right after this, sometimes mid performance. For non professionals, especially your first pair, do not do anything to them other than put them on and dance in them, you could and will seriously injure yourself if you make your pointe shoes too soft for your feet to cope with, given they have not built that strength yet. And those injuries last a lifetime. It is dancing in the non broken in pointe shoes that strengthens your feet properly, please don't disadvantage yourself. Josephine from the Pointe Shop is an excellent youtube resource on how shoes should fit and how unique it all is and this kind of information, watch her fittings of first pair of pointe shoe videos - they're very interesting and informative. As a commenter above said, non professionals really shouldn't be going through more that 2- 4 pairs a year, and it really should be on the lower end of that scale. I promise you, I have done ballet and pointe, please don't do this to your shoes you could and will really hurt yourself if you do. There's a lot of misinformation about this and the media focuses on the alarmist shocking things to get people's attention, but it just seriously and dangerously misinforms everyone about ballet, and what this is even for. Especially younger students. This is not for non professionals.
Professionals know exactly how their feet break in their shoes because they have spent 10+ years dancing in their shoes - only - to break them in, and when they do this - by hand- they are getting it ready to be at the perfect point of softness for dancing for the next few hours, then it will break. So they know exactly how their foot and dancing will break in a shoe, but they don't have months to do it, so they do it with their hands. But their feet are strong enough to hold their body up by themselves because they are in their 20s and up and have been dancing since the age if 3 or 5. And danced in pointe shoes in their teenage years without doing anything to them other than putting them on and dancing in them.
You need to do that to. Please be safe and don't disadvantage yourself. Strengthen your feet properly with your shoes and let your feet only soften them. Xxxx
@@electriclllady Yes, don’t worry. I know I’m not supposed to break in my shoes like this. What I was trying to say is my mom thinks the shoes will stay brand new forever, when they will clearly wear out at some point. I didn’t mean it like that at all.
@@bobaxxedits9748 Oh thank goodness!!!! I've come across so many young people thinking they have to do this when they get their pointe shoes - and I'm- so!- worried that this kind of misinformation spreading will hurt them and a lot of new to pointe dancers - I don't want anyone to hurt themselves!! Phew!!!@ Thank you for replying and putting me at ease hehe 💓 💗 💖
Regardless they will last a long time, we actually used to get the front top of the pointe shoes covered with like a leather sort of sole at a shoe cobbler - everyone in my dance school had to - it did mean that the tip with the satin didn't rip because it was covered - not quite as pretty but I think it did prolong their life a bit! Xxxx