A Good Pointe, Part 1

It is a proud day when a dancer is told that she is ready to go en pointe.  For most dancers, it marks a rite of passage that is achieved when they have demonstrated maturity, strength, and technical prowess.  It means that they have “made it” in their teacher’s eyes, and that the studio staff has faith in them and their abilities.  They truly feel that they are being officially welcomed into the ballet world, and the day of their first fitting is a noteworthy occasion.

For the past year or so, my daughters have been anxiously awaiting the day that their dance teacher would give them the go-ahead to make an appointment for a pointe shoe fitting.  Being among the youngest girls in their class, I kept reminding them that they may not be deemed “ready” as soon as the other dancers and that they needed to remain patient.  Then COVID hit the world, and their pointe plans were put on an indefinite hold.  While they seldom talked about it, I knew it bothered them at least a little.

This month, they were finally given the green light to make the appointment.  When they got into the car after class, they were bubbling with excitement as they told me the news.  I mustered the appropriate amount of enthusiasm as best as I could; while I was beyond proud that they had reached this momentous milestone, I couldn’t help but worry about the financial aspect of purchasing not only the shoes themselves, but also all of the accessories that go with them. 

After years of listening to the experiences of other veteran dance moms, I knew the cost would be fairly high; while our family is rich with love and laughter, we are not rich with monetary resources.  While some dancers make a day trip to a metropolitan city for their appointment, finances (and COVID) dictated that our experience would be much more low-key.

I went ahead and made the appointment at a local, well-established dance supply store (Encore in Toms River, New Jersey); I had bought my own shoes there when I was a dancer (many moons ago), and sent my dance team girls there for their supplies over the years.  It just took a quick phone call, and I marked the day on the calendar.  Every afternoon, my girls would excitedly tell me how many days it was until their appointment.  Their enthusiasm was contagious, and I started becoming excited for them.

On the day of the appointment, I directed them to find a suitable leo, ballet tights without holes (if you know my rough-and-tumble girls, this is a fairly tall order), and to put their hair in a bun. My insistence that they wear a bun was met with a less-than-enthusiastic response.  I reminded them that they needed to dress the part if they were to be properly initiated into the pointe world, and that included wearing a ballerina’s hair.  Besides, I wanted some good pictures, dang it.

As was to be expected, one girl’s leo had a tear in the mesh embellishment and the other girl’s underwear could be seen along the leg line.  I sent them both upstairs to quickly change and adjust (seriously, I KNOW they have access to mirrors).  There was some residual pouting, but we were in danger of running late so I quickly ushered them out of the door.

To read how the rest of the appointment went (and see a VIDEO of trying shoes on), go to: A Good Pointe, Part 2

Work hard, have fun! – Danielle