A Good Pointe, Part 2

Here is Part 1, if you haven’t read it yet.

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The owner of Encore Dancewear, Sharon, brought us to the back and studied Jocelyn’s feet first.  She took my girl’s hand, prompted her to flatten her fingers, and gently squeezed them together to demonstrate how the toes should be arranged and feel once they’re in the shoe (crowded, but not curled or overlapping).  Sharon went on to explain that the dancer, once in the shoes, should be able to “feel the floor and be aware of the floor, but not feel full-on pressure.”  Then she began to try several pairs on Jocelyn, and was satisfied with pair #4.  Guiding her over to the small barre and mirror, she directed Jocelyn through a quick succession of some stances.  Finally, she prompted Jocelyn to go up en pointe (I MAY have felt a tear form in my eye, perhaps…).  After a bit of checking, these shoes were declared to be the winners.  Jocelyn posed for a picture, and then it was Jayden’s turn.

True to Jayden form, there was a slight complication with the older of the two twins (by just a minute, but she lords it over Jocelyn as if it’s some mark of high nobility).  As has been the case for some time, her left foot is about half a size longer than her right foot. This meant that a different set of toe pads would be needed for her, to offset the difference.  Luckily, they had a pair in stock.  If those do not work, Sharon explained, we should come back to the store to see what else can be done to make the adjustment.  She suggested that, once her dance teacher approves them, we should mark the left and right shoes to keep track of which shoe “belongs” to each foot.  Jayden completed the same steps at the barre as Jocelyn had, posed for her picture (at this moment, I noticed a small tear in her tights and inwardly sighed), and joined her sister in choosing a mesh bag.

Sharon took the time to explain to the girls that the shoes need to remain “hard” as long as possible; wet, sweaty shoes do not last as long, so they need to be taken out and hung up to air out every night.  She asked who would be sewing them; both girls looked at me in utter bewilderment.  I said that I would do it the first time, but I’m expecting them to learn and take over soon.  I agree with the assessment she shared; if you’re old enough to be en pointe, you’re old enough to sew your own shoes (I’ll keep everyone posted on how that goes).

After packing up the toe pads, ribbons, mesh bags, a special sewing kit, and shoes, she handed each girl her bag, a gold pin (featuring a pair of pointe shoes), and a kiss (the Hershey’s kind, lol).  She instructed the girls to have their teacher approve them, and let her know if there’s anything else we needed.  My girls chatted about it excitedly the whole way home; it was wonderful to hear, as I knew that they finally felt like they were a part of a serious, focused community of dancers.  

Thankfully, the bill didn’t amount to nearly as much as what I’ve heard from some dance moms (less than $300 for both girls, which included all the accessories I mentioned above).  I plan on helping them take good care of their shoes so they last as long as possible, and they know that I’ll insist they buy the next pair themselves if they drop the ball.  

Overall, it was a great experience.  Surprisingly, I only teared up a bit and kept my emotions pretty well hidden (at least, I think so).  But all bets are going to be off when I finally see them perform en pointe for the first time; I just know I’m going to engage full-on blubbering mode. I’ll always think they’re beautiful, but know they’ll be even more so when they’re up en pointe.

Work hard, have fun! – Danielle