Is it possible to get custom made pointe shoes?

Question

I'm a recreational dancer, and not even a great one at that. But I love ballet, and I have had such a hard time finding pointe shoes which fit. I currently wear Grishko Elites which are good, but still have problems. I've wasted a lot of money on pointe shoes which end up only working for a few classes before I realize that I just cannot dance in them.

I've tried Bloch European Balance, Bloch Aspiration, Bloch B-Morph, Grishko Elite, Gaynor Minden, Bloch Serenade Strong and Repetto La Carlotta. And I've only been on pointe for 3 years.

The problem is, I have quite wide feet in the metatarsal area, and a low arch/instep. My heels aren't as wide, so there's generally some bagging around the heel and the sides of my foot. But I have to get a wide width so I can get my foot in the box. The Grishko Elites are good, because they have a wide box and a low vamp (I can't deal with longer vamps, I can't get over the box) but they die so quickly and I end up going too far over.

So I was thinking, is it possible to get custom made pointe shoes if you're not a professional dancer? And if so, how would I go about doing this? I have no idea how the process works, or where I would order them from, or how much they would cost.

Any information on this (or recommendations of pointe shoe brands to try) would be extremely helpful.

Answer 1

Freed of London pointe shoes can be personalized... I have a few friends that get them made customized to their feet. I think you have to go to the Freed of London website and order them, you can also call them and email them to know what you have to do. Also I wear Gaynor Minden and they also offer custom pointe shoes :)

Answer 2

Custom Pointe Shoes

Answer 3

Hi! I don't know if you've found shoes that work for you yet, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents when I came across the post. I highly reccomend looking into Russian Pointes. If you can find a store near you that carries them, it would be best to get fitted the first time. I have a lot of the problems that you mentioned myself, particularly the shape of my foot, and these shoes have easily been the most versatile and easy to play with until I found what worked.



After you get fitted you can order them online or go back into the store. I order mine special from Russian Pointe because I have some very specific requirements. My shoes are RP Rubins in the Jewels collection. Russian Pointe has 6 widths, 6 shank strenghts, and 3 different vamps to choose from depending on the model of the shoe. They even tell you what shaped foot is best for each model- tapered heel, tapered toes, high or low profile/crown, box width and shape, etc. There are 3 collections for a total of 9 models, plus a shankless demi-pointe shoe. This is as close to custom as it gets before you actually oder custom shoes from a company like Freed of London. They are a little bit pricier, costing about $88.



Hope this helps. Here's Russian Pointe's website- www.russianpointe.com

The owner actually did videos on how to fit the shoes if you're interested. They are on the site with the fitting guide.

Answer 4

I am aware that Grishko makes customary pointe shoes (I will link the site in my source down below.) I am just not aware on the cost or exactly how you can order it (my apologies!)



But I do understand trying different brands to find the "perfect" shoe. I recommend Chacotts, "Veronese II". The color isn't as pink as other pointe shoes, but I've always loved them. They last me an extremely long time, because I have to buy pointe shoes every two weeks.



I will be a little biest though about Grishko's, because those are my all time favorite for my feet. ;) If you are still interested in Grishko's, I recommend 2007's (they come in Super Soft shank if your arch really needs that kind of support) they lasted a lot longer than my Grishko Ulanovas did.



One last thing! Have you tried the super glue trick? Placing a bit of super glue (I recommend to do this when the box starts to get a little soft, and only once) INSIDE the shoe, so it covers the tip of the box, let it dry for maximum of twenty-four hours. I encourage you to do more research on it, because it has saved a months worth on my Grishko 2007's.

Answer 5

Hello im a custom shoe designer. I would love to help you . I make shoes for every occasion. Plz email me so you can look at my shoes:) My email Is [e-mail] You can come up with any design you want I have done thousands of different shoes you couldn't even think of but plz just give me a chance i promise I'll surprise you!:)

Answer 6

You should go to a dance supply store that offers pointe shoe fitting services. The people in charge of this are extremely experienced and can give you the best advice possible. Just go on the Internet and search for pointe shoe fittings in your area.

Answer 7

Try getting a strong in the Grishko elites if they're dying on you too easily.