How To Repair Draw String In Pointe Shoe

Our eight Best Pointe Shoe Hacks

It turns out that TikTok is good for more than just viral dance challenges. Case in point: We recently stumbled across this genius pointe shoe hack for dancers with narrow heels.

what I expected to get viral on TikTok for:-my cat that tin exercise backflips-video of the dog cafe I live across from… https://t.co/QQHqOOwxsQ

— Minnie Lane (@Minnie Lane)1581646365.0

Dancers are full of all kinds of crafty tricks to make their pointe shoes piece of work for them. But don't fear: You don't need to spend hours scrolling TikTok to find the best pro tips. We rounded up a few of our favorites published in Dance Magazine over the years.

If your vamp isn't long plenty, run up an elastic on summit of your metatarsals.

Last year, Pacific Northwest Ballet main Elizabeth Tater admitted to the states that her toes used to flop all the way out of her shoes when she rose up onto pointe(!). "I have really long toes and stock shoes never had a vamp long enough," she says.

Her fix? Sewing a piece of rubberband (close to the drawstring but without going through it) at the top of the vamp for more support…and also special-ordering higher vamps.

Solve corns with toe socks

Nashville Ballet's Sarah Cordia told us in 2022 that toe socks are her underground weapon: "I get soft corns in between my toes because I have sweaty feet. Wearing toe socks helps keep that surface area dry. I found a half-toe sock called 'five-toe heelless one-half-boat socks' that I now habiliment in my pointe shoes."

(For other padding game-changers, check out these six ideas.)

Save time by recycling ribbons and elastics.

Don't waste time measuring new ribbons and elastics for every pair. Washington Ballet dancer Ashley Murphy-Wilson told united states that she keeps and cycles through about 10 sets of ribbons and crisscross elastics. "Information technology makes sewing new pairs easier because the ribbons and elastic are already at the right length," she says. Bonus: This also makes your pointe shoe habit more than environmentally friendly.

Close-up of hands sewing a pointe shoe. — Murphy-Wilson sewing her shoes

xmbphotography, past Mena Brunette, courtesy The Washington Ballet

Tie your drawstring on demi-pointe.

In 2007
, New York Metropolis Ballet'due south Megan Fairchild gave us this tip for making sure her drawstring stays tight: "I always necktie it in demi-pointe considering that is when there's the biggest gap and where there's the most bagginess on the side."

Find a stronger thread.

When it comes to keeping your ribbons on, function trumps form—audiences won't be able to see your stitches from the phase. Many dancers use floss as a stronger, more secure alternative to thread. Fairchild told us she uses thick crochet thread. "Before I go onstage I sew a couple of stitches in the knot of the ribbon to tack the ends," she says. "I do a large '10.' I take to brand sure information technology's perfect considering I'g in it for the show. It'south always the very last thing I do."

Don't simply reorder your shoes on autopilot.

Even as adults, our feet go on growing and spreading as we historic period. Atlanta podiatrist Frank Sinkoe suggests going to a professional pointe shoe fitter at to the lowest degree once a yr to make certain yous're in the right shoe.

You might even need different sizes at dissimilar times of the year, says New York Metropolis Ballet podiatric consultant Thomas Novella. During busy periods and in warm conditions, your feet might be bigger than during boring periods in the winter. Have different pairs gear up for what your feet demand at present.

Fit both feet.

Don't forget that your feet might even exist two dissimilar sizes. "If you're getting toenail bruises, blood blisters or other signs of compression, but only on 1 foot, have someone bank check each pes's size," Novella says. The solution? Purchase two pairs at a time—one for the correct foot and one for the left.

Wash off the sweat.

Blisters thrive in a sweaty pointe shoe. Whenever you tin, accept your feet out of your shoes betwixt rehearsals and give them a quick rinse off in the sink. "If anxiety sweat, they should be done periodically during the 24-hour interval with soap and water and dried well, specially between the toes," says Sinkoe.