This weekend we had a great group fitting with a group of girls from Chicago Ballet Center with their teacher, Paul Abrahamson or Mr. A according to his students.
We spent the morning finding the perfect shoe for each student. As this was the first pair of pointe shoes for the girls, we first discussed their dancing, then found the right toe pads, and then got to trying on shoes. Over the course of the day we must have pulled about 50 pairs of shoes!
A benefit of this fitting was having teacher, Mr. A, involved. He gave great corrections on the girls’ technique to make sure we could see how the shoe worked on their feet. Most important was feeling their strength all the way from their hips down through their second toe allowing them to balance evenly over the platform of their shoes. Frequently, Mr. A said, “Get down to get up” as he pulled his hands away from each other in front of him to visually demonstrate what he was saying.
Fitting four girls back to back also reiterated the precise nature of fitting pointe shoes and how we as fitters must be attuned to each individual’s needs. Each girl ended up with a different shoe. Lucy got the Grishko 2007. The smaller platform and rounded box allowed her to get completely over her platform. Fernanda got the Russian Pointe Almaz which beautifully highlighted her arches but also had enough strength to prevent her from pushing too far over. Ruby got the Principal J whose square box both supported her toes but allowed them enough room. And finally, Claire got a Gamba shoe that supported her flexible ankles.
Overall, it was a very successful day and it was a joy to work with an up and coming group of dedicated dancers and their equally enthusiastic and supportive teacher.
Learn more about The Chicago Ballet Center here.