Jet Glue, Pointe Fit & a Video!
Hey all! Well I jet glued my new Capezio Contemporas, and it worked EXTREMELY well! I definitely overglued a few spots, try to never do that. When it soaks through the whole shoe it turns the satin this weird orange color and it never goes away. Oh well. I fully anticipate needing to buy another pair before our....... RECITAL!!!!! My teacher approved me to be in the pointe number at the recital, the beginning girls aren't allowed to, but I am. I'm still behind other students in a few areas, but I'm progressing very fast now that I have the proper shoes. More on the recital later.
So I didn't exactly use Jet Glue brand glue, but I did get extra super super glue from home depot. I also got spray shellac just in case. I still might do that, but anyways--- I jet glued the whole box of my pointes, inside only. You have to get glue that isn't in gel form, it needs to be runny. The best glue will turn the shoe warm as it goes through the hardening process. It will be fluid and you'll be able to swirl it around the shoe where you need it to go. I glued the sides of my shank and the wings too, for as much support as possible. The shoes are molded perfectly to my feet and they are very comfortable. I glued a little thick on one small area, and it gives me a blister if I don't tape, so I use 3M clear medical tape.
It's stretchy and you can't even tell it's on when you put it on your foot. The only other padding I wear is toe spacers and ouch pouches.
I really can't stress the importance of fit in a pair of shoes enough. Now that I know what it took for me to find the perfect pair, it stresses me out to hear my classmates are buying shoes from retailers that only carry one brand and style of shoe. There is one girl in particular in my class that really struggles. She's got poor flexibility in her ankles and can't get over her box. She has to bend her knees to get up there. She's in the beginner class, and her shoes don't look like they fit her at all. If she's in as much pain as I was in my 2nd pair, I don't blame her!! The shoes don't conform to her arch at all. I think she has an extremely hard shank or she's really in a lot of pain. They've all said that they are dancing on the same shoes they wore last semester, some have been wearing their shoes for 2 years!! I could not believe it. Pointe shoes are only supposed to last for 4-6 weeks tops! Even for one hour a week, after three or four months they should be totally dead. It just makes me want to open my own pointe fitting shop.
Anyways. I'm not saying I'm a perfect dancer by any means. I definitely have my strengths, more weaknesses than strengths maybe, but I really am starting to see consistent and fast progression. I really attribute this to the fact that I have shoes that really fit me. I don't have to worry that my toenails might fall off from the pain, or that I can't roll through my demi pointe. I can't imagine I'd progress at all if I didn't have that security. A pointe shoe should be an extension of your foot, not a torture device.
So my first home practice session with my new shoes was a little shaky. As I mentioned before, the platform on these new shoes is much smaller than my last pair, and I'm trying to practice things like pas de bourree, getting comfortable springing onto pointe in passe. I admit I do wobble and fall off of pointe a bit in this video, but I'm trying to safely get used to this platform.
I'll post videos more often now to show my progression!
Happy Dancing!
So I didn't exactly use Jet Glue brand glue, but I did get extra super super glue from home depot. I also got spray shellac just in case. I still might do that, but anyways--- I jet glued the whole box of my pointes, inside only. You have to get glue that isn't in gel form, it needs to be runny. The best glue will turn the shoe warm as it goes through the hardening process. It will be fluid and you'll be able to swirl it around the shoe where you need it to go. I glued the sides of my shank and the wings too, for as much support as possible. The shoes are molded perfectly to my feet and they are very comfortable. I glued a little thick on one small area, and it gives me a blister if I don't tape, so I use 3M clear medical tape.
It's stretchy and you can't even tell it's on when you put it on your foot. The only other padding I wear is toe spacers and ouch pouches.
I really can't stress the importance of fit in a pair of shoes enough. Now that I know what it took for me to find the perfect pair, it stresses me out to hear my classmates are buying shoes from retailers that only carry one brand and style of shoe. There is one girl in particular in my class that really struggles. She's got poor flexibility in her ankles and can't get over her box. She has to bend her knees to get up there. She's in the beginner class, and her shoes don't look like they fit her at all. If she's in as much pain as I was in my 2nd pair, I don't blame her!! The shoes don't conform to her arch at all. I think she has an extremely hard shank or she's really in a lot of pain. They've all said that they are dancing on the same shoes they wore last semester, some have been wearing their shoes for 2 years!! I could not believe it. Pointe shoes are only supposed to last for 4-6 weeks tops! Even for one hour a week, after three or four months they should be totally dead. It just makes me want to open my own pointe fitting shop.
Anyways. I'm not saying I'm a perfect dancer by any means. I definitely have my strengths, more weaknesses than strengths maybe, but I really am starting to see consistent and fast progression. I really attribute this to the fact that I have shoes that really fit me. I don't have to worry that my toenails might fall off from the pain, or that I can't roll through my demi pointe. I can't imagine I'd progress at all if I didn't have that security. A pointe shoe should be an extension of your foot, not a torture device.
So my first home practice session with my new shoes was a little shaky. As I mentioned before, the platform on these new shoes is much smaller than my last pair, and I'm trying to practice things like pas de bourree, getting comfortable springing onto pointe in passe. I admit I do wobble and fall off of pointe a bit in this video, but I'm trying to safely get used to this platform.
I'll post videos more often now to show my progression!
Happy Dancing!
Happy to know your glue worked! And yes, don’t use too much glue on any spot; not only that will leave residue and mar the beauty of your object; it could also affect the strength of bonding. Good luck with your dancing progress. May you do better now that you have the proper shoe. =) Shannon @ InstantCA.com
ReplyDelete