The Eternal Debate: Are Gaynor Mindens "Cheater Shoes"?
While I was researching Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, I read many reviews on them to get an idea what to expect. I was shocked to read so many debates over these new revolutionary shoes. People call them "cheater" shoes.
What are people saying about these shoes? They say that the elastomer shank props you up onto pointe, which means the shoes do all of the work for you.
Now that I've tried them for myself, I have some opinions of my own. Here's my take.
After pointe class on Wednesday, I was extremely sore. Like, the kind of sore I experienced after my first few weeks en pointe, as my muscles were getting used to the new stresses I was putting myself through. I've been taking class regularly and practicing at home since August, and I haven't experienced this kind of "sore" in months.
I believe that the composition of these shoes cause your feet and muscles to work in different ways. I think the emphasis is moved from one set of muscles to another. My feet are still sore recovering from Wednesday's class-- would my feet be this sore if the shoes were doing all of the work? I don't think so. I do not believe these shoes to be cheater shoes at all.
That said, I think these could very easily be cheater shoes for most if they've got the wrong shank hardness. I'm working with an extraflex shank, but I'm able to fully roll through my demi pointe area. I can stand on demi with the box flat on the floor, and my arches fully extended and the shoe don't pop me up onto pointe. My metatarsals are the force pushing me onto pointe, not the shank.
I think this is a very important point to take into consideration. I'm using the most common shank and they don't pop me up, but I've seen maybe hundreds of videos of people wearing GM's on Youtube, where it's obvious that their shank is too strong. People who can't roll through the shank at all, only allow the shoe to prop them up.
I'm 6'1 and 185lbs. There is a lot of weight to carry on these shoes, much more than most other dancers who are en pointe. I will get a hard shank next time, but knowing my build and how I work the shoe, I believe most dancers probably have too hard of a shank.
Even those who have too much shank probably aren't cheating. Pointe requires tremendous strenght and control, no matter what the shoes do for you. I think if you have GM's and the shoe forces you onto pointe, you are only cheating yourself. If your foot isn't controlling the shoe, you are building improper musculature and weakening the muscles integral for rolling through the shoe.
That's my take on the Gaynor Minden debate. Happy Dancing!
What are people saying about these shoes? They say that the elastomer shank props you up onto pointe, which means the shoes do all of the work for you.
Now that I've tried them for myself, I have some opinions of my own. Here's my take.
After pointe class on Wednesday, I was extremely sore. Like, the kind of sore I experienced after my first few weeks en pointe, as my muscles were getting used to the new stresses I was putting myself through. I've been taking class regularly and practicing at home since August, and I haven't experienced this kind of "sore" in months.
I believe that the composition of these shoes cause your feet and muscles to work in different ways. I think the emphasis is moved from one set of muscles to another. My feet are still sore recovering from Wednesday's class-- would my feet be this sore if the shoes were doing all of the work? I don't think so. I do not believe these shoes to be cheater shoes at all.
That said, I think these could very easily be cheater shoes for most if they've got the wrong shank hardness. I'm working with an extraflex shank, but I'm able to fully roll through my demi pointe area. I can stand on demi with the box flat on the floor, and my arches fully extended and the shoe don't pop me up onto pointe. My metatarsals are the force pushing me onto pointe, not the shank.
I think this is a very important point to take into consideration. I'm using the most common shank and they don't pop me up, but I've seen maybe hundreds of videos of people wearing GM's on Youtube, where it's obvious that their shank is too strong. People who can't roll through the shank at all, only allow the shoe to prop them up.
I'm 6'1 and 185lbs. There is a lot of weight to carry on these shoes, much more than most other dancers who are en pointe. I will get a hard shank next time, but knowing my build and how I work the shoe, I believe most dancers probably have too hard of a shank.
Even those who have too much shank probably aren't cheating. Pointe requires tremendous strenght and control, no matter what the shoes do for you. I think if you have GM's and the shoe forces you onto pointe, you are only cheating yourself. If your foot isn't controlling the shoe, you are building improper musculature and weakening the muscles integral for rolling through the shoe.
That's my take on the Gaynor Minden debate. Happy Dancing!
What are the suede tips like on the Gaynors? I'm getting my first pair of Gaynors in a few weeks before my SI and I haven't decided on the suede tips. Yes or no? Thanks for any information :D
ReplyDeleteSo what happened to the second pair you ordered?
ReplyDeleteHi featherflutterfly, I ended up not getting the suede tips, I forgot to mention that! They called and told me that suede would take 6 weeks, and I didn't want to wait that long. I wish I would have, my shoes took over 7 weeks as it is! I have to say, the regular tips feel really nice while turning in my opinion. I like the padding in the tip, it's a really different feeling. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd Kat-- I actually haven't received the second pair yet. I need to order an 11.5, which is a special order no matter what. It's annoying because I wear a USA 10 street shoe! It's not like I'm in a 13 or something. Oh well! They should arrive any day now. I'll post about them when they come in, comparing the two sizes.
Thanks for reading!