Self Doubt
Class Tuesday night was strange. I don't know if it was just an off night for me or what, but I was kind of a mess the whole night. I had some good moments in class, but overall a general fail.
Simple combinations tripped me up, but we had a few longer combinations that I had no problem with that included much harder movements. One combination had 2 grand plies in the center, and while I could go down into them OK, I couldn't get back up again.
I also determined that I can't roll through my GM pointe shoes at all, which is really depressing. My teacher is thinking it's an issue with instep strength (or lack there of). I think it's partially that the Extraflex shank is just plain too weak for my height/weight ratio, and my long flexible feet and long toes mean my feet/toes are weaker than normal. I have strong ankles and I can hold the highest demi pointe for a long time, but rolling from high demi pointe to full pointe on my GM's is just not going to happen.
As you may have read, I tried out my original pair of Grishko 2007's in class the week prior, with varying degrees of success. I couldn't get over the box in full 2nd position and occasionally when working on echappes I wouldn't make it all the way onto the box on one or the other foot, but they offered a lot more upright support of my forefoot. I was doing rapid pique turns across the floor and they were correct! I tried them this week in the GM, and it was a little scary.
Going from the Grishkos back to the GM shoes this week, I felt naked and afraid in the GM's for the first time ever since purchase. I remember when I first got my GM's, I was so much more confident in the center and they worked out well for the recital, but now I'm just not happy with them. The fit of the shape of the shoe is great, although again I felt myself sinking into the boxes a bit.
All of that said, I'm working with GM to determine if I should order their Hard or Double Hard shank. I intend on purchasing another pair but as I may have mentioned before, unless the Hard shank is 2x the strength of the Extraflex, I might be in trouble. I haven't ordered anything yet, so in the meantime I need to figure out how to be comfortable in class and still progress.
I've turned back to the 4 other pairs of shoes I have until I get a harder shank in the GMs.
That leaves those weird-ass Grishko 2007's. My first pair, the ones I thought were so wrong for my feet.
Today I decided to try one last ditch effort to rescue the Grishko 2007's. Aside from the very bizarre shank, they fit my foot well and are comfortable. Originally when I sewed on the elastic and ribbons, I did a really weird job. The elastic went over my foot like a ballet slipper on one shoe, and the other had one angled as if it was supposed to have 2 pieces in an X shape, but there was only ever 1 piece......... also the pair had regular ribbons which I don't like one bit. Here is what the ribbons/elastic looked like:
I also examined the shank carefully in each of the two shoes. My right foot is stronger and more flexible than my left, and wouldn't you know it the shoe I was wearing on my right foot had a much better shank than the one on my left. The left shank breaks too high, so my left foot never ever had a chance to get over the box.
In the end I sewed on one plain loop of elastic on each heel, added the PrimaSoft Extension ribbon (the whole ribbon is made of finely woven elastic) and swapped the shoes to opposite feet. The result is nothing short of a miracle. Here are some video stills taken after I fixed the shoes:
I'm blown away. They look right! Now my extra flexible right foot is in the shoe with the stiffer shank, and my left foot is in a shoe that not only offers support but actually bends with my arch.
I carefully decided against sewing on crisscross elastic. I can't afford to have anything holding me back in these shoes, hence the single loop at the heel. As a note, I NEED the crisscross elastic in the GM shoes!
I'm going to wear these shoes in class for the time being. I'm pretty excited about it actually. I still owe a post on the foam roller, but I'm too sore to put off using it any longer, so I'm going to go do that now.
Happy Dancing,
RB
Simple combinations tripped me up, but we had a few longer combinations that I had no problem with that included much harder movements. One combination had 2 grand plies in the center, and while I could go down into them OK, I couldn't get back up again.
I also determined that I can't roll through my GM pointe shoes at all, which is really depressing. My teacher is thinking it's an issue with instep strength (or lack there of). I think it's partially that the Extraflex shank is just plain too weak for my height/weight ratio, and my long flexible feet and long toes mean my feet/toes are weaker than normal. I have strong ankles and I can hold the highest demi pointe for a long time, but rolling from high demi pointe to full pointe on my GM's is just not going to happen.
As you may have read, I tried out my original pair of Grishko 2007's in class the week prior, with varying degrees of success. I couldn't get over the box in full 2nd position and occasionally when working on echappes I wouldn't make it all the way onto the box on one or the other foot, but they offered a lot more upright support of my forefoot. I was doing rapid pique turns across the floor and they were correct! I tried them this week in the GM, and it was a little scary.
Going from the Grishkos back to the GM shoes this week, I felt naked and afraid in the GM's for the first time ever since purchase. I remember when I first got my GM's, I was so much more confident in the center and they worked out well for the recital, but now I'm just not happy with them. The fit of the shape of the shoe is great, although again I felt myself sinking into the boxes a bit.
All of that said, I'm working with GM to determine if I should order their Hard or Double Hard shank. I intend on purchasing another pair but as I may have mentioned before, unless the Hard shank is 2x the strength of the Extraflex, I might be in trouble. I haven't ordered anything yet, so in the meantime I need to figure out how to be comfortable in class and still progress.
I've turned back to the 4 other pairs of shoes I have until I get a harder shank in the GMs.
- Capezio Contempora: These shoes are dead, otherwise I probably wouldn't have bought the GMs in the first place!
- Bloch Serenade: These shoes aren't dead although the demi pointe is totally broken in. These shoes are unwearable for me, the box is square and my toes have taper. Too much pressure on the big toe.
- Capezio Aria: I'll never ever make these shoes work. While the Bloch Serenade box is square, it still has some slight taper to it. The Capezio Aria on the other hand is made for a foot that is pure square/rectangle. It has very very little if any taper to the box at all.
That leaves those weird-ass Grishko 2007's. My first pair, the ones I thought were so wrong for my feet.
Keyword: thought
Today I decided to try one last ditch effort to rescue the Grishko 2007's. Aside from the very bizarre shank, they fit my foot well and are comfortable. Originally when I sewed on the elastic and ribbons, I did a really weird job. The elastic went over my foot like a ballet slipper on one shoe, and the other had one angled as if it was supposed to have 2 pieces in an X shape, but there was only ever 1 piece......... also the pair had regular ribbons which I don't like one bit. Here is what the ribbons/elastic looked like:
 |
| How embarrassing are those ribbons & elastic? It was my first time. |
I also examined the shank carefully in each of the two shoes. My right foot is stronger and more flexible than my left, and wouldn't you know it the shoe I was wearing on my right foot had a much better shank than the one on my left. The left shank breaks too high, so my left foot never ever had a chance to get over the box.
In the end I sewed on one plain loop of elastic on each heel, added the PrimaSoft Extension ribbon (the whole ribbon is made of finely woven elastic) and swapped the shoes to opposite feet. The result is nothing short of a miracle. Here are some video stills taken after I fixed the shoes:
 |
| Mid bourre |
 |
| Peak of eschappe in 2nd |
I'm blown away. They look right! Now my extra flexible right foot is in the shoe with the stiffer shank, and my left foot is in a shoe that not only offers support but actually bends with my arch.
I carefully decided against sewing on crisscross elastic. I can't afford to have anything holding me back in these shoes, hence the single loop at the heel. As a note, I NEED the crisscross elastic in the GM shoes!
I'm going to wear these shoes in class for the time being. I'm pretty excited about it actually. I still owe a post on the foam roller, but I'm too sore to put off using it any longer, so I'm going to go do that now.
Happy Dancing,
RB
It's funny that such a small thing like ribbons, elastics and switching feet can make such a huge difference. A girl in my class (we are all adult beginners en pointe) is really struggling to get over her box, she looks a lot like your first picture. My teacher is convinced the shoes are all wrong, and while I concede they might be, I think she can make them work for the time being. She has traditional ribbons on and they don't seem to be doing anything to help her, by the end of pointe they are always baggy. I also think she needs to spend a ton of time breaking them in, I did and its made my life way easier.
ReplyDeleteOn a sidenote I found your blog via a ballet forum article and I've really enjoyed reading it!