But that treat may come more often than expected for growing children and their parents, who suddenly find them thinking: “Didn’t I JUST buy you a pair?!”
As pre-teens and adolescents hit growth spurts, their feet may grow by a half or whole size within a school year. And for dancers taking class several times a week, the change will be felt quickly
One way of knowing when it’s time to go back for a larger pair is to simply look:
For example, Capezio’s stores are staffed with many former dancers who can help parents and children understand how a properly fit ballet slipper should feel on the feet. So then when something feels too tight, the child can know the difference on their own.
One New York dance mom says the best way to know when the shoe no longer fits is to talk to your kid.
“They know because its uncomfortable,” said Okite, who was fitting her 12-year-old daughter for ballet slippers at Capezio’s flagship store in Manhattan. “She’ll say ‘Mom I’m bending my toes.’”
One factor unrelated to growth is a student’s level of technique. As dancers advance in a school’s classes, they’re given increasingly difficult work. When that jump happens, their ballet shoes should also take a step up, from single elastics across the top of the foot (as in the Daisy, Lily and Love Ballet) to criss-crossed elastics (as in the Juliet, Cobra and Hanami) to hold the foot in for high-flying jumps and fast turns
Students who take a lot of class may find that their shoes are getting scuffed or worn, but if your little star wants perfectly clean shoes, let her or him know: Dirty still fits!
And if your studio floors see a lot of traffic, that may be a reason to invest in leather ballet slippers.
“Leather is easier to clean than canvas,” Yolanda Walmsley, who recommends breaking in a back-up pair for performances so the clean shoes are worn with a costume. “They can wear them around the house.”
Later on, the choice of leather or canvas will be a personal choice that dancers make based on their preferences for fit and cost.
One common mistake to avoid is buying a too-large shoe and expecting to grow into it.
“You don’t want too much space because that can be dangerous. A dancer could trip,” said Orekomaiya. “You don’t want them baggy. We stress a good fit for injury prevention.”
Before class, it’s also important to make sure that your child’s shoes have the right tension in the drawstrings. These thin strings will pull in some extra fabric. If there is too much excess, they can be tied into small bows and trimmed with a simple snip of a pair of scissors.
But don’t trim too much — and never remove the drawstrings. Without them, the shoe will be too loose and essentially unusable. On Capezio’s classic shoe, the Daisey, drawstrings have been tacked down so they cannot be pulled out. Additionally, Capezio’s designers have also eliminated the drawstrings on some models of ballet shoes. Which was in response to customer feedback said Orekomaiya: “Kids were pulling the drawstrings out.”
And that’s a key feature of the Love Ballet slippers and the new Hanami ballet shoes, made of four-way stretch canvas that clings to the foot — without need for drawstrings at all.
My story is this: I was a dancer by way of tap, ballet, and jazz, and ever since I was a kid, I wanted to grow up and be a dancer on Broadway. Unfortunately, when I was 17, I got hit by a car, effectively ruining any shot I had at a career in dance. My right leg was severely broken in half (I’ll spare you the details, but it wasn’t pretty) and I was bed-ridden in a wheelchair for months. During this time in recovery, I watched Food Network pretty much around the clock; something about watching people cook was very cathartic for me. Once I started to heal a little and stand upright on my own two feet, I would head into my Mom’s kitchen and cook. The blog followed a few years later, after college. Then in 2014/2015, I started to Instagram my meals (and poorly, I might add). But as I got better at food photography, it led to being noticed by various food outlets and publications. My following grew to 76K+ in under 2 years, and now here I am, creating content and working as a recipe developer for multiple brands! I also freelance for a number of publications including Bravo, Food Network, Thrillist, allrecipes, From The Grapevine, and Time Inc.
I created this video in partnership with Capezio to share my story with you! The interview is with Tanya Becker, co-founder of Physique 57, which is a ballet-inspired workout I’ve been doing. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to tone up and get those long dancer muscles without going too high impact. With my injuries, working out has been tricky, but I find this one to be very effective!
Ultimately I’m here to tell you that you should never give up on your passions, no matter what they might be. Life doesn’t always work out the way you thought it would, but if you can take that energy into a new passion, it can be just as fulfilling if not more so. Hope you enjoy and please leave a comment – I’m here to answer any questions you may have! Looking forward to being a member of #TeamCapezio!
Dara and Tanya are wearing our Convertible Panel Jacket, Contour Workout Top, Studio Crop Pants, and Convertible Stirrups from our #CapezioActive Collection.
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