Ballet Shoes, Ribbons and Elastics

Many people think about the famous pointe ballet shoe when they think of ballet, but today I want to give some credit to the humble flat ballet shoe! Flat ballet shoes are what every dancer starts in. Whether someone starts learning at 3 or 73 the first ballet shoe they will ever buy will be flat.

They come in lots of different colours and styles for both men and women but the main thing to consider when buying flat shoes is do they fit like a glove? To show off your best pointed toes you shouldn't have "growing room". This is unfortunate for little dancers whose feet grow quickly but if the shoes are too loose dancing becomes difficult. Having said this shoes shouldn't be too tight either; all toes should lay flat and must not be crumpled.

When choosing a flat shoe dancers should decide between a full or split sole. A full sole offers more support and helps to strengthen the feet (ideal for young and new dancers). A split sole shows off a lovely pointed foot and is often the preferred choice of advanced dancers. Most shoes come with elastics but these can be swapped with ribbons. I remember being desperate to get to an advanced class so that I could swap my elastics with ribbons and then being keen to swap back to elastics again after realising they made my shoes much quicker to put on!

So next time you see a dancer on pointe, don’t forget about the flat shoe. After all that’s where many ballet journeys start….