Congratulations to your dancer for reaching the standard to get her first pair of pointe shoes! This is monumental occasion for any aspiring dancer and we are so proud of them all!
At JOKSOD we like to celebrate this achievement. Our dancers have worked extremely hard for many years and have dreamt about this special day. Please read ALL the information below thoroughly before you get your pointe shoes.
Please book an appointment for your pointe shoe fitting at Bloch Malvern East (old Chadstone store). You can do this online or by phone via the website.
If you can get into see Miss Amy this would be fabulous as we can chat about the best pointe shoe for your dancer. She also knows the different aspects of pointe and fitting we like at JOKSOD. Otherwise, you can try the Bloch Southbank store.
We encourage all dancers to go in groups and include everybody in the group. Your dancers will know who else is involved in the process so please reach out to each other. We understand it is impossible to all coordinate to go altogether, but even if it is just in pairs it's a lovely experience to share.
Before your fitting be sure to make sure your toe nails are cut to an appropriate length. not too long and not too short. Please make sure your JOKSOD uniform is ready and we ask that you wear your JOKSOD Classical leotard, tights, skirt, bow to your fitting with your hair in a bun. Please also wear your jOKSOD jacket and leggings to and from the appointment.
On the day the fitting can take well over an hour to get the right fit so please allow plenty of time. Bloch will advise if dancers will need spacers or anything else to help with pointe work based on a foot assessment. Please take the advice of the person fitting the shoe.
Please be sure to take plenty of photos of the fitting and send them to me. We like lots of photos, individual and group together. Facing the barre and to the side, lots of smiles!
After your fitting, dancers should not put their shoes on until they have been checked by me, no sewing of ribbons or anything until Miss Jo has approved your shoes. Bring your new shoes in on your first Classical class with a tea towel or something to place on the ground to protect the shoes and I will check they are the right fit.
Majority of the time the shoes are fine however there are occasions that I will suggest to try a different size or shoe. It is paramount for each dancer that they have the best fitting possible.
When you get the shoes approved by me you can then sew on your ribbon and elastic. Please see the tutorial below on how to do this.
You will also need to stick the suede onto the tip of the pointe shoe as this limits dancers slipping on pointe.
Bloch will also explain all this information to you and provide you with a document that tells you how to care for your pointe shoes.
At JOKSOD we make sure the pointe process is very slow to allow the dancers to be paced properly and to strengthen in the right way. Dancers must not put their shoes on and dance around the house.
Our dancers will be doing barre work only on two feet for quite a while until they are fully ready to come into the centre. The dancers will be given simple barre exercises to be completed at home. Other than these exercises it is essential for the dancers safety and development that they DO NOT DO anything else than what their teachers have instructed.
