Ballet & Pointe Shoes – Everything You Need For Your Dancers Shoes!
There are two main things you need for your dancer’s Ballet or Pointe shoes – the actual shoes and the ribbons or elastics that help them stay on.
Well, logically you would think that, wouldn’t you! But in actual fact, there are a whole variety of different ribbons and elastics to choose from as well as accessories and things like toe pads and lambswool to help make the pain of dancing en pointe be eased to being bearable!
So I have put together a page where you can check out some of the essentials needed for Ballet & Pointe shoes all in one place so that where ever we reference something on the website you can always come back here and find the items we write about!
Please note – the following page includes affiliate links which means Dance Parent 101 receives a small commission at no extra cost for you but helps to fund the work we are doing to provide the resources at Dance Parent 101!
Stretch or Elasticised Ribbons
These are best used on Pointe shoes but you can experiment with them on flat ballet shoes too! When sewn in a single loop they make getting your shoes on and off extremely easy – but there is a knack to this technique which you can check out in our article with photos and video here!
Some dancers love stretch ribbons as they are comfortable around their Achilles tendon, others find they do not provide enough support and can’t get them tight enough for their liking – so these really are an individual preference that you may not know if you like until you have tried them!
Breatheable Shoe Bag
Pointe shoes are not cheap! Nor are good ballet shoes, and so if you want them to last putting them away into a mesh bag like this one from Bloch is a must!
ODOR ELIMINATING FRESHNER SACHETS OR BAGS
Lets face it, dance bags can get a little smelly, so why not be proactive and use some bamboo charcoal air purifying bags!! You can leave one or two of these inside a dance bag or even inside of dance shoes. They are said to work for about 2 years if you continually recharge them in sunlight for a couple of hours every month. What is great is that they also have moisture-wicking properties acting as a dehumidifier as well! To have a look at these click here to go to Amazon.com
Another option is sneaker balls which are small 1 inch wide deodorizers that help to remove foot odors and other odor-causing bacteria from shoes and dance bags. These last up to 6 months each depending on their use. To find out more about sneaker balls head to Amazon.com through this link.
Another option is a powder such as this natural foot deodorizer. Shake some into dance shoes and over feet to help stop them from smelling. You can look at all its applications on Amazon.com here.
Spray deodorizers are also a great option as they can be sprayed on both shoes, a dance bag or feet. This product is advertised as being natural and made in the USA, you can check it out on Amazon here.