Caring for Your Shoes

Pointe shoes are expensive - probably because most of them are still made by hand. If you'll develop some good habits when you first begin pointe, you'll save a lot of money through the years because by taking care of your shoes, you can extend their life.

• Do not leave your pointe shoes stuffed in your dance bag. Over time your dance bag will smell like road kill and you will be replacing your shoes more often! Moisture breaks down the glue in pointe shoes and softens them so after class be sure to take your pads out and let your shoes air dry. Put them somewhere where you can leave them for a couple of days.
• When they thoroughly dry, before you toss them back into your dance bag, fold the heel in and then the sides and wrap your ribbons neatly around the shank, tucking the ends under so the ribbons don't get tangled with everything else in your dance bag and get pulled off. Note: Even if you keep your pointe shoes in a mesh bag, you still need to take them out after class and let them dry well.
• For those of you who are more advanced and take pointe daily, it's best to buy several pairs of shoes and rotate them. While this is more expensive at the time you make your purchase, it's less expensive in the long run.