Ballet slippers: anything but flat!The ballet slipper is a danseur's best friend but, in the hearts of ballerinas, it's been overshadowed by the pointe shoe. Not anymore. Finding a slipper to flatter, support, even strengthen your foot has never been easier. Whether you prefer leather or canvas, split or full soled, make your slipper selection as carefully as your pointe shoe choice. Shelly Power, associate director of Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy provides ballet training for over three hundred students. More than half of the professional company's dancers have come from the ranks of the academy. , notes, "You're depending on the shoe to help you with balance and placement." Power's advice for trying on a new pair? "Make sure it fits in demi-pointe. Releve in first position. Watch the fit while rising and lowering. Tendu ten·du n. Any of several Asian ebony trees. [Hindi tend to see the shape of the shoe on your foot." Denise Bolstad, administrative director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet The Pacific Northwest Ballet is a ballet company and based in Seattle, Washington in the United States. Founded in 1972 as part of the Seattle Opera and named the Pacific Northwest Dance Association, it broke away from the Opera in 1977 and took its current name in 1978. School, says, "A slipper is an extension and enhancement of your leg so we shouldn't notice your shoe." In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , keep them clean and always sew the elastics on. Tied elastic on dirty' shoes looks like you don't care. Pennsylvania Ballet apprentice Barette Vance advises, "Turn your slippers inside out. Let them air out. Don't just stick them in your dance bag." Treated well, a good pair of slippers can last. Now that you've stopped taking your flats for granted, take a peek at some of the newest slippers on the market (here with their suggested retail price), modeled on the feet of Sarah Hay, a student at American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. A trip to the dance boutique is definitely in order. 1 Grishko "Performance" #SCP (1) (Service Control Point) A node in an SS7 telephone network that provides an interface to databases, which may reside within the SCP computer or in other computers. 6 $19.95 For a retailer near you visit www.grishko.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 Block "Elastosplit X" #ES0250 $19 800.942.5624 www.blochworld.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3 Principal by Char Hon Gogh Canvas split-sole ballet slipper $20 For a retailer near you visit: 416.920.0639 www.principalshoes.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 4 Liberts Leather split sole ballet shoe #203 $16.95 800.624.6480 www.liberts.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 5 Prima Soft David Howard Signature Shoe #PSDH PSDH Positive Semi-Definite Hermitian (matrix) $25 For a retailer near you visit: www.prima-soft.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 6 Russian Pointe "Andante an·dan·te Music adv. & adj. Abbr. and. In a moderately slow tempo, usually considered to be slower than allegretto but faster than adagio. Used chiefly as a direction. n. An andante passage or movement. " canvas slippers #SA spit-sole, #FA full-sole $18 866.776.4683 www.russianpointe.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 7 Freed of London Demi-pointe shoe with soft block $70 866.693.7333 www.freedoflondon.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 8 Capezio "Cobra" #2030 $18 800.533.1887 www.capeziodance.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 9 Leo's Dancewear dance·wear n. Clothing such as leotards and warmup suits that are worn for dance practice and exercising. "Airabesqeu" #105 $25.50 773.889.7700 www.leosdancewear.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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