AGES 3 – 6 (BALLET/TAP COMBO CLASSES):
HAIR - should be in a neat bun at the crown of the dancers head. If your child’s hair is not yet long enough to achieve this, please place hair out of face as best you can.
LEOTARD – Pink leotard in any style
TIGHTS - Convertible Tights by Capezio (BALLET PINK)
SHOES - Jr. Tyette Tap Shoe by Capezio (BLACK) Daisy Ballet Slipper by Capezio (PINK)
AGES 5 – 6 (JAZZ KINDER):
HAIR - neat bun or ponytail
DANCEWEAR – any style dancewear (no street clothing please). A lot of our students prefer a leotard, cami, or crop top with the longer-length Shorts by Balera (BLACK)
TIGHTS – are not required, but we suggest convertible tights by Capezio (CARAMEL) if your child prefers them
SHOES - Neo Flex Slip-On by Bloch (TAN)
ACRO CLASSES:
HAIR - neat, low ponytail.
DANCEWEAR - Any style dancewear (no street clothing please). Suggested: Longer-Length Shorts by Balera (BLACK)
SHOES - Bare feet (no tights please)
BALLET CLASSES (AGES 7 & UP):
HAIR - in a neat bun @ crown of dancer’s head–use hairnet/bobby pins/no bangs
LEOTARD – Black leotard any style – NO SKIRTS OR SHORTS
TIGHTS - Convertible Tights by Bloch (PINK)
SHOES - Prolite II Hybrid by Bloch (PINK)
POINTE SHOES – Please see our website (www.allaboutpulse.com) for tips on pointe shoe fittings (it is located at the bottom of the dress code page)
TAP, JAZZ, LYRICAL, CONTEMPORARY, & TRIPLE THREAT CLASSES (AGES 7 & UP):
HAIR - neat bun or ponytail
DANCEWEAR - Any style dancewear (no street clothing please) - suggested:Longer-Length Shorts by Balera (BLACK)
TIGHTS – are not required, but we suggest convertible tights by Capezio (CARAMEL) if your child prefers them
SHOES - TAP - Tapflex Slip-on by Bloch (TAN), JAZZ/TRIPLE THREAT - Neo Flex Slip-on by Bloch (TAN), LYRICAL/CONTEMPORARY - FootUndeez by Capezio (TAN), bare feet or socks
HIP-HOP CLASSES:
CLOTHING - Comfortable clothing (sweats, tanks, t’s, etc. – NO JEANS OR SKIRTS)
SHOES – Tennis shoes that are designated for your Hip-Hop class only – NO STREET SHOES
WHERE DO I BUY DANCEWEAR:
Ballare Hamilton Mill Plaza 3421 Ridge Rd., Suite B-103 Buford, GA 30519
770-831-3997 ballare@bellsouth.net
Center Stage II 3675 Satellite Blvd., Ste. 510 Duluth, GA 30096
770-814-9500
www.discountdance.com
TIPS FOR POINTE SHOE FITTING
**Call the dancewear store and ask them for a good time to come in, when a fitter might be able to spend at least an hour with you.
Be sure to wear tights for the fitting!
1. Start with one brand/style, put them on both feet without padding at first, so you can really feel the inside of the shoe.
2. Stand up flat-footed and ask yourself the following questions-
Are my feet completely in the box?
Is my big toe touching the end of the shoe without any backward pressure? (Make sure you clip your toenails before you go to be fit)
Are my toes being tightly held together, or are they on top of each other? (They should feel tightly held together)
Can I wiggle my toes? (You should not be able to wiggle your toes)
If the shoe does not meet the criteria, try a different width or size, and see if that helps. If not, eliminate it. Once you have assessed all of the above and found the shoe to meet the criteria, go on to the next step.
3. Put on your padding. Stand up and see if there is any difference in the feel from above, or if the padding just made it slightly more comfortable. You want the padding to just make it more comfortable, not change the fit! If it does change it, you may be wearing too much padding.
4. Holding onto something, STEP up onto pointe, do not releve. Ask yourself the following questions:
Did my foot drop/sink into the box when I went up, or do I feel supported and lifted? (You want to feel supported) If you do not have a compressable foot, check when you put them on that there is very little pinch room at the back of your heel.
Do the shanks twist off of my heels? (You want as little twisting as possible)
Is there unbearable pressure on my big toe? (You do not want unbearable pressure)
If all answers are positive, put that pair in the maybe pile, and try on another brand/style.
Keep going until you have eliminated all of the shoes that will not work, and write down what they were so you'll know that those will not work for the next time.
You should end up with a small pile of 'maybes'. Now try them on again, and compare them to each other.
Eventually, one pair will emerge the winner! The winner should feel like this:
Standing up with your feet flat on the floor, you should feel like your heel is completely in the back of the shoe, and it's snug against your heel without any digging in. You should be able to feel that the insole is a little bit more forward and underneath your heels.
The sides of the pointe shoe should basically not be gapping away from your foot, and a slight pull on the drawstring should make the sides lie flat.
The inside of the boxing should feel very tight- almost like your toes are superglued together, and your biggest toe should be touching the interior of the platform. It should also feel tight, yet without bending the toe backwards.
Pressure points are normal, at least for a traditional paste pointe shoe. A pressure point is when a toe joint is feeling pushed on, or pressure, and with a traditional paste shoe it can be softened with water, alcohol, or a Bunion Buster.
Now, the next thing to do once we have a shoe that fits the criteria, is to do a seconde grande plié, and feel what happens in the boxing. It will likely feel tighter but it should not bend a toe.
Lastly, go up en pointe and see how well the insole conforms to your arch. If it arches with your arch but perhaps not quite touching your arch, it should soften up enough to actually touch your arch.
Now check to see that you are completely up on the platform without any pain in your achilles tendons. Check to be sure that there is no space between the front of your platform and the floor, and that you are working over the big toe.
Be certain you are pulling up out of the pointe shoes using your proper ballet technique, and check to see if you are 'dropping' down into the boxing when you go up en pointe. You may have to try this a few times to really tell, but you should NOT feel like you are dropping or going down inside the boxing when you go up.