Pointe shoes can be recycled and made into pre-pointe shoes by removing the shank and softening the box. A lot of dance studios are starting to use pre-pointe shoes to prepare dancers who are potentially almost to the point of getting to dance in pointe shoes but pre-pointe shoes are kind of expensive so making dead points shoes into pre-pointe shoes and giving them to a studio that may not have people from the highest income families could really help them out. I got mine from a box of dead pointe shoes when my teacher removed the shank and softened the box with a hammer for free and it took like 5 minutes and I still have them to this day

"can I buy pointe shoes for fun?" You can but I can't guarantee your ankles will find it fun.

I used to take my old pointe shoes, spray them different jewel tones, add yards of thin multi-colored satin ribbons knotted at the ends, and attach ribbons to the heel, and hang on my bedroom wall, adorned with tiny silk flower accents. They were beautiful and reminded me of what once was. I'm an old lady now.

My local dance store actually has a thing every Christmas where customers can donate their old, dead pointe shoes and the store will make wreaths out of them to decorate the store with! And they destink them of course! 😂

I remember seeing that Nike design years and years ago, I've been hoping they would actually start manufacturing them but i guess we'll all be waiting... endlessly...? I guess? 😂

Wish me luck! I'm 25 and joining the 8-12 year old A1 ballet class next week! There's not a lot of options for adults that are serious about ballet where I'm at, so I'm being thrown in with the kids!

I don't know who comes up with your video ideas, but they really are *chef's kiss*

I litterly had a nightmare where I spilled water on my point shoes 😂

I've been wanting those pointe shoes by Nike. I'd break my toe for them.

4:57 I like how honest she is that she isn’t lying for ppl to buy them just so her shop gets a sale She’s telling the truth even if she may not get a sale bcuz of it

You should do a video where you decorate pointe shoes. Love your vids!

Nike may not have made pointe shoes, but Bill Nye did! Would love to see this talked about more…

Me: Currently very bloated, not a dancer, sat next to my box with my gymnastics equipment in Also me: This is fun

Super interesting, important and helpful! Thank you Josephine! Also, love your facial expressions 😂 you're just too pure 🤍

I was never very good at ballet but I got pretty serious about rock climbing--I've joked that climbing shoes are the offroad edition of pointe shoes. I'd be super entertained by a video of you talking shop with a climber comparing and contrasting pointe and climbing shoes--maybe even trying out each other's shoes?

I danced with someone in college who broke in her Pointe shoes by wrapping her toes in wet paper towels. And yes, my instructor would tear our dead shoes apart to take class in because your feet still work harder in that shoe than a soft shoe. Always interesting videos!

I love your videos! I’m a young ballet dancer who is working to get to pointe shoes (soon hopefully) Your videos help me learn more about my long time dream!

Another great video, Josephine!

Love the video! This video just confirms that I need to reenroll in dance classes if I ever want to get on pointe, which will be +1 yr. I’d might as well use this time to practice on technique and work on my strength.

This is my first year on point and I have a short history of ankle issues. I twist them a lot in almost any dance I do. Some more than others,I had to quit tap dancing because of them. Every night I would come home from tap class crying in pain for about a month and it got to the point where I just couldn’t handle it anymore so my parents took me out of those classes. So I am nervous for this year but at the same time I couldn’t be more exited because I’ve been working for this for YEARS. So I understand not buying them for fun because you could get injured. The severity of it can differ but not having those strong ankles would increase your chance of getting hurt. I don’t plan on trying anything unless my instructor tells me I’m ready. I am really exited and hope that you enjoy making these videos because I enjoy watching them. *virtual hugs*

Hi Josephine, thank you for the amazing videos! My daughter is a dancer and I started watching your videos to try and understand what the future holds for her. A bit of trivia from the masked dancer stated that Bill Nye patented a pointe shoe. Have any pointe shoes actually been made using his patent/design? As a science geek and dance mom that intrigues me so much.

i have a singular pointe shoe hanging in my room from absolutely ages ago. i did ballet up until i was abt 8 or 9 (i never got on pointe), but after we did shows, the older girls would paint/decorate their pointe shoes to sell for like $2 at a stand right outside the entrance/exit doors. my mom let me pick a shoe after one of the shows, so now i have a random girls pointe shoe and the funny part is that it’s only slightly too small. (i tried it on for giggles, didn’t actually do anything cuz, yk, i only have a singular shoe)

Informative and awesome as always!! ❤️❤️ Would love to see more!

We sent our ‘dead’ pointe shoes to a dance school we sponsored in Ethiopia. We cleaned them, put on new ribbons and re-darned the box. To clean the satin we brushed them gently with talc powder and rubbed the sole with very fine sand paper - all under the watchful eye of our dance teacher.

Whenever I see your videos, it makes me want to put on my pointe shoes and dance 😩

Love your videos. I would love to see you do a try on or reaction video to ballet boots or ballet heels. If you have never heard of them try googling them. They are extreme and would love to see a ballet experts opinion

I really got some info from this video , plus I luv these videos there informative but fun to watch

Josephine, you have terrific comedic timing!

I enjoy every single video on this channel. Win after win!

This was a fun video! Thanks!

i wish your videos where longer because i love them so much

This reminded me of a something I've been wondering. I'm an adult who had a few years of dance as a kid, never went on pointe. With the pandemic and all the classes that have been posted online, I've finally been able to start dancing again. I do want to, very eventually go en pointe. I've never been able to find any serious adult classes in my area, but I've also seen beginner pointe online and I feel like I'll be able to judge when I'm ready. If I go in for that fitting, will the fitter refuse me because I don't have a teacher?

This is such a great video. You've helped me with my pointe shoe struggles, I always love watching your channel. (you won't be coming up to CT any time soon, will you? 👀👀)

I was denied from doing pointe with zero information why - as in my teacher never informed me when it was time for pointe & never let me join the class - so I could never ask the right people if I could anyway - I am still angry to this day that I missed out on what I was looking forward to my entire childhood! Kinda want to get fitted so that I can at least own a pair, mainly to remind myself to never let others make the decision about what I can & can not do. I should have been given the option for pointe. I have had dreams where I was a dancer up on pointe. I may physically not be able to dance anymore but I still want a pair of pointe shoes as my prime age was stolen from me.

I just got my very first pair today, I’m about to go see them!!

I wish I had found your videos when I was still dancing on pointe. I have very wide feet and never felt that I had a good fitting shoe despite multiple fittings!!!

Loved this vid❤️

It's just so crazy to hear you say no water. I get that, totally makes sense. But, when I danced in the 80s and 90s, we used to get them wet, but not break them down, and work them until they were dry. When they were dry, break them down, etc.

ur my favorite to watch oml

Nice question and answer.

all I can think of when I hear the background music is chef john from food wishes 😂 love the vid!

Another pls!

Please do a video with the Nike pointe shoes!!!!❤️❤️

Please do another video like this!

I am SOO excited I made an appointment to get fitted with my DREAM fitter. .....You!

Lol with the water. At my studio they only had two or three options of Bloch once it got to the pointe shoe stage. Needless to say they did not fit my feet at all. My feet were too wide, to fix the width issue they made the section by the metatarsal wet and had me wear it for a class.. it worked somewhat, didn't hurt as bad anymore for sure. Knowing what i know now though.. 💀

I'm a dance photographer and I can confirm, as a dancer tried with me : Gaynor Minder don't die because of water ! We did a full photoshoot in a fountain and she still can use them :)

You can also make satin ballet slippers out of dead pointe shoes. You have to soak them in water and then rip everything out. There are some tutorials on KZfaq.

at my studio we have multiple levels beginner intermediate pre-pointe(half of the year it's regular ballet flats, and half of the year its pointe shoes) and pointe.

I had freed pointe shoes and they were too big, it felt like i was sliding around in them, it was awful, and after 3 weeks I had injured myself in them! Another episode please!

YES

Oh my gosh once my water bottle spilled on my dance bag and I was so worried that I’d have to replace my brand new shoes. Luckily, the water only got on the fabric, not the box or the shank.

Thanks for fitting me!! You where so sweet and my shoes fit amazing!

I think your the best! Your knowledge and information what a great resource for dancers. I danced in Toledo Ohio for many years as a hobby,but seriously for 20 years. Keep posting your videos ☺️ Thank you!

The question about " can I wear pointe shoes for fun?" makes me so nervous. I see people doing this all the time on the internet. I took dance as a kid for 8 years but unfortunately didn't stick with it in college. I'm considering doing adult ballet classes but I don't see myself ever going up on pointe. I think people who if they can just put on pointe shoes for fun must be unaware that pointe is something a ballerina works years to do, it's not something you can literally just jump into. I'm not a professional dancer and even I know this! Having permanent injury to their feet or ankles because they wanted to look cool is just not worth it. I commend all the ballerinas out there who have put so many years of tireless work into their craft so that people like me who are unable to can enjoy it. I get wanting to look that beautiful and graceful on pointe but that comes with years of dedication. Great answer btw Josephine! ❤️ Your videos!

Great video!

i just bought Bloch pointe shoes for $1.99. only one pair at goodwill fit, but they’re BRAND NEW

This is a great video…thanks

2:35 ooh a sporty pointe shoe 😲

I got a pair of Point shoes they were like under 25 on Amazon I thought it was gonna be just like a joke I didn't think I was even going to be able to stand I had to use something to stay in myself and get up a chair or a counter but they were surprisingly comfortable on point and I'm a big girl

Occasionally I watch these videos and wistfully sigh about how awesome it would be to be able to dance en pointe…. And then I remember that I have a debilitating musculoskeletal condition where any overexertion (ahem, walking over a few thousand steps will do it) causes excruciatingly painful spasms from my toes all the way up to my pelvic floor, and my physical therapist, both my surgeons, my primary care doctor and pretty much every other specialist who has ever examined me all scream in my head simultaneously: “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT YOU FOOL” Oh well. Not in this lifetime, unfortunately. If I could do pointe I think I would have really pretty feet, too. I can get a good arch and point when I’m not all seized up.

I have no idea when these ballet / pointe shoe videos first started appearing on my you tube, especially as a non dancer… But I have watched a few videos, and it’s like my goodness so much goes into these things. I mean , always thought they were mass produced, and would be maybe like running shoes, you would get maybe 12 months out of a pair.. I cannot imagine that ballet pointe shoes would be cheap, and parents buying for a daughter who wants to do ballet , must be hard , with growth spurts and wear and tear on the shoes…

I machine-washed Gaynor Mindens. They may need a bit of glue then but they survived just fine. (Never wore anything but GM so no idea what other brands do)

I don’t think that pointe shoes can be recycled but most can be composted if you remove the nails!

There’s a company that makes bracelets out of recycled pointe shoes.

Can feet be scanned to make the perfect bespoke printed pointe shoe?

I trained, as a child and teen, with a school which was part of the UK Russian Ballet Federation. I very much wanted to be a professional dancer, and started pointe work at around 13/14 years old. My beloved shoes, however, were chewed to death by my dog, one summer, while I was away on holiday.

Im getting pointe shoes tomorrow

I don’t think that I ever got the best fitting or shoe. My toes always felt to tight, my ankle was tight but always fell out of the shoe? The box felt to tight in some places and to wide in others. I honestly quit pointe because of this, and I always thought that it only hurt because of my weight on the shoe. I hope that I can go back to pointe one day, but the only classes I can find near me just don’t work for me.

Not me yesterday trying to do pointe with cups and socks

My point shoes are tight when I’m flat but as soon as I go up they are fine. I’m a 5 and a half xx balance lisse

When I was little, my dream was being on pointe shoes and I saw that Nike pointe shoes on google so every time I went to the mall I asked my dad to see if I could find then and now I know why I couldn’t find it

I have a question: ive been dancing Ballett since im 3(10 years) but im still not dancing in pointe shoes, would it damage my feet or something if I buy pointe shoes since I have never wore pointe shoes?

I want pointe gloves and pointe hats.

I thought it said Google automated pointe shoes and thought this video would be about robotic points shoes 😂

Very interesting

If my pointe shoes are gapping on the side like a 2 fingers width what should I do? Do I just tighten the drawstring? Or do I need a narrower shoe

How do the virtual point shoe fittings work?

The Nike shoes look a lot like climbing shoes. We can go on point in those, in fact we often have to due to needing to both reach holds and needing to balance and grip onto the tiniest of holds and nooks. If any athlete could go on point in point shoes my bet would be a climber.

Man.....can I buy them for fun...no... Dreams crushed lol

Years ago Nike did make a pointe shoe like shoe called the studio wrap I think that they were ment to for “typical” athletes like gymnasts and figure skaters and Gabby Douglas did the promotions for them.

I want to ask since I'm new in ballet world(never start ballet yet but trying to do some of a kids move) If you shop isn't in where I lived what should I do?

How can you know what size shoe to get because I have looked at some and o don't know the size

I wet the box of a new pointe shoe a bit with a spray bottle because I hardly ever kill the box. However, I absolutely DO NOT get water on my shank because I need my shank to be strong or my feet will snap it 😅

Does your weight affect pointe shoe choice. As an old person who does adult ballet and has strong feet..I'm not my petite weight anymore..about 15kg more!! Suggestions for this Aussie grandma !! Also does doing 5min of pointe at home..is it bad for arthritic big toe?? ( on wooden floor only) If anything my toes feel more secure in pointe shoes !!

@Josephine Lee I use to dance on pointe a few years back now, but know longer do so, I had saved a few of my pairs for memories and to put on occasionally as a cool party trick 😅 but unfortunately all of my things burned in a fire a few months ago which included my pointe shoes. Would I be able to be virtually fitted? I don't remember my size and unfortunately don’t have my shoes because of the fire but I guess I do have a few random pictures of what I use to look like in them.

I have a question what if you have a wide foot like a mans width but a aussie size 5-7 foot i found it impossible when I did ballet to find a fit for me had to wear skip on point and went to jazz jazz shoes are a easier fit like tap shoes

I wonder what research could be done in carbon fibre or other material to make longer lasting shoes?

At my near ballet shop they sell dead pointe shoes for like 6$ for your walls

in baton rouge: Top toe is where you buy pointe shoes

You should do a video reacting to Misty Copland dance videos

Q: Can I use plastic cups instead of pointe shoes?

Terracycle might take pointe shoes in their zero waste streams. I wonder if Bloch would ever consider partnering with them so dancers could mail in old pointe shoes for free to be recycled. Maybe I'll email and suggest it to them.

Is the fitting free for a time

i am a liitle late to this vid but what is your opineun on how old do you have to be to wear pointe shose

My friend spilled water on her pointe shoes TWICE and she says it’s fine and I’m just like girl get new ones!!!!!!!

Ok two more questions : can I wear pointe shoes if my second toe is longer than my first? And why don't they make pointe shoes out of leather?

hi what happen if i am getting my first point shoes but my point is really bad am i still going to go on point

“Where are pointé shoes made?” Anywhere that has blue, white or red in its flag

Almost all of the former Soviet Union studios had wooden floors that had to be wetted with water to be able to dance on them. Question is, how dancers were able to dance en pointe on these floors?