Josephine: we’ve been through a lot together Watching tiktokers with cup shoes does that to you

Ugh i hate the euro shoes 😭 ive been trying hacks to make the satin softer. i really loved my gaynors and felt perfect but the stiff satin is the most uncomfortable thing ever :(

I used to fit pointe shoes for a few years and it’s so annoying when a dancer finds the perfect shoe and then they can’t find it anymore. Even the tiniest difference can change how it feels on your foot. I felt so bad trying to find a new shoe that fit them the same 😭

I don't even wear Gaynor's but I felt like I had to watch this.😂

As someone who ordered the exact same size in the European-made shoes as the US-made shoes and then had to reorder half a size up and one shank softer, 11/10 recommend taking this advice.

I've been thinking it was only me that had issues with the new shoes, but I've understood that more people has experienced it. I'm so sad about it too because I really love my old Gaynors

One of my friend's student needed a new pair of Gaynor and we were lucky that our nearest fitter informed us beforehand about the new Gaynor before we place an order.. so she did a re-fitting (virtually) and ended up ordering the new pair with 0.5 size down and softer shank (from Supple to Pianissimo).. Thank goodness she likes them! We were worried as we have read many complains about the new Gaynor being way off their sizing and as we all know they're really pricey :') but I guess if you manage to find a good fitter who understands the new fit, it's best to do a re-fitting..

I’m a fitter and a teacher from Israel, and we started getting the new shoes as soon as the new factory opened long before COVID. we had no option as all orders for outside of the states were rerouted to there automatically. Honestly, I loved the new gaynors right away and so did most of my dancers. The stiffer shoe helped us fit girls who really liked GM but previously found even the green shank to not be supportive enough, and honestly the new satin seems to be longer lasting in our local weather conditions and such so that was a plus. And personally, I think this new color is actually better. Blends way better with most tights.

I literally haven't done ballet since I was a little kid, but I find these videos so interesting!

I didn’t know there was so many differences with the European factory. I’ve been dancing in Gaynor’s for years and I just got my first pair from the euro factory and I was so confused why I couldn’t go over the box in them unlike my American ones.

It makes me so sad that I can't get my USA Gaynors anymore! 😭 I ultimately had to change brands but their staff was incredibly helpful while I was trying to find a new Gaynor fit. They asked me questions about what I liked about my previous pairs, what I was looking for, and offered me several options. If you're looking to try them, don't let the current disappointment discourage you. They really are trying to figure out how best to develop their shoes and move forward.

I lucked out and my pointe shoe store had a few remaining american made shoes left and one happened to be my size that I jumped on and purchased almost a month ago. I tried on the European shoes and they were not as comfortable and aesthetically looked kind of ugly 🤭. I’m hoping my American shoes will last a while because I don’t know what I’ll do when they die. Sad to hear the factory in the US will be permanently closed. At the time of purchase my fitter was hopeful the factory would come back.

I have never danced (in any style) nor will I ever be able to, but man, I love these videos!

Thanks for the discussion Josephine! This helps everyone understand how the changes affect the wear/feel of the shoes as well as function.

Love your videos! Where I live we don't have fitters, the stores just expect you to know exactly what shoe you need so getting the right shoe was frustrating... Until I started watching your videos! Now, just by listening to what you say I have been able to self-fit myself and I think I do pretty well 😊 would be fun to see what you would fit me in and compare that with what I fitted myself in by watching your videos 😁

I'm not a dancer and I find Josephine's commentary so interesting. And it's such a specific topic but she's very engaging and the dancers who guest are consistently super nice that you just appreciate the dedication and talent even more.

I am getting fitted for my first pair on Sunday and I am so so excited!

I’ve been on pointe for 15 years and have never felt like I had “my shoe” until I found Gaynors. Now it’s all different and I’m struggling with shoes all over again 😭 SO frustrating

Thanks so much for sharing. Could you do a video showing virtual fitting(s) so we can see how that would work?

Am on my 3rd pair of the new Euro to try and find the right combination of shank, size and fit. Like you suggest Josephine I have ended up going up a half size, changing to classic fit and going down a shank strength. I also changed to a low vamp as the pulling back was still a problem even with all these other changes. Then I annoyingly fell and broke my 5th met so am currently waiting for that to heal before I can really assess whether I have been successful in getting a new version of the Euro GM's to work. The support from GM was though pretty amazing - Karen Lacey in particular - super virtual fitter.

I got my first pair of gaynors today! Before, i've had grishkos and capezios. The shoes have been way too soft for my VERY flexible feet. I'm so happy with the shoes! They're GM Europas. They're made in USA. LOVE THEM!!! The satin is not as stiff as some gaynors, since the fitter said that it would be great because i want shoes where it doesn't pull back, cuz my feet are very flexible and my toes curl very far. The shoes feel so dreamy i'm so happyyyy❤️❤️❤️ they're incredibly comfortable for my feet compared to the other shoes i've had. I'm in LOVE.

im getting my pointe shoes tomorrow! im so excited!

When I switched to the European Gaynors, I hadn't realized all of the shoes available were from the new factory so I had the same size as what I had been wearing for two years. For me, I thought that the shoe was pushing me forward more and I was sinking more than usual as well, so I went to a sculpted for my next pair so that they would be more narrow. Unfortunately, that pair ended up being too short and I was unable to wear it at all. However, I found a Russian Pointe that I've been loving and will switch to!

I'm not a dancer. I'm not athletic in any way but I love this channel. I guess I just love learning about new, very specific things lol

I have almost always had gaynors. Had one pair of Russians as my friend with very similar feet as me wore them and wanted to try them out. The noise was so much more and they died so fast. I didn’t have the gaynor mindens that are newer now, that new type. But got tons of customizations which was so awesome for my feet. I only wished they were a little lighter in color, or had a lighter color option. I know they have more colors now.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video. I was in GMs and I loved loved loved them for a long time, but just couldn't love the European ones as much. I did go a shank strength down, and half a size up with the new shoes, but being at the wide width and no5 box couldn't go wider. I felt the shoes incredibly narrow, while still managing to sink because of the larger size. The European ones also come standard with the suede tips, which I don't like. I eventually went back to bloch because I just couldn't deal with the sinking, but I was in the sculpted fit, so might try the classic as you suggested. Thank you Josephine

This sucks :( I’m not in Gaynors but I know Gaynor wearers are always so attached to their shoes which has gotta be so tough! What I can 100% say though is that the color of the satin is much prettier hahaha

I bought my last pair of Gaynor Minden's in 2008. I've only worn those pair a handful of times. So, they still have a good years worth of life left in them. Since 2008 Gaynor Minden has changed their sizing, and changed their factory/satin.

Aloha From HAWAII! I love wat hung your videos💜

Please please please do a Bloch video! I've watched all of your pointe shoe reviews and have enjoyed the experience so much. Thank you very much for doing a review for the Capezio Ava, it is my first pointe shoe and it was great watching a video specifically on it. I hope I can schedule with you soon as I have very compressive feet and it took us almost 10+ tries for my first fitting in West Los Angeles 🩷

That's sad! I'm thinking that the "old" Gaynor Minden Shoes should go to a museum now so that everyone can see what they used to look like. I never got to pointe shoes, but I remember learning about the different brands in my dance history class ( I did a report on pointe shoes). Gaynor Minden always came up as the first when researching!

I do not do ballet, I have never done ballet. I thoroughly enjoy your videos and watched this whole thing. Zero practical application for me, just for fun. 😂

I used Gaynor Mindens since it was one of the few shoes for my wide feet.

A little hesitant about getting a new pair knowing this. However as the video states the shoe has evolved over the 2 decades I have worn them. I’m just not sure what shank to get as I’m on the softest because I need that much to get over. Probably time to get a fitting.

I learned so much!!!! Tyyyyy!!!

I’m sad now, I wasn’t professional enough to buy the gaynor Minden slippers so I decided to wait a little before purchasing them but now I think I might stick with my beginner friendly capizios 😍

How does this affect the Luxe satin and how that fits on the foot? The Luxe is so much more plush and fits the foot so much nicer, if the EU satin is stiffer is the Luxe now a thing of the past?

i had gaynors before and during the factory switch and i couldnt make them fit me right again so i completely switched back to bloch hannahs.

This is so funny to find. I worked at a plastics factory that made the Inside part of the shoes. And yes they closed their doors. They only made a few medical products. Once covid hit and the machines could run on their own. I've actually made the part for those shoes before. It was pretty cool

just now discovering the channel… its funny back in the day :P I actually worked at a dancewear store and was trained in pointe shoe fittings, we mostly had young girls coming in not pros. Anyway, I remember the old Gaynors & thats so sad! They’re a unique & beautiful shoe, it would be my pick for myself if I did pointe. But the satin, the look, and the softness of it, does remind me a little bit of another favorite of mine personally as someone who’s never had amazing arches & actually needs a softer shoe, that was the Chacot Veronese. Beautiful shoe & I still have my old pair! I’d be curious if you ever do a video on those & their benefits & downfalls or pros/cons. I know a soft shoe isn’t great for everyone, but for someone who isn’t pro, who dances for enjoyment, & who maybe isn’t genetically blessed with awesome arches such as myself, personally i found most pointe shoes to just be too hard for me 😕🥺… I’d have to destroy them to make them soft enough for me to articulate or be able to get up and over on them & its kind of shame to have to do too much to a shoe to make it work for you. I got the sense at the time it was sometimes frowned upon the Gaynors, as if its “cheating” 🙄 because they have a springiness to them that can really help with those struggles & support the arch. I always felt like thats a good thing tho. I guess the thinking or the risk I do understand is if a dancer really needs to develop more strength but a shoe like a Gaynor wouldn’t necessarily help them develop it 😕 i’d be curious your thoughts on it. I know there are pro dancers and teachers out there who swear by them. My very first ballet teacher wore Gaynors & it was the only shoe she’d wear. Anyway. Love Gaynors! So sad their US factory closed!! I hope they can work out any issues & continue to produce what their loyal customers want so they can retain them & that their business doesn’t suffer too much in the meantime. Since im way late here…. Maybe we could get an update??? 🙏🙂🤷‍♀️

My sister ended up switching away from Gaynor Minden in the end (to Grishko I think, not sure) - she really wasn't a huge fan of the stiffer satin 🙃 Thankfully, she found these other shoes that she really liked but they won't last as long as the Gaynor Mindens (my mum was complaining about the damage to her bank account that it'll do hahaha) - win some, lose some 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Im here so early

How does a virtual fitting work? Do you just make a recommendation based on my feet, or can I try on??

Hi Josephine, is there any difference between the vamps in the US gaynor minden & Europe gaynor minden? I was fitted for the Europe gaynors by my fitter but I didn’t place my order in case if it’s not the correct fit

Im getting my first pair of pointe shoes 9 days im so excited!! :D

Do you have any tips to make the new shoes feel more like the american. Got a new pair recently but haven’t used them yet because i’ve just been using favorite slightly dead shoes for barre this summer. I didn’t know the shoes had changed before this video and they feel verry different. It might just be because i’m comparing them to a verry comfortable «dead» pair. I still get over the box and they still «fit Well» (sculpted extra flex) but i lack some of the articulation and stability. Could using water to soften the satin work? Or anything else?

My relationship with gaynor minden is so weird because I liked them before but , like for a month they were ok but after that time they felt horrible , they were super uncomfortable and it made my foot strain so many times , it was so annoying, so I had to go back to Bloch and find something that can help me , now I have bloch aspirations and they are fantastic.

My very first Gaynor Mindens, circa 2005/6 were far softer in the platform area, almost as though there were padding in-between the plastic and the satin. It felt like extra cushioning for your toes, and because I have a very tapered and compressible foot, always struggled to find comfortable pointes. I still had to use some padding (the trick is to fill in the empty space so that your weight distributes better en pointe. Imagine putting a right angle triangle into the shoe, but using padding such as lambswool to shape the triangle into a rectangle) The newer shoes felt harder en pointe on the floor, and weren't right for me any more. The last pair of GMs I bought, was 2017/18, then switched to Capezio, then Bloch Eurostretch. Sadly, since breaking my back, December 2020, I've been unable to return to ballet. 😢

i have a question, my feet are super flexible and strong so i use the bloch pointe shoes idk if they have a super strong shank,and it’s worked for me so far but i tried these other pointe shoes with a harder shank and it hurt very badly, my big toes hurt. what does this mean?

I just started ballet almost a year ago now and I’ll be 13 in a month I’m progressing really quickly but I’ll still have most likely at least 2 years until I go on pointe but I can’t wait for when I do! Also to everyone on pointe: I think it’s super cool and keep working hard!!

Oh wow…I have Gaynor Minden!

i wish i saw this video in may before I bought a new pair.... my shoes fit terribly and its holding me back a lot. a bit more difficult to comfortably get over my box

PLEASE READ: I loved their old shoe, but I ordered a new pair several months ago, and the shoes weren't even the same size. they were no where close to what I ordered, so it held me back on my training, and their costumer service took forever to help me get a refund. I was not happy. I have a big family with a low budget, and I want to be a professional ballerina so bad, but I have really strong feet, which seems great, but my family can't afford to buy me new pointe shoes every month, which is why Gaynor would be so good with the plastic shank, but nope... Love you Josephine!🥰 I would LOVE to get fitted by you one day! Any suggestions on shoes for my situation?

I have just learned that the American factory closed and I’ve gotten a single pair since the closing. They’re the slim American fit and I absolutely adored them until the vamp started to soften From the video, i prefer the American satin much more. It looks much shinier and less like canvas, which is what the euro ones look like (to me). Slightly terrified of getting different pointes seeing as American gaynors were the only pointes that I’ve truly danced in and I loved them.

I sold my new pair of gaynors three years ago before I started college and i just decided to go back but 😭

Hi! You should totally react to Olivia Rodrigos new music video “Brutal” that has ballet in it. Love you 💕

I competed in the YAGP in Gaynors. They unfortunately ruined my feet and I was dancing on a whole lot of blood.

I have them for like a year now. The only problem is that I have lost 3 nails. It hurt my nails a lot.

How does one get a virtual fitting and what is the cost, please? 💗

My littlest sister have the USA Gaynor, are her first pair of point shoes... and she love them... the fact of think about she couldn't be able of wearing this beautiful point shoes again is sad... there just past a week of she being fitted on... is a little bit heartbroken... PD. My grammatical is not grate because I'm from Mexico... Edit: I start watching this channel for her, because I'm not a ballerina... but I want help her with her point shoes...

It took me so many years to find my perfect fit on gaynor and I got new shoes and even got a softer shank and it still feels so different. I can't get over the box as easy as before and I think the breaking point is lower so it feels so wrong. My feet hurt a looooot more I hate this 🥺🥺😭😭

I hated the new shoes…they were super ugly on my feet and super uncomfortable🤢 I switched to grishkos which look miles better and are much more functional😁

I used to dance, never ballet. I have never bought pointe shoes. Cue me sitting through this entire video fully invested, not knowing anything you are talking about. 😀

I just bought a pair of gaynors yesterday😂🙈🤦🏻‍♀️

so crazy that same shoe same design can be so different

I have never done ballet, barely watched any. Yet I find myself weirdly wanting to know everything about pointe shoe fittings. 🤔 Am I experiencing an identity crisis? This is so twilight zone...

They don’t fit the same. My daughter is having a horrible time. They need to come to the USA. Thank you for addressing.

They are bricks even w softer shank. I'm devastated my students have been in them for years n now even my girls w great feet can't get up on them.. They never break in either. I hope they fix the issue. :(

The Euro satin looks more like cotton or canvas tome.

Harder gaynors?! That would have been so helpful. I had hard double reinforced shank, sleek, high heel, higher vamp, size 4 box, Worst thing is hardest shoe to sew. haha. Mold beautifully to feet.

The American one is so pretty on the foot and the EU one really looks like it's pulling the dancer's foot back. If I'd been wearing the American, I'd feel betrayed!

its funny bc now my studio says IN BOLD that we can get any pointe shoe except gaynor minden T-T

I'm getting pointe shoes for the first time, do you have any tips? (e.g on how it should feel in the shoe)

Gaynors are already such a mess for students who dont have enough strength and just use the shank to compensate, and thus have trouble getting over their shoes. I really hope this doesnt make that worse. On the other hand, they were my absolute FAVORITES when I was dancing because of how they last and how, if you go for a really soft shank, they're just a brilliant solution for so many things on the professional level. But hopefully this doesnt cause a problem that way too.

I’m just seeing this and I was wondering why my shoes are completely different bc I got my first gaynors before the change in a store and my new ones are from online 😭 I feel like they won’t mold to my feet

I wish i saw this before buying the wrong "new smaller size". I bought the same size and shank from before and now they are too tight. I'm in pain when I dance! It's expensive, i'm gonna have to wear them anyways. :(

I dance in the Royal Ballet school in Richmond England , and I’ve been fitted for WENDYWU and IJONA my favorite was the WENDYWU, it was already arched, and the shank was soft. And then I bought the KUKOME-SHOP and omg…it was AWFAL! I’ve never seen such a wide box, it was painful and came with toe pads that looked distorted. I wish I had a better experience.

Super disappointing! The US satin looks and fits SO much better!! I can understand needing to move production (I guess) but I need to know what happened to the materials? Those are two different issues. And I'm wondering if GM was looking to save money by switching to cheaper materials and the pandemic gave them the perfect opportunity.

Uuuugh so sad USA facory wont come back. But yeah....we had to purchase the euro-made shoe. We did work directly with Gaynor's fitters. They were very helpful asked for lots of specifically angled images and we did several vietual fittings. That said i had to send back a couple times. Now it fits fine but kinds twists. But Im done. Not sending back. BUT she's still wearing the pair she's worn through the entire pandemic (why we use them btw.) Edit...no i take that back. We DID purchase a usa made pair from Josephines mom as she still had a stash and that was right after the first lock down, as soon as she opened up.

I'm planning to move to Gaynors, already been told to use the Pianissimo shank because my feet are quite stiff and I was kind of worried I'd recieve no support, but I hope the stiffer shoe benefits me a little instead of hindering me Also, I've never used pointes in american sizing before, if my size in eu is 38-39 depending on the shoe, then I should go with the recommended size for 38.5? It's 9.5 I believe, on Classic fit

I find it funny the fact that main differences in terms of quality that most people point out in the comments, have always been my experience getting GM in Latin America. I'm guessing the ones they sent here are lower quality than the ones you used in Europe or North America lol

Of course. It's cheaper to manufacture overseas.

I just inherited a pointe program at my new job and I'm finding that pretty much all the dancers are breaking their shanks before the boxes soften at all. Do you have tips for how I can adjust their classes to help them not eat through shoes? Is there a common flaw you think I should look for?

i was going to write a neutral comment about this but i’m too mad😆 i have tried every combination of sizing i possibly can (waited 10 weeks for them to come in) and every european made shoe looks and feels terrible! kind of like what russian pointe did, they look like biscuit boots. don’t get me started on the part where the leather bottom ends near the box, it’s a HUGE bump! so sad, usa made gaynors we’re my dream shoe and helped with my chronic injuries

Weird how this showed up in my recommended videos. I still have my gaynor minden’s from when I was in ballet school. It was definitely my fave pair of pointe shoes I’ve ever tried.

On a side note, "made in Europe" is so vague... I wonder why does GM not just print "made in Bosnia and Herzegovina" on the sole? Isn't that where the new GM factory is located 🤔? Perhaps a branding issue...

Mackenzie and Josephine needs a colab

Hmmm I see... you've successfully baited me with the thumbnail lol 😳 hope zakharova find her new fit. But as someone who went to the authorized fitting and payed for 4 new shoes yet none worked...I think it's fair for me to stop trying. 💔

I had to switch from my Gaynors to Russian Pointe!!! :( Send help!

Should I get pointe shoes from amazon?? I cant really afford regular pointe shoes :((

❤❤❤👋😁

Are there many professionals dancing with Gaynors?i truly thought that Freed are the point shoes.

I bought mine in May here in Brazil and it's the same as the American factory. I believe the dealer had a stock.

the camera and lighting is washing out the shoes! not bashing or anything just letting y’all know

I've been wearing Gaynors since 2000. I have very wide feet and at the time the options were limited. Up to 2018 that I got my last pair it was a perfect fit. But my last were not good at all! Size was wrong - too small! Width was wrong - too narrow! Satin was wrong- too stiff! I could not get on pointe and I've been dancing for over 35 years. At first I thought it was because of Covid and the fact that I couldn't take classes fir almost 2 years. In part that might be a factor. But the rest is all about the shoe. It is no longer right for me. I am switching brands.

So sad to hear of another USA production business close down permanently and be basically moved overseas, sorta.

Me who isn’t a dancer: ah yes

I just don't understand how the cure for stiffer satin is a softer SHANK.

the europen shoes hurt so bad u do not understand

hmm that makes me very very sad, and kind of angered, I mean I dont do ballet I admire it and sometimes do workout along with katie morgan or something like that sometimes once in a blue moon, but I admire it and love even more stuff made here, they were the last ones capezio might start making here again the custom special make up division but it wont be till the pandemic subsides and its still very much up in the air. and it makes me cross we have 300 million people plus and no one is willing to take up the mantle to keep making custom shoes here in the states, we can put stuff on other planets we can have the most scientific crap in the world riveling most of the other first world nations but no one can make dance or running shoes even one off, you can get people to make boots and dress shoes but no running, tap, or pointe shoes, its really puzzling, I mean yea it costs more to make stuff here but there are lots of people is everyone so afraid to get their hands dirty or soo few willing to try to fight to save it, especially something like those kind of shoes they have to work like an extention of your own body, frankly we have more places that can build a steam loco then make dance shoes and I am sure we have more dancers then railroads needing locomotives. maybe in course of time I learn cobbling or additive manufacturing, we should have more customazation and cheaper production for those who the shoes will work for not less. whos with me?