Fit Tip Friday is DRN’s monthly column where pointe shoe fitters share their go-to advice. For our seventh installment, New Zealand–based Esther Juon—former professional dancer and founder of both Juon Pointe and the Pointe Shoe Summit—argues for fitting each foot individually. This may mean dancers purchase two different pairs of shoes, one for each foot. Unlike tap, ballroom, or character shoes, pointe shoes can be worn on either foot, meaning this approach does not necessarily result in waste.
Juon’s perspective contrasts with that of previous contributor Mary Carpenter, who recommends using padding to balance out differences as a more cost-effective option for growing dancers. Which approach do you prefer? —Emily May, editor, Dance Retailer News
My advice is to fit one foot at a time. A dancer might have one foot longer than the other, and the longer foot may be narrower and the shorter foot might be wider. So, they might need to have one pair of shoes for the right foot and one pair of shoes for the left. Dancers don’t necessarily have the same ankle extension in both feet either, meaning they might want to have a different shank strength in each foot too.
The biggest mistake fitters make is to fit to the bigger foot. Then the second foot, the smaller foot, just suffers. Even a quarter of a size will make a huge difference to the amount of suffering.
In my experience, when [most people] do a fitting, they give the dancer a pair of shoes for both feet, they put them on, go up on pointe, and test them out. The way I fit takes a lot longer—around an hour and a half! I can’t do it in 10 minutes because I fit each shoe individually. I look at the dancer’s feet in detail, and do a full assessment of them every time we do a fitting. The dancer might end up with two pairs of shoes, but that gives them the option of having different widths and different shanks between one or the other foot, which is exciting.
Swiss-born, New Zealand–based former professional dancer and ballet teacher Esther Juon is the founder and director of Juon Pointe and the Pointe Shoe Summit. Over the past 41 years, she has developed the Juon Pointe System together with osteopaths, physiotherapists, and podiatrists. Continually evolving, the system is used today by fitters and dance health professionals.
Erica Iacono is a writer living in New York City who often covers marketing and small businesses.