I figure there must be a quite a few pointe shoe collectors around the world and probably not all of us are dancers.
I wouldn't call what I have a collection really as I've just bought some used and new pairs to explore and use in my art.
And there is no way I could afford to buy all the brands and styles out there nor do I have the space for them.
I think it's sad that because pointes have been seen as a disposable item there are precious few vintage or historical shoes about. They served their purpose and then typically were discarded. Dancers may have kept some for sentimental reasons but most eventually were tossed.
And I suppose it's only now with access to the internet that we can share the vast amount of information about the many brands and styles that exist. Before the world wide web it was a few lines in the dictionary and if you were lucky you might have access to a dance shop that sold pointes.
I found a couple of videos on YouTube of pointe shoe collections. But not nearly enough to feed my addiction.
I've had more luck in finding pointe shoe blogs.
I particularly love pointeshoebrands.wordpress.com!
If you want lots of info on particular brands all in one place I'd have to say that's the blog! I've been reading my way through it for weeks. The blogger is a dancer and obviously knows her stuff.
It's wonderful reading her insights into different brands and styles. So far she has found 61 companies which make or have made pointe shoes around the world.
Since I'm not a dancer and have no technical knowledge on the topic it's wonderful to read blogs like 'pointeshoebrands'.
Anyway if you collect pointe shoes or just are just obsessed like me, please let me know what fascinates you.
Do you have a favourite brand? Style? Colour?
I wouldn't call what I have a collection really as I've just bought some used and new pairs to explore and use in my art.
And there is no way I could afford to buy all the brands and styles out there nor do I have the space for them.
I think it's sad that because pointes have been seen as a disposable item there are precious few vintage or historical shoes about. They served their purpose and then typically were discarded. Dancers may have kept some for sentimental reasons but most eventually were tossed.
And I suppose it's only now with access to the internet that we can share the vast amount of information about the many brands and styles that exist. Before the world wide web it was a few lines in the dictionary and if you were lucky you might have access to a dance shop that sold pointes.
I found a couple of videos on YouTube of pointe shoe collections. But not nearly enough to feed my addiction.
I've had more luck in finding pointe shoe blogs.
I particularly love pointeshoebrands.wordpress.com!
If you want lots of info on particular brands all in one place I'd have to say that's the blog! I've been reading my way through it for weeks. The blogger is a dancer and obviously knows her stuff.
It's wonderful reading her insights into different brands and styles. So far she has found 61 companies which make or have made pointe shoes around the world.
Since I'm not a dancer and have no technical knowledge on the topic it's wonderful to read blogs like 'pointeshoebrands'.
Anyway if you collect pointe shoes or just are just obsessed like me, please let me know what fascinates you.
Do you have a favourite brand? Style? Colour?
While I like all pointe shoes, I do have some favorites like: Sansha-202; Capezio Contempora; Gaynor-Minden; Russian-Pointe; to name a few. I love pointe shoes that are done in leather. Do wish that Capezio had not ending the Duro-Toe shoe they made for so many years.
ReplyDeleteFavorite color for pointe shoes is RED. Just love to see performances in red pointe shoes. Also like black, blue and tan. Unfortunately fewer and fewer pointe shoemakers offer standard colors; only special-orders for something other than pink.