Just the Right Shoe
Did you know that ballet slippers are made the same, not with a right and left! When your new pair of ballet slippers arrives, it’s a good idea to write ‘R’ on the shoe intended for the right foot and ‘L’ for the left. Identifying the right and left shoes from the beginning helps with fit and comfort as our Tiny Tutus leather ballet slippers stretch and mould to your ballerina’s individual feet.
Tiny Tutus ballet slippers are soft and lightweight with full leather upper and a suede sole offering support for little feet. Unlike regular shoes, a correct fit for ballet slippers means the shoe fits like a glove. A little ballerina needs to manipulate her feet comfortably in the ballet slipper without slipping or too much space making as this will make pointing the foot difficult. The leather slipper will stretch to allow some additional
growth.
An adult dancer would purchase a streamline fit for ballet slippers with little or no space in the shoe. Since our little ballerinas are still growing every day, a streamline fit is not really practical or the slippers would not fit for more than a few lessons.
To help the fit of your ballet slippers pull the drawstring at the front of the slipper carefully so it only takes up gaps in the width of the shoe. Just remember, once pulled, the draw string is almost impossible to loosen. Be careful not to pull the drawstring too tightly or the back of the shoe will cut into the sensitive Achilles tendon and cause some discomfort.
When you are happy with the fit around your ballerina’s foot, knot the strings and tie into a firm bow then cut off the excess string. When you put on ballet slippers, tuck these little bows into the front of the slipper. The bows are not designed for looks, but for a functioning fit system. Tucking in the bows allows for a lovely look as well as helping little ballerinas focus on class instead of playing with bows.
Simone began her ‘dancing career’ at three years of age. She gained her formal Dance Teaching Qualifications at 18 years of age, before completing a degree in Early Childhood Education. Just a few years into her full time school teaching career, Simone was merit selected for the position of Assistant Principal and became one of the youngest Assistant Principals in Newcastle and one of the only with Early Childhood Qualifications.
Throughout this time, Simone opened and operated her own dance studio. The successful studio saw her dancers excel at dance competitions and public performances, as well as gain success on a professional level in productions of “Tap Dogs”, “Steel City” and “Annie”.
Tiny Tutus is a dedicated preschool ballet program especially for dancers under 5 years of age, providing an early childhood appropriate curriculum.