Bloch is the biggest pointe shoe company here in Australia, you don’t see stores from other brands but it would be interesting to see if they also sponsor state ballet companies
Hi Josephine, I stopped dancing when I was 11...I got thrown from a horse and injured my back. So no ballet, no ice skating, and no horse back riding. The healing time was so long that I became afraid but never lost my love for it. Your vlogs have kept me in the dance world and introduced many other dance vlog channels. Thank you.🩰🤟🫶💕
So sorry to hear about your accident! I have a neuromuscular condition so I empathise- even though I am OLD. I hope your injuries heal quickly, and you get well enough to enjoy your hobbies/extracurricular stuff. 👋🤗
I went on a tour of the Australian Ballet studios a while back and they definitely don’t just have blochs. I saw blochs, freeds, energetiks and gaynors but they might have more brands that I didn’t notice.
The pointe shoe room you can see if you do classes at the australian ballet studios…its so pretty 😊 you’ll also see some of the company members leaving the studios in the waiting room for class…Benedict is now a principal with Aus ballet…she’s a stunning dancer. Unfortunately in australia there isn’t much choice for ballet brands, Bloch is the main dance store here, so majority of dancers will get Bloch shoes as their ballet shoes…but i do know not all the dancers wear Bloch, majority do, but some don’t…i actually have a pair of Freeds that were originally assigned to a company member but were discarded for some reason (may have been not suitable or a reject pair by the dancer).
So the Oz Ballet provides ONLY Bloch shoes to their dancers? That's unusual, isn't it? I mean, Freed is the official shoe for the Royal Ballet, but there are dancers wearing the whole range of brands, provided by the company as far as I understand.
Not all the australian ballet dancers actually wear Bloch - they usually wear them, but i know a few don’t…eg Amber Scott, a former principal, did wear Bloch, but then towards the end of her career she wore gaynors
But 100% having a major donor as a sponsor for the 'naming honor' of the room is a fab idea- surely some patron would love to sponsor the gorgeous curved window room!
It was similar to the library in Beauty & the Beast, only in pointe shoe…breathtaking…I’d be hard pressed to choose if faced with either, or both…a girl can dream…
I'm in Europe but up till now, Bloch has always been the best fit for me (recreational dancer bdoing 3 hours of pointe per week). Over here we like to put suede tips on our pointe shoes instead of darning or using resin. However it's harder nowadays to purchase real suede which is a bummer because the vegan version doesn't work well with the glue. I wore the Serenade (strong) for years and only did a little bending of the upper part of the shank (right under the heel) before starting work in them. Nowadays I wear Suprima's with their tiny platforms. I bend the shank a little near the heel to prepare for dancing in them and use a type of shellac/lacquer in the box to make it last a little longer. The box of the Suprima is a lot weaker than the box of the Serenade but also i've gained a lot of weight which doesn't help with the life of the shoe :-/
I'm Australian. I'm not a dancer, but there's usually a lot less choice in everything here. If you are outside the norm,vin any way, you ll have trouble. I'm a US men's 10 wide and I get most of my shoes on line.
I wear Bloch Eurostretch. I noticed when I bought my last pair that they only go up to 8.5 (which is 6 and a half UK) -not very big. At least, that's how it is in the UK store.
how do you feel about no toe pads (or just like padding in your shoes in general) in your shoes? my studio is now requiring we take them off eventually (not immediately which is a little better) but I’ve been wearing toe pads since I was on pointe and I think not wearing toe pads is a really big step. My teacher says it’s to feel the floor better and that all profesional dancers take them out (which im pretty sure is not true) but I honestly think that I would just be dying from the pain of it 😅 what are your thoughts and how have you been trained?
1) you are correct... not all professionals go without pads/padding 2) are you at the pre-professional level? If not, is it reasonable to hold you to a professional standard? 3) are there other indicators that this studio might not be the best fit for you anymore? Are there other studios in your area? I throw that out there only because this is the time of year when a change might be possible.
I am currently in pre-professional in my studio, and I have been considering other studios, but mostly not because of the toe pad situation (something more personal). just been asking around yt :)
I'm sure having a shoe brand sponsor is good for the company finances but what if that brand simply doesn't make a shoe which suits a particular dancer? From what I understand (as a non-dancer) pointe shoes are so personal to each dancer, possibly to each foot!, that could be entirely possible. I now have an image of ballerinas smuggling in 'contraband' pointe shoes.
Probably all the Australian trained dancers who come up through the Australian Ballet School would have at least a passing familiarity with Bloch, but possibly international dancers who have exclusively used another brand might take some time to figure things out. With customisations though, I reckon almost everyone could be sorted, and those that couldn’t find their perfect (custom) pair would surely be allowed to continue in another brand. I am a mature beginner en pointe, and have worn 4 different brands already, but my Bloch Eurostretches seem to be near perfect, whereas Heritage was not a success! RP Brava and Bloch Eurostretch fit me much the same, but I don’t need two different widths of Eurostretch as I do RP Brava.
its probably best to not be sponsored by one brand and then have to force dancers into a shoe that might not be a good fit... but yes the room is so pretty
This is an old clip from the Australian Ballet. Benedicte is Principal now & she wears Freed as I met her last year & she gifted me with a pair.
I have personally seen the Aus Ballet pointe shoe room and with the clear shelving it is like a work of art.
Bloch is the biggest pointe shoe company here in Australia, you don’t see stores from other brands but it would be interesting to see if they also sponsor state ballet companies
Hi Josephine, I stopped dancing when I was 11...I got thrown from a horse and injured my back. So no ballet, no ice skating, and no horse back riding. The healing time was so long that I became afraid but never lost my love for it. Your vlogs have kept me in the dance world and introduced many other dance vlog channels. Thank you.🩰🤟🫶💕
The woman in charge of the Pointe shoe room probably has OCD (lol)
So sorry to hear about your accident! I have a neuromuscular condition so I empathise- even though I am OLD. I hope your injuries heal quickly, and you get well enough to enjoy your hobbies/extracurricular stuff. 👋🤗
@@npats550 thank...the accident happened when I was 11 and I'm 65 now. LOL
I went on a tour of the Australian Ballet studios a while back and they definitely don’t just have blochs. I saw blochs, freeds, energetiks and gaynors but they might have more brands that I didn’t notice.
I think you need to go on a field trip to Australia! :))
The pointe shoe room you can see if you do classes at the australian ballet studios…its so pretty 😊 you’ll also see some of the company members leaving the studios in the waiting room for class…Benedict is now a principal with Aus ballet…she’s a stunning dancer. Unfortunately in australia there isn’t much choice for ballet brands, Bloch is the main dance store here, so majority of dancers will get Bloch shoes as their ballet shoes…but i do know not all the dancers wear Bloch, majority do, but some don’t…i actually have a pair of Freeds that were originally assigned to a company member but were discarded for some reason (may have been not suitable or a reject pair by the dancer).
Any room with shelves full of pointe shoes- definitely including yours, Josephine, is beautiful to me!
I agree! Some days neat looks pretty and some days variety is prettier.
I love that see-through wall. It's so pretty.
So the Oz Ballet provides ONLY Bloch shoes to their dancers? That's unusual, isn't it? I mean, Freed is the official shoe for the Royal Ballet, but there are dancers wearing the whole range of brands, provided by the company as far as I understand.
It is highly likely that's the case in Australia as well, just this video in particular seemed to be sponsored by Bloch. I don't know for sure though.
Not all the australian ballet dancers actually wear Bloch - they usually wear them, but i know a few don’t…eg Amber Scott, a former principal, did wear Bloch, but then towards the end of her career she wore gaynors
But 100% having a major donor as a sponsor for the 'naming honor' of the room is a fab idea- surely some patron would love to sponsor the gorgeous curved window room!
i get new pointe shoes on friday and i’m no excited! they will be my second pair, second year on pointe! love your videos!
I take class at the Aus Ballet each week and its so surreal to see this pointe shoe room in person !!
Love your videos Josephine ❤
Love all the point shoes 🩰
I would love to visit your shop with my wife (who wants to get back into ballet.)
I could die in a pointe shoe room❤
It was similar to the library in Beauty & the Beast, only in pointe shoe…breathtaking…I’d be hard pressed to choose if faced with either, or both…a girl can dream…
30ish years ago, I was a Bloch girl. Loved loved them.
Hello Josephine!! Big fan!!! 🫶🫶🫶
Amazing AB Point Shoe Room! Would love to see other companies ballet’s rooms
I'm in Europe but up till now, Bloch has always been the best fit for me (recreational dancer bdoing 3 hours of pointe per week). Over here we like to put suede tips on our pointe shoes instead of darning or using resin. However it's harder nowadays to purchase real suede which is a bummer because the vegan version doesn't work well with the glue. I wore the Serenade (strong) for years and only did a little bending of the upper part of the shank (right under the heel) before starting work in them. Nowadays I wear Suprima's with their tiny platforms. I bend the shank a little near the heel to prepare for dancing in them and use a type of shellac/lacquer in the box to make it last a little longer. The box of the Suprima is a lot weaker than the box of the Serenade but also i've gained a lot of weight which doesn't help with the life of the shoe :-/
Love you Josephine 🫶🫶
I'm Australian. I'm not a dancer, but there's usually a lot less choice in everything here. If you are outside the norm,vin any way, you ll have trouble. I'm a US men's 10 wide and I get most of my shoes on line.
I wear Bloch Eurostretch. I noticed when I bought my last pair that they only go up to 8.5 (which is 6 and a half UK) -not very big. At least, that's how it is in the UK store.
how do you feel about no toe pads (or just like padding in your shoes in general) in your shoes? my studio is now requiring we take them off eventually (not immediately which is a little better) but I’ve been wearing toe pads since I was on pointe and I think not wearing toe pads is a really big step. My teacher says it’s to feel the floor better and that all profesional dancers take them out (which im pretty sure is not true) but I honestly think that I would just be dying from the pain of it 😅 what are your thoughts and how have you been trained?
1) you are correct... not all professionals go without pads/padding
2) are you at the pre-professional level? If not, is it reasonable to hold you to a professional standard?
3) are there other indicators that this studio might not be the best fit for you anymore? Are there other studios in your area? I throw that out there only because this is the time of year when a change might be possible.
I am currently in pre-professional in my studio, and I have been considering other studios, but mostly not because of the toe pad situation (something more personal). just been asking around yt :)
I love ur content!!
You need to go to Melbourne, Josephine❤❤
You need to look into that font thing ;)
Hey! I love your content but I'm really tired of the reaction videos... Any chance we'll get to see you do some fittings again?!?
I'm sure having a shoe brand sponsor is good for the company finances but what if that brand simply doesn't make a shoe which suits a particular dancer? From what I understand (as a non-dancer) pointe shoes are so personal to each dancer, possibly to each foot!, that could be entirely possible. I now have an image of ballerinas smuggling in 'contraband' pointe shoes.
Probably all the Australian trained dancers who come up through the Australian Ballet School would have at least a passing familiarity with Bloch, but possibly international dancers who have exclusively used another brand might take some time to figure things out. With customisations though, I reckon almost everyone could be sorted, and those that couldn’t find their perfect (custom) pair would surely be allowed to continue in another brand. I am a mature beginner en pointe, and have worn 4 different brands already, but my Bloch Eurostretches seem to be near perfect, whereas Heritage was not a success! RP Brava and Bloch Eurostretch fit me much the same, but I don’t need two different widths of Eurostretch as I do RP Brava.
Yeah but really Bloch is the only seller. They're the only specialist dance shop in the country that's a chain.
Can you react to brevard ballet academy please
Ooh! Can you interview Katherine Barkman? She’s with SF Ballet.😊
its probably best to not be sponsored by one brand and then have to force dancers into a shoe that might not be a good fit... but yes the room is so pretty
should i break into my merlet belle point shoe?
I can't say ballet without t, so that's everytime weird to me^^' And i have also a pair of Bloch points and slippers :3
I love your videos
Josephine ❤❤❤❤❤❤ 😊
I’m early!
Australia is a long way from the source of ballet pointes, so a sponsor supplying one brand makes economic sense.
Early ❤❤❤
2 hour gang
👇🏽
❤🩰 ❤🩰❤🩰