Pointe Shoe Hacks: Xuan Cheng (Oregon Ballet Theatre)
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- Опубликовано: 26 янв 2025
- *We shot this video a few weeks ago before placed under quarantine. I hope everyone is safe and healthy and staying positive during this time!
Oregon Ballet Theatre principal, Xuan Cheng goes through A LOT of pointe shoes during a show. Watch how she prepares her pointe shoes to make them quiet for the stage.
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It amazes me that the shoe makers put so much handcrafted time into making each shoe, but the dancers literally have to rip them apart in order to wear them.
Yeah why the producers don't change the way the shoes are in end of production
@@lisakatame2369 Sometimes dancers will have some things customized, like you can order a 3/4 shank so you don't have to cut them. But mostly the dancers want to be able to do things just exactly to their liking and to be able to adjust things when they need to - like using less glue for a particular role like this dancer does.
MajaElliott It is :(
Dancers have to “mold” the shoe to their feet so they can dance.The shoes are rock hard when you first get them as well, you can’t possibly dance in them at first.
Lmao
I would LOVE to know how Natalia Osipova prepares her shoes. They always look dead in photos.
Ya same
@@itsava4425 I saw in a video that she is in Sansha Ovation (sorry Gaynor) , she cuts the vamp and then sews it instead of using vamp elastic. She uses those shoes untill they fall apart. She is tiny and weighs nothing and as you know she is a force of nature. Russian dancers are trained to stand on the tip of their toes like en pointe even without shoes!!!
She said in an interview that she absolutely hates preparing pointe shoes 😂 That’s probably why she wears them until they fall apart
@@foreverestt3631 Do you know of any review videos for Sansha pointe shoes? It is really hard to find anything on that brand. I've come to the conclusion that not many dancers like them bc it's really hard to break in the shank.
I was going to ask, 'how can you tell?' (I didn't know of this dancer) and then I looked her up. Holy corpses of pointe shoes!
I'm so sad that Xuan is retiring. I'm seeing her in La Sylphide in February, which will be her last show 😭 I actually saw her in class this past summer when I did summer intensives at OBT, which was really cool 🥰
She is the principal dancer of HK ballet now!😊
Her expression in the thumbnail, with the hammer!!! Gave me a good laugh- i needed that!
Hahaha exactly
You should do a “how to darn pointe shoes” since we’re in quarantine!
Dragonstorygirl different dancers do it differently, there's even a video where she sits down with a pair of twins who are both professional dancers and they even do it different to each other!
Thank you for showing her wearing the shoes! Would love to see a little more of that at the end - seeing her do a few steps, rolling through etc.
What an absolute legend, I have so much admiration for for Xuan
I teach Baile Folklorico and omg I laughed at this because I tell my dancers all the time you will end up having a favorite foot. One will learn all of the steps the other can go googly.
I wish I could get my pointe shoes from the Pointe Shop because they always get the perfect match for their foot!
She’s doing online fittings!
email me josephine@thepointeshop.com
@@ThePointeShop i might get my pointe shoes from you! I live in Texas!
Thank you Xuan! Sleeping beauty was a wonderful performance!
Oh my goodness! I just came across this video. Crazy thing. I was probably at that same performance of Sleeping Beauty from OBT. It was just before covid started. I am so glad I was able to watch these stunning dancers perform. 😍
Omg I'll be able to come down to you on a weekend I just realized 🥺💗🥰 think I'm about to die of excitement because I'll finally be a west coast living gal!
Wow, it really pays to completely understand evey aspect of your body and feet to get to that level of customization ✨✨
I know jack about ballet, but I'm liking these videos. It's always interesting to know things.
Hi I hope everyone has an amazing day and stay safe ❤️
Luna Boin thx u 2
Thank you! You too!
I would love to learn how dancers prepare their shoes for Swan Lake.
Janella Baxter why should pointe shoes for swan lake be different in general?? 🤔
@@mathildewesendonck7225 some shows call for different things, like this dancer shown here Hayes less glue for this role.
Love the way she sews her ribbons..
I've seen her dance live!! She's amazing!!
Her shoes was made on my birthday
Her darning speed is so fast! I had to quit darning and train myself to balance on not darned Pointe shoes cuz I am really slow and clumsy... God knows how much Ive bled for sewing Pointe shoes ugh 😩
Kay Mckayface maybe try a thimble while sewing. I sew a lot and have one on my middle finger and one on my thumb
@@thisisme8018 thank you! I use it too. Somehow I still hurt myself 😂I'm just really bad at this I guess 😂
Kay Mckayface Mhm... then maybe try a different material one? I use handmade thimbles out of pleather. Maybe you need a plastik or metal one
@@thisisme8018 I have metal, silicon and leather one. But thank you very much 🙏🙏
Try the whole hand one that is reinforced leather to hold near the shoe end (sewist and dancer here) that way when you miss you don't hurt yourself but you can still have the shoe you enjoy
I LoVe these video's. However, can you take close up shots of the shoes after the dancer adjustments...?
I had 2 friends get fittings from you while you were in town for this visit!
Help! I have medium arches but really really strong feet... Grishkos last long enough, but I have vamp issues. Maya vamps are too low but 2007 and similar models vamps are too high!! Any advice anybody?
You could always customise the vamp yourself just get the longer vamp and cut a small triangle in it that way you get the perfect vamp hope that helps
@@rhiannonmorgan1815 Thank-you so much! 🤯
try russian pointe. they have harder shanks than grishko but the vamps are lower and very customizable (they have 3 different vamps)
@@clarewang Thank-you so much!
@@BoglimWrangler666 Thank-you thank-you thank-you
Dear Josephine, apart from all the gorgeous pointe shoes, I absolutely adore YOUR shoes 🙂! What are they?
I am surprised that pointe shoe makers don’t offer predarned shoes.
Well everyone likes them darned differently, and some people don’t darn them at all, so you have to cater to everyone not too specifically.
Im sure there are some but customization is part of the way a dancer connects with there shoe. So most prefer to do things their own way even if they could get those customizations done by a maker.
some do. I know Sansha has a few pre darned models
Stay safe!
ttaibe u 2
Omg! I saw her in The Sleeping Beauty too!!!
Can you do a fitting for flat feet? Can flat feet go on pointe? I have flat feet and my dream is to go on pointe.
I have flat feet. I did a lot of stretching and strengthening to get the flexibility of my ankles and to be able to stand steadily on pointe. Now, my feet actually looks nice when I’m on pointe. But note that it will be impossible to make your feet look super arched with a high instep though.
There’s also so different hacks mentioned through out the videos to improve the look when you on en pointe so keep doing your research and stretched. Good luck.
I have flat feet and I can dance in point shoes
Ok, but (as a non-dancer) WHY do the shoes not last? Does the shank get too soft? Does the box give out? Or both?.
I’d like to know details too! Also how do they know when a shoe is dead?
Both! The sweat and moisture breaks down the supportive material in the shoes. Certain brands last longer than others, such as Gaynor Minden, whereas brands like Freed of London have a reputation for breaking down/wearing out very quickly
@@rachelgroth7108 It depends on the dancer, but generally you don’t feel supported in the shoe anymore and it gets painful. for me, if my toes slide down the box when I go en pointe, that’s a pretty good indicator that they’re dead (and it causes a lot of unnecessary pressure that wasn’t there before)
maker L is retired?!? i wear classic pro 90’s, and i had to switch from circle cross to L maker because circle cross retired 😔 i don’t want to have to find a new maker again!
I would like to buy at the pointe shop but I live in Mexico
Went looking for this vid because I had a question and realized that it's not in your hacks playlist.
Hahah you saw me onstage as a flying monkey demon bird thing.
please make a video how to do pointe
I'm not a dancer, so this is probably a stupid question. If she goes thought such a vast quantity of shoes so quickly, Why does she not get a harder or longer lasting kind? Maybe one that she doesn't have to alter so much?
No shoe can actually be "long lasting" it just all depends on how much you dance on them. And for her actual shoes, just because it's harder doesnt mean it will work out for them. You want to shoe as comfortable and easy to maneuver in so you can actually roll through and make it easier to work with. If the shoe is too hard, you can't do much. All professionals have to customize their shoes to their own preferences to help them dance to their full potential. I hope this helps you understand !
Hard shoes are loud which you don't want on stage. Dancers will prefer softer, quieter shoes for performances and leave the less modified/louder shoes for practice since they will last longer.
The other reason that dancers customize their shoes themselves is because it gives them an opportunity to bond with the shoe. It's kinda superstitious and tradition at the same time.
I mean, there is also only so long papier mache and satin can last, ya know? Josephine has some great videos about the making of pointe shoes that go into this, as well as how and why shoes break down (differently) for each dancer. They're really interesting videos, so I definitely recommend looking for them in her video list and watching them!
There are shoes that have stronger shanks( the bottom part) and they are harder but freeds don’t come with that option.
THAT’S MY FRIGGEN BALLET TEACHER
Josephine❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😄
How does she sew her shoe?
through watching these videos I have noticed how ballerinas super protect there feet when NOT in point shoes.
I need to see these shoes on her
Damn In my state
Not so pretty up close with the outside sewing, but I love the arch. I'd rather that arch then a pretty outside shoe.
💯💯💯🤗🤗💓💓
❤❤❤👑
Ever heard of Gaynor Minden pointe shoes?
Pointe shoes producers shd step up their game and try using 3D printer to create shoes that are unique and fit each dancer worldwide :D
That would sky rocket the cost of the shoes (they're already absurd), put very talented makers out of work, require constant reconfiguring, cause even worse shortages (supply chains for basic food stuffs have already been erratic for a couple of years, and point shoes are pretty low on the totem pole), and they would still have to be customized from pair to pair, show to show, day to day. Some things can't be automated and still maintain their form and function. This is squarely one of them.
Random weird thought: Do ballet shoes get smelly like sneakers? My feet sweat so quick! I feel like after 1 hike my brand new tennies will start to get funky already. But ballet shoes, esp the practice/rehearsal shoes, are worn to hell but don’t look stinky. Idk… 🌹🤢🤯
Oh, they do. My husband calls them dead sewer pickle shoes. My feet sweat a LOT, and it's 10x worse in point shoes or slippers. The good news is that they don't last long before they get tossed. The bad news is that they cost a fortune long term. My gear bags smell like effing death.
I wonder why the producers of point shoes don't change the way the shoes are after production since the ballet dancers always must do customisation and never use them direct , and after customisation they don't long a while
They're essentially paper mache and a bit of satin (dancing in anything heavier is like walking in cement). Mix heat, moisture, and beating the snot out of them makes them break down. Add to bonding with the shoe, the fact that feet can literally change from week to week or day to day (injury, age, strength, natural swelling), and the fact that not one person has two identical feet, much less two people having four feet identical to anyone else in the world, and this is about as specific as they can get without shelling out exponentially bigger bucks per pair to have them custom made. Point shoes are already pricey for the average person (as they're handmade though, stock pairs are around 100-125$ are pretty reasonable), getting much more specific would increase it to become unreachable.
and this is why I had to quit dance, my poor wallet 😭
hi hi can u send me a pair of shoes
order at www.thepointeshop.com :)
Can I take ballet classes once a week for 3 years and then get my first pair of pointe shoes? 🩰