Pointe Shoe Brand Review – Which Shoe is Best for You?

I have tried many different brands of pointe shoes throughout my ballet years – here are my findings on the pros and cons of each brand.

BLOCH

Pros: Bloch was the brand I started out with, and it fits both wide and slim feet equally well. Bloch is great for beginners, as it is relatively easy to ‘break in’ and takes longer to wear out, which means first-time pointe shoe wearers can get used to the shoe before having to switch it out again. They are also one of the less expensive pointe shoe brands.

Cons: If you have very strong feet it will break in too easily. Also, Bloch has padding on the tip of the box of the pointe shoe, and although it makes it more comfortable en pointe, it makes it difficult to feel the ground and balance.

FREED

Pros: Freed of London pointe shoes are easy to break-in, and form to your feet quickly. This means that the shoe shape changes to adjust to your feet, making it comfortable.

Cons: In my experience, Freed pointe shoes break in too quickly, and even though I only went en pointe three times a week for around an hour, my Freed pointe shoes were worn-out within a month.

GRISHKO

Pros: Grishko is a great challenge for people already comfortable en pointe. It is very difficult to break in and it doesn’t make going en pointe easy. Grishko helped me strengthen my feet a lot, and they also last a long, long time.

Cons: The shape of the Grishko pointe shoes is like a cone, which makes balancing en pointe harder since the surface area is smaller.  

GAYNOR MINDEN

Pros: Gaynor Minden pointe shoes are not like regular pointe shoes since they aren’t made of wood. This means that it will last for a long time and will not die like other pointe shoes. I mostly use them for performances, exams, and competitions, since the shoe makes any foot look perfectly pointed.

Cons: Gaynor shoes have a special mechanism that makes it ridiculously easy to go en pointe, which means your feet won’t gain strength because the shoe does all the work for you.

All of these brands are beneficial to me in different ways, but my current favorite shoes are Grishko and Gaynor Minden. Grishko helps my feet get stronger, but my Gaynor shoes give me a little bit more support in performances.