Pointe Shoe Hacks: Sasha De Sola (San Francisco Ballet)

San Francisco Ballet Principal, Sasha De Sola, talks about changing pointe shoe brands after an injury and how quickly she goes through her pointe shoes.
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[@phoenixgate007]

Why am I watching these videos? I don’t dance ballet! Yet, I am completely fascinated.

[@ExitLight]

Same! I don’t even know why this was recommended yet here I am on my fifth video on Pointe Shoes and fascinated.

[@phoenixgate007]

Exit Light yeah, I watched 5 in a row too 😂

[@sebeckley]

I don't dance, but it's so interesting to see into someone else's life. Also fascinating to see how the human body works. This dancer requires the shoe to act almost as an exoskeleton. Another dancer they interviewed has feet like steel and wears shoes just for the pointe. And she only uses a pair every month or even two.

[@katiekawaii]

Same 😄

[@princessroxyvincenzo5602]

That would be amazing if you would start dance. You will feel how dancing is beautiful and satisfying.

[@katiejones4596]

This was such an interesting video! I got cleared for pointe shoes on Wednesday and I’ve been going down the KZbin rabbit hole ever since

[@samantha-we9xp]

Katie Jones omg I did the same thing when I found out! I’m getting my shoes in a few weeks....still going down that rabbit hole!😂❤️

[@morgan.r_taylor]

@@samantha-we9xp I'm in the process of going down the rabbit hole, I got cleared a few weeks ago!

[@theonceler2756]

I just got invited to start pointe yesterday 😂 I’m doing the same thing

[@m.a.s.o.n_the-icon_4210]

November 20 2020 I'm sooo exited I got cleared before covid but could not do pointe cause we weren't able to go in person class or video class now we're doing video class so I'm waiting to get my shoes fitted

[@morgan8368]

Me just starting dance after a seven year break really wanting pointe shoes but knowing im going to have to wait liek 2 years😫😭

[@angeladanovi391]

I love this whole series of conversations with dancers about their pointe shoes and their experience. I took dance for many years in the 80s and 90s. I was briefly en pointe and took 6 months or so of pre-pointe in demi-pointe with other girls in my class. I thought I knew a lot, but realized watching your conversations, that a lot has changed and there was a lot I just didn't know. I think I was completely ill-fitted the first time, as well. Thanks for this video series.

[@logiclanguagelearningFrench]

Nobody comes close to your knowledge. You're brilliant

[@zourdoudaki]

You are so absolutely right about resetting! It can be a good opportunity to apply changes for the better! It works! Take it from me, I stopped at 26 and resumed at 40!

[@bethm5791]

I don’t dance but I always find points shoe prep so interesting. I always love hearing the customizing for professional dancers by the shoe maker and then beyond that what THEY do after they have their pointe shoes. I would love being a pro ballet dancer. As many shoes as you need. I’m a big Frankie Hayward fan from the royal ballet in London. How many pointe shoes she goes through is crazy. I hope one day she can be on the pointe shop discussing her customizes and hacks. Her feet dancing wise are so perfection. So I would love to know what she does to make her flawless pointe work manageable. The girl went from corps to principal in five years which is insanity. I’ve always wanted to know what she does to hers

[@mjgbabydragonlet]

This video is my go to when I am having a rough day. Sasha has such a sweet spirit. I wish I lived on the west coast, if I did, I would be able to see her perform live...until then, this video brings me joy!

[@nikkigrossman4244]

I got to see Sasha twice last year in Don Q and at the Stern Grove Festival and she is AMAZING 😍

[@lolahatfield3374]

I love watching this it's so interesting I keep watching this series because I am getting my first fitting for point shoes on Tuesday next week.

[@littlebird2037]

Great video! (40 min yikes😲) I would love to see closeup shots of the dancers' feet both in and out of shoes as they explain the relationship of their specific choice of shoe to their foot (and their customizations). i.e. some dancers with short toes are more comfortable in a deep vamp rather than the expected short vamp and explaining why that works better for their feet

[@sophie0080]

I just got cleared for pointe shoes and I am so excited!!!! Time to start binge watching ThePointeShop! 😂

[@TRUTHx247]

Sophie Equestrian what do you mean by “cleared for pointe shoes”?

[@sophie0080]

@@TRUTHx247 😅 it means that i can get my first pair of pointe because i am ready 👌

[@TRUTHx247]

Sophie Equestrian I mean, what’s the process of being cleared?

[@sophie0080]

@@TRUTHx247 ohh... 😅 well for me and my dance school your teacher assesses the strength and flexibility of your feet as you need to have strong feet in order to support yourself on pointe. My teacher just looks at our turn out and if we sickle when we point our feet. If your feet are strong and flexible enough to go on pointe they the teacher will tell you and then you go to a fitting to get the right shoe

[@TRUTHx247]

Sophie Equestrian ahhh interesting! Thanks so much! I’m getting this info for my daughter if and should she decide to dance ballet. So it’s helpful! 😊

[@thehappyelephant8868]

I totally understand the whole reset thing. After coming back from a 3-year break I got completely different shoes and I am honestly doing so much better in them. It's interesting though because I don't think I would have liked them previously.

[@amyg4115]

She is like one of the most beautiful people-she legit looks like a princess! She’s stunningly gorgeous😍

[@ashleyzahn1730]

Very interesting video. I don’t dance but thought it would be interesting to learn about. I heard in another video that the shoes can cost over $100 per pair, how in the world do dancers afford the need to replace them so frequently. I really had no idea. Amazing talent to be a ballerina!

[@deanacollins3508]

Ashley Zahn - Professional dancers in a company get their shoes paid for by the company. And yes, they go through a ton of shoes.

[@jenniferlehman2464]

Karen Main has her first pairs of shoes from her first ballet that she was the Prima Ballerina for. The role was Swan Lake. They are in a hermetically sealed display box in her study, from when she was with the Royal Canadian Winnipeg Ballet. I saw her perform this ballet at the National Arts Center in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She was so graceful and beautiful to watch!! Best Regards and Many Blessings Josephine, as well to your Mother as well. Much Respect Always. From Ontario, Canada, Jenn. 💖💖🇨🇦

[@shippermd]

Never heard of Repetto brand of pointe shoe! Great info!

[@greeneyes12346]

shippermd I have heard of them but I stayed away from them since I didn’t know really anything about them.

[@CindyWu1665]

shippermd they only sell it in nyc in the US

[@shippermd]

@stefani Ah. Better not try those, then! Lol! I do not live in NY, anyways..

[@CindyWu1665]

You can buy it off the repetto website if anything just return/exchange the shoe(s)

[@shippermd]

@stefani I am trying the Gaynor Minden's at this time.

[@logiclanguagelearningFrench]

Could you do a video on darning please. Close up. Thank you

[@sebeckley]

French Classes from LogicLanguageLearning The one with the twins has good detail about darning.

[@sebeckley]

Search for "ballet shoe hacks" they usually have some darning in them.

[@sebeckley]

Just searched for ballet shoe darning and there are a ton of videos.

[@lynnes11]

Sasha needs to do a hair how-to video!

[@mattwise8597]

Very cool, great advice for dancers

[@annawessman4029]

Got my first pair of pointe shoes in SF! I really enjoy these videos although I don't dance ballet right now! Keep up the good work!

[@stefani1637]

Anna Wessman why did you get pointe shoes if you don’t dance?

[@sebeckley]

I didn't fully understand why all the hacks until I saw the video with a dancer who wears shoes everyone else would call dead and they last a month. That dancer's feet are like steel and don't need external support. Shasha's feet are like ball bearings in a sock (not a bad thing for a ballerina), which is why she needs fresh shoes every minute.

[@jackystar5099]

She's so cute. Love this video.

[@balletmeli]

Love the interview,

[@sparkybish]

This shoe or more a day thing has me like 🤯

[@mereloostendorp4692]

Hi, i'm 13 years old and want to start ballet. Do u think i could still become a really good ballerina if i start at that age?

[@bridgettesilva1450]

merel oostendorp yes!! All you need to do is work hard and don’t give up!! If you get discouraged just get through and keep trying!!

[@lizzydanforth2704]

Definitely! Misty Copeland who is now a principal with American ballet theatre started at 13

[@shippermd]

Yes! I started at 13!! If you love it, DO IT!

[@carolineviolet9092]

merel oostendorp yes Mistey Copland started at that age and she is a principal if you try than yes you will be amazing

[@jayde.elizabeth]

You can definitely, if u try hard enough. I know so many people who started later than you.

[@Clara-gc3hl]

Hello! Is darning also good for beginners?

[@vincenzoarieggiato120]

Top video great work

[@fatmahisham8613]

Josephine: can you show your feet for me also Josephine: wow you really have such mobile ankles

[@2009bubbaray]

The RAD vocational syllabus (Intermediate and higher) requires students to use deshanked shoes (or demi pointe/soft blocks) for the non-pointe exercises. Certain brands cannot be deshanked (Russians, Gaynors) and I have never met a dancer who has anything positive to say about commercially available demi pointe/soft blocks.

[@hannahmiller8708]

2009bubbaray yeah I use grishko pointe shoes and you just can’t Deshank them. I use the grishko soft blocks but I just can’t break them in

[@msguineapigsrus]

@@hannahmiller8708 ... i have a pair of grishko's that I deshanked... they work fine (growing up I killed the shank way faster than the box, so I took a pair where the shank was already dead and deshanked it).

[@hannahmiller8708]

msguineapigsrus how did you manage to get the shank out? I have done it to other brands but I cannot get it out of grishko ones and I’ve tried multiple times

[@msguineapigsrus]

Hannah Miller I don’t remember having to do anything special, but I made them nearly 9 years ago (I don’t really dance anymore). I followed a regular tutorial on KZbin. Pulled back the liner until I could get to the nail, used pliers to yank it out (I do remember that taking quite a lot of strength), and then I was able to tear out the shank and the liner. Pealed the liner off the shank (they weren’t connected that strongly) and then glued the liner back in. This is what they looked like after: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4bFYYKbhNVnppY

[@hannahmiller8708]

msguineapigsrus what style of grishko were they? I can get the first half out but never the bottom half in the box

[@ReyOfLight]

Omg she has some very strong and flexible feet to manage those shoes! Dead shoes to her would be barely even broken in for many I guess lol I’m not a dancer, but when younger I wanted to try ballet as that’s the only dancing I could ever see myself doing. Now I’m almost 34 and disabled due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, but thanks to the EDS, I do have rather flexible feet for a non dancer, and I do have this thing on my bucket list to try on a pair of pointe shoes one day and see if I can get on pointe even just for a second (and possibly with holding onto something for dear life and have 4 people around me to stop me from falling lol) just to see what it’s like, and kinda get to experience a little bit of a childhood dream I never got to pursue. I remember at around age 10-11 when I wanted to start ballet, I’d borrow books at the library and practice some at home, and I was so strong at the time I could actually somewhat stand on the tips of my toes in regular socks if I let some weight be on the back of the chair I was holding onto for balance. Maybe one day I’ll just order a cheap pair of pointe shoes from Wish just to try them on, and once that’s done, have them as decorations at home as the shoes are so so pretty! And I know I could injure myself... But thanks to my EDS, I injure myself all the time, even when just moving a leg or rolling over in bed or reaching for something or bending forward a bit in my wheelchair to get a bit of an extra push when going from gravel to grass (that partially dislocated a hip in June) so sometimes you just gotta live, and try some of your dreams just once... I’d have loved to start taking ballet lessons, but sadly there’s no studio where I live and especially not one for adults wanting to try ballet, along with the fact I can not be upright for long without extreme pain...

[@deborahclem4901]

Does Sasha pass on her “dead” shoes to other dancers?

[@atomiclisa]

So, like 10 pairs of shoes a day times $80. Yikes.

[@emilyc9623]

How can I get more flexible ankles?

[@stephanieswonger2421]

Dura band stretching.

[@BoglimWrangler666]

ankle circles

[@derin3839]

I’m earlyish👌👌

[@AliciaLeslie]

You are matching! Did you do that on purpose? So cute.

[@isabellehoff2123]

Isnt sasha in the movie hope dances?

[@sheilabudiman7259]

She's from hope dances!

[@lorimitchell9025]

What I the black things on your feet

[@ArtisticAsian1014]

Ship 758 you mean the her shoes....the booties? Keeps dancers feet warm

[@franpanda91]

What does knotting mean?

[@toxiccure8330]

That’s a very good POINTE

[@boyadzhiev75]

I wish when I am ready for my pair you can come to Hawaii and fit me

[@georgettewilliams115]

What is jet glue?

[@stephanieswonger2421]

That's how my shoes are when they are dead to a T! I use only my feet to break in my shoes and get one good class out of them and make them last for atleast 2 weeks.

[@michaelhband]

👍👍👍❤❤❤

[@williamfoster4474]

What does she have on her feet when you first talk to her

[@maddietodd4987]

william foster those are almost like slippers but they keep your feet warm!

[@williamfoster4474]

@@maddietodd4987 thank you do you know what they are called

[@maddietodd4987]

william foster they are Bloch warm up boots! ☺️

[@sharoncole8249]

💖👑👑💖🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀

[@greeneyes12346]

Love the booties.

[@oliviadendy9460]

How do you afford that many shoes?!!! It's not like they's cheap!

[@abigailstachour8665]

OK so usually when you’re in a Dance company they will provide the pointe shoes so you don’t have to pay for them and you always have shoes ready to go and they’re not dead shoes

[@oliviadendy9460]

@@abigailstachour8665 Ahh that makes sense, but what about students/non-professionals? I can't imagine paying $400 just on shoes per month!!

[@ronaldkearn3322]

Perfect feet for a Ballerina! No long toes to give pain. You're awesome.I wish you had an adress in order to purchace retired point shoes. I collect them. :-)

[@XxEvYx]

She should find a buddy that needs a little les hard shoes and can wear her "dead" shoes. 😅

[@patg3424]

With all the technology, why can’t someone make a dam ballet shoe that lasts even 1 month. Is that too much to ask for? These shoe companies must be severely outdated and money hungry.

[@spritedrin]

Does she wear hard shoes because she’s not strong/professional enough to wear soft shoes?

[@kitcat5736]

She probably wears them because she bas very flexible feet and so prefers more supportive shoes. But tbh, its massively down to personal preference, not really to do with how professional or good you are.

[@Whiskyunicorn]

In my experience, it's the opposite. I have freaky strong feet and need VERY strong/hard shoes because otherwise they'll break too fast and end up way too over the box (like pitching forward), so the strong shoes hold me in the right place en pointe

[@jillonyett1194]

Sasha is one of the top ballerinas at the San Francisco ballet, so, yeah, she's professional "enough". Her father is also a doctor, so I'm pretty sure part of her choice of shoes and how long to wear them are based on input from her dad because of prior injury.