BWW Blog: Claire van Bever - Keeping on Your Toes

By: Jun. 05, 2013
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When I found out that I would be joining American Repertory Ballet, the first thing my parents said to me, after "Congratulations!", was, "Oh, thank goodness, we won't have to pay for your pointe shoes anymore!" And you can't really blame them! At $60-100 a pair, pointe shoes are like a nice pair of heels that you throw out after a week or two. But, to a ballerina, they are the lifeblood of her work.

One of the perks of joining a professional company is that they often provide your shoes for you. Some companies have a "shoe room" on the premises where dancers can go to stock up on their footwear, while other companies order shoes directly from the makers. ARB does the latter, and we have our very own "shoe girl" to help us out! (I must credit Samantha Gullace here, company dancer with ARB and resident "shoe girl" for the company, I can not name all the times she has had to deal with impatient dancers wanting their shoes. So, Thank you Sam!)

Not long after receiving my contract, I got an email from our "shoe girl" asking me what brand, maker, size and specifications I had for pointe shoes, as well as flat shoes. Women in the company order mostly pointe shoes, naturally, but most also order one or two pairs of flat shoes, for class and contemporary work. Men of course order only flat shoes, and get them in a variety of colors, (usually black, white and skin toned) to meet the needs of the different ballets we perform in a season. The best part about having my shoes ordered has definitely been the ease of cutting out the search for my brand and maker. No longer do I have to trek to the Capezio store in Times Square to pick up ten pairs of shoes at a time, hoping they have my make in stock. Now I can just put an order in, with specifications just for my foot, and in 4-6 weeks they show up at the studio!

So for all you aspiring ballerinas out there, just think, one day your shoes won't have to cost you (or your parents) a small fortune. What a relief!



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