Gaynor Minden & Miguelito

Arah: Alrighty! So, Gaynor Minden and Miguelito. What do they have in common? One pointe shoe!
Anita Fitter: well, they both look very unusual- have a distinct modern look.

Arrah: Plastic! Modern... plastic!
Anita Fitter: absolutely- they both are completely plastic and both have a shank and box that are one piece.

Arrah: They even have the same super low profile tip to the platform and the super shiny elastic binding. Both have outersoles that are VERY short.
Anita Fitter: and both outersoles are that pale grey, not to mention that shark skin looking satin.
Arrah: EUGH. That is some hideous satin. The pic of Miguelito's professional shoe doesn't have a very good angle so we can see the pleats, but my bet is that they don't have pleats at all. I'll bet they’re completely flat.
Anita Fitter: *nods* and I believe that they both have padding on the platform.
Arrah: Hell, even the arch (or lack there of) looks the same!
Arrah: Same heel padding? And on the platform?
Anita Fitter: yup. Since GM has been around since... 93', I suspect that Miguelito decided to make a knock off
Arrah: Cheaper, of course. In Mexico.
Anita Fitter: *nods* yup
Arrah: I wonder if Miguelito's box is harder?
Anita Fitter: I don't know, but from the picture, it looks like the same issue of the box not being long enough is the same as the GM.
Arrah: At least the dancer they used in the photo didn't have a 'wingy' foot type. That would have shown the shoe's flaws right away, though. So, in one aspect- good for them! They know how to take decent photos of their shoes! In another aspect- wouldn't it be nice to be able to see how far up the box hardness goes? That info can be pretty important to dancers.
Anita Fitter: absolutely, but pointe makers’ marketing practices is a whole other entry
Arrah: Well, we're going to have to make an entry on that issue very very soon then!
Anita Fitter: but... what I want to know is- why GM has never settled on their shoe- I mean- they change things like every 3 years
Arrah: Let's make a list of what they changed.

Anita Fitter: the outer sole was originally brown and slightly pebbled. I remember that the hard shank used to be black- now its that bizarre dark ocean blue. The boxing near to the drawstring used to be harder- but they softened it- supposedly to make it feel more like an athletic shoe.
Arrah: and again I say ewww!
Anita Fitter: yup
Arrah: Why not just dance with a cotton sock with the tip dipped in starch, for cryin outloud?!!
Anita Fitter: which is essentially the original pointe shoe. And I've noticed a lack of quality control- they say that their shanks do not break- and I've seen it happen
Arrah: True. But dancers have much better options than that now. And I've broken their HARD shank! And I'm a 110 lbs weakling! Can we agree that literally, the only way to wear a GM is to not have an arch to begin with?
Anita Fitter: I think that is a very good thing to say- GM only makes the arch of a person who has no arch look nice.
Anita Fitter: And the foam padding inside the shoe- what's up with the way it rolls around and comes undone?
Arrah: Yeah?! Every time I've seen that stuff it's shifted over all lopsided and you end up having to rip it out.
Arrah: If the GM works for you- great. But if you're a dancer with even a moderate arch, beware of what can possibly happen with that shoe! oh and btw, I just check with Miguelito and the Criselle student shoe is $33 and the pro shoe is $35. So essentially, if you wanna pay less than an arm and a leg for a pair of GM’s head on over to Mexico! Same darn shoe! But Miguelito says that the shank is "Soft." So what exactly do they mean by that? A GM Hard? Or a Pianisimo? Somewhere in between?
Anita Fitter: And what about the way they are fitted- They want everyone with a wide foot to wear the #4 box, everyone with a medium foot to wear the #3 box, and everyone with a narrow foot to wear the #2 box. Haven’t these people ever heard the term "toe configuration"
Arrah: I doubt they'd answer that question.
Anita Fitter: honestly, it’s hard to tell.
Arrah: If you wanna be technical about it, GM really has three different models and several different widths. It's not that difficult to understand! I think that the fitters were just not trained properly.
Anita Fitter: well, it’s not just that- because the #2 box will not fit on a person with a wide foot and tapered toes- without a compressible foot
Arrah: Exactly!
Anita Fitter: the width measurement- as told to me by a GM exec- is for the heel area only and then the larger the size- the less options there are.
Arrah: WHAt?!
Arrah: The heel area?!
Anita Fitter: you got it! If I didn't have a compressible foot- then I wouldn’t be able to wear them at all.
Arrah: You have a wider foot and the only way you DON'T wear the #3 box is because your foot squishes so much.
Anita Fitter: yes, the heel area
Arrah: In their pics on the site, they show the boxes and the heels getting wider. ok, so... deception?
Anita Fitter: they told me point blank that the width has nothing to do with the box- the boxes are all a standard size and width
Arrah: So what really is the TRUTH here?
Anita Fitter: that Eliza Minden didn’t know how to fit pointe shoes when she designed the shoe and now they are fudging it
Arrah: And she has a pancake flat arch.
Anita Fitter: you got it
Arrah: *sigh*
Anita Fitter: and probably a square toe configuration- and knew nothing about what a tapered or somewhat tapered foot needs.
Arrah: Case in point that just because a DANCER makes a shoe doesn't necessarily make it decent! Principal Pointes are an exception.... I might add.
Anita Fitter: and what type of dancer was she anyway? She never ever danced anywhere. Just in her teens. She could have been at a little recital school for all we know.
Arrah: A... dare we say it? Dolly.... Dolly... come on now! Say it!
Anita Fitter: Dolly Dingle!!!!
Arrah: (ROFL) *snort*
Anita Fitter: well- it’s true, let the truth bite her in the ass
Arrah: or on the toes. The same way her shoes ouch the toes of many out there.
Arrah: Oh and there's a dancer on Blochworld.com who mentioned that she just tried the GM and wondered why it bruised her toenails so badly. The unfortunate answer everyone gave her was the obvious one: the platform is made out of PLASTIC! Plastic doesn't cushion the way linen and glue does. Plastic doesn't conform to a foot for suitable balance and support. I tell ya what- let me go stick my foot in a freaking plastic soda can and call it a GM! I'll pirouette, yes. But I'll break my face.
Anita Fitter: but then there is the whole- Schachtner has a plasticated box- but it does not do to the toes what a GM does- Why? because the GM has no support at all. Chances are, the girl was fitted by her shoe width rather than by the taper of her toes and she’s crashing down into the box of the GM's
Arrah: Not necessarily. I crash down after a while, once the box flattens out. I was fitted for the proper width and box. I put little silicone strips in the inner platform but it still didn't help. And Schachtners are in a class by themselves!
Anita Fitter: well, the box design leaves a lot to be desired anyway. The whole box is pretty flexible. The point of the box of a pointe shoe is to provide support for the dancer- you can’t have complete flexibility and still have decent support
Arrah: The shoe itself is just crap.
Anita Fitter: even runners have to have shanks in their shoes
Arrah: Exactly! The lack of frontal support on the box just makes the entire shoe mush.
Anita Fitter: and when the shank does break- the entire shoe collapses onto itself- providing a breeding ground for broken ankles.
Arrah: Even if you find the perfect shank for your foot you have to deal with the fact that if you have hyper extended ankles then you're definitely going to run the risk of falling forward out of the box.
Anita Fitter: well, I think that it is safe to say- that overall- no matter if Miguelito ripped them off or not- GMs Suck!
Arrah: Oui. Exeunt!

Schachtner and Prima Soft- A Match Made in Hell?

Arrah: The topic of this evening's rant concerns two pointe makers. Schachtner and Prima Soft. Now, Schachter makes several different variations of the same shoe. Schachtners: stinks like a wet dog and cat poo. Prima Soft's Gala: smells... decent. What do these two pointe shoes have in common? They're the SAME DAMN SHOE! Schachtner's made in Germany and Gala is made... where exactly, Anita?
Arrah: Germany?
Anita Fitter: As far as I was told, the Gala was made in Brazil.
Anita Fitter: But that is a whole other issue.
Arrah: Ah yeah! Their Brazilian vacation plans...
Arrah: And while we're THERE, we might as well bring some secret pointe shoe plans with us while we bask in suntan oil!
Arrah: Schachtner started in what? The early 1970's?
Anita Fitter: uh huh.
Arrah: And Prima Soft started when?
Anita Fitter: The company started with tights in the early 1990's, i believe.
Arrah: Gee. For two pointes that feel identical, I don't get the feeling there's an awful lot of financial gain here from Schachtner's designs and Prima Soft's sales.
Anita Fitter: Somehow- I think that someone from Prima Soft decided to copy Schachtner in the making of that shoe.
Arrah: Somehow my feet think you're right, Anita.
Anita Fitter: What is interesting is that no other Prima Soft Brazilian style shoe is made like the Gala/Schachtner copy.
Arrah: I've had both on my feet and they feel exactly the same. The Prima Soft is just cut in a wider width.
Anita Fitter: I've had them both as well- I believe the paste used in the box is a bit different, but the standard Schachtner shank and the medium and hard Gala shanks feel almost exactly identical.
Arrah: I agree with you. The Prima Soft's boxes break down whereas the Schachtners... don't.
Anita Fitter: *nods* and Prima Soft's don't have that awful stench.
Arrah: No inner lining in either shoe, so you're sewing through only one layer of fabric. When you're attaching the ribbons, it becomes a big pain in the rear.
Arrah: What is up with that?! And how in the world did Prima Soft manage to fix it?
Anita Fitter: And Schachtner has a cotton drawstring, Gala has an elastic drawstring.
Arrah: If I'm going to give a pat on the back to Prima Soft for anything, it's that they got rid of the shoe stench.
Anita Fitter: It is cotton backed satin.
Arrah: And it's a pain to sew through for people who like to attach their ribbons in a certain way!
Anita Fitter: And Schachtner's are cotton backed as well, but it has a texture closer to loose potato sack weave.
Arrah: So how do you think Prima Soft managed to market such a shoe, when it is so blatantly a copy of a European shoe that had been in production for over 20 years by that point?
Arrah: Is it that no one cares?
Anita Fitter: Basically, because no one pays any attention. And Schachtner is a more obscure brand in the US, and only professionals really wear them.
Arrah: But wouldn't the professionals say anything?
Anita Fitter: The pro's I've come in contact with, many of them still do not know how to fit their own feet. They wear the shoes the company has a contract with.
Arrah: Why? Because the Gala was in production for X amount of years before they took notice of it because they were so in love with the shoes they were presently wearing?
Arrah: *shakes head*
Anita Fitter: Because prima soft's marketing is crap.
Anita Fitter: It has only been in the last... 5 years that they have stepped it up.
Arrah: Based upon the lack-o-arch, yes. I have to agree that their marketing is crap.
Arrah: God help us.
Arrah: Wonder what shoe they plan on ripping off next?
Anita Fitter: Well, they do have that new En l'air shoe, but since I haven't seen it yet, it's hard to tell.
Arrah: I wonder if Schachtner would respond to this concern and if so, how?
Arrah: I mean, would they holler or just ignore it as a 'part of the pointe shoe business"?
Arrah: And how would Prima Soft react?
Anita Fitter: Well, since Prima Soft copied them, but made changes- they pretty much can get by with it.
Anita Fitter: And then there is that whole patent difference between Austrian and American laws.
Anita Fitter: etc.
Arrah: Gee, "I changed the drawstring! It's my design! I swear!" hehe..
Anita Fitter: And dont forget the lack of stench.
Arrah: So, you change the country of origin and it's ok. That's nice. For Prima Soft. Not for Schachtner.
Anita Fitter: Exactly.
Anita Fitter: And other companies do it too.
Arrah: The lack of stench has to do with whatever material they used for an insole. It's not high tech. I think it's just regular paste board. But the graduated steel shank piece is the same.
Anita Fitter: I think the stink has something to do with the glue in the box as well... if you get them wet- they smell like wet dog butt.
Arrah: Yes, other companies do it. But that doesn't make it right! It's one thing for say Capezio, to have Angelo Luzio make their pointes for distribution in the Canadian market and it's something else entirely when Angelo Luzio just up and says one day, "Hey! I feel like making the Contempora and sticking an Angelo Luzio sticker on it!" Right?
Anita Fitter: I agree.
Anita Fitter: I wasn't saying it's right, just that it happens.
Arrah: Yeah, it's the box as well. I've seen a deconstructed Schachtner and the box and shank are connected. Wouldn't surprise me if they use the same glue under the shank as in the box for strength.
Arrah: I know what you were saying. I was just making a point.
Anita Fitter: I would imagine that they do.
Arrah: Well, if you had your choice, which would you chose and why?
Anita Fitter: I would choose Schachtner, because they last longer- the box not breaking down, and if you spray febreze in them, the stench can be controlled.
Arrah: Me too. And the boxes are narrower and have a lot more combinations available to dancers who have differently shaped feet and needs.

Prima Soft's "Silhouette"

Yahoo Messenger discussion on Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Anita Fitter: let’s see- somewhat tapered, long vamp, medium height profile. complete ripoff of a rusbal. Made from the same glue.
Arrah: Sounds like half of the pointe shoes out there today. The specs, I mean.
Anita Fitter: true
Anita Fitter: but, the drawstring casing is the same as rusbal
Arrah: Same roundness and appearance as a Rusbal…
Anita Fitter: that weird nylon ribbed stuff
Arrah: Weird!
Arrah: Soft, though…
Anita Fitter: they smell exactly the same- definite horse hide composite
Arrah: Sews pretty easily.
Anita Fitter: slippery outersole
Arrah: as hell!
Anita Fitter: *nods*
Arrah: the prices for rosin must be nice over there.
Anita Fitter: i bet!
Anita Fitter: of course they do wet down the old floors- but I believe that the Maryinsky finally updated their flooring
Anita Fitter: the rusbal and the silhouette have the same “ring” when hit on the floor
Arrah: So, do we agree that the Silhouette is your basic, medium Russian pointe shoe?
Anita Fitter: pretty much
Arrah: You mean the same ‘clunk?’ lol
Anita Fitter: exactly!
Arrah: Like a brick hitting the floor.
Arrah: They’d be nice to tap dance with. No taps needed.
Anita Fitter: very true…
Arrah: What can we equate the Silhouette with?
Anita Fitter: lets see- it is almost exactly like a rusbal
Arrah: Grishko?
Anita Fitter: it is similar to a russian pointe brio
Arrah: Because of the higher profile, no doubt.
Anita Fitter: similar to a cross between a grishko fouette and a vaganova
Arrah: I agree.
Anita Fitter: on its platform, it looks similar to a wide winokur
Arrah: It does have the same curve to the outer metatarsal, too.
Anita Fitter: *nods* and let’s not forget the standard russian high heel
Arrah: The box hardness stops at the same point.
Arrah: Yep!
Arrah: But what the heck did they do to the heel width?!!
Anita Fitter: pretty much wingless, but with a long box paste
Anita Fitter: I honestly don’t know. its like they somehow have it cut naturally gappy
Arrah: Why is Prima Soft so inept at making a shoe that actually stays on the foot without a mile of elastic?!
Anita Fitter: i don’t know… even their drawstring styles have the same problem
Arrah: I was just about to say that.
Anita Fitter: we think alike
Arrah: That is a common thread that seems to be in all their shoes. They’re just cut like BOATS!
Anita Fitter: they are… and feel big
Anita Fitter: even when too short
Arrah: They’re sizing system is wacked.
Arrah: Their 1-X feels like a Freed 2-X. Can we agree?
Anita Fitter: yes. dont forget the strange sizing on the russian models compared to the brazilian models
Arrah: And they say not to wear padding with Prima Softs?!
Anita Fitter: and to not crack the shank
Arrah: Oy. That’s a headache in itself.
Anita Fitter: true
Arrah: Ok. So let’s get this straight. You’re not supposed to bend the shank with your hands. But if you don’t, then the arch of the shoe isn’t supportive where it needs to be. Prima Soft states that their shoes have a Perfect Placement box that helps the dancer NOT to ‘knuckle.” So…. what are you supposed to do- crash down on the tip of your toes?! I’m sure that feels nice.
Anita Fitter: and crashing causes knuckling…
Arrah: Basically, you’re not supposed to HAVE an arch in a Prima Soft pointe!
Anita Fitter: apparently so
Anita Fitter: which kind of … well… makes pointe in ballet…pointless
Anita Fitter: whats the use of pointe without a beautiful line
Arrah: or pointeless. Because you’ll not HAVE a pointe at all with all the hours you’ll spend with an orthopedic.
Anita Fitter: not to mention achilles tendonitis if you don't crack the shank
Arrah: Does Prima Soft have a grudge against showing the arch?
Anita Fitter: maybe they are designed to make dolly dinkle students not feel bad with their bent knees and lack-o-arch
Arrah: From their photography, it certainly seems so.
Arrah: If you have to bend your knees to stay en pointe- get off pointe!
Anita Fitter: i agree- i dont understand these schools that think it’s ok to put a kid en pointe with one class a week
Anita Fitter: but we digress
Arrah: true.
Arrah: So, it smells like a Russian pointe. It looks like a Russian pointe. Is it a Russian Pointe?
Arrah: The Silhouette, I mean.
Arrah: Same cobblers?
Anita Fitter: no it smells like a rusbal
Anita Fitter: looks like a rusbal
Anita Fitter: only difference is the outersole
Arrah: I wonder what Rusbal would say. If they can be found!
Anita Fitter: they are simply in the theatre district inSt Petersburg- shouldn't be that hard to find.

An Introduction

Anita Fitter and Arrah Besk are American dancers who have been in the world of ballet since their teens and have tried every pointe shoe brand and model under the sun. With so much hands(er… foot) on experience, it’s no wonder opinions were formed and this blog was born.

Our goal? To debunk myths, lies, advertising campaigns, and to wake up the pointe makers from their slumber to realize that DANCERS ARE NOT STUPID! There are so many schemes and underhanded shenanigans that go on behind the scenes in the world of pointe making that we believe it is the very reason dancers are so uneducated and confused about their footwear. When a dancer puts their career and delicate feet in the care of the pointe makers, such deceit can prove disastrous, both to the wallet and the body.

We hope you enjoy reading The Unofficial Pointe. You can email Anita and Arrah at theunpointe@aim.com for questions and suggestions on future discussions on the blog.