I ain't a spring chicken and ballet ramblings
I'm turning 29 on the 6th. I ought to celebrate because:
-It's a prime number
-It's only 3 digits away from being a Mersenne prime number (N=(2^n)-1) eg. 31=(2^5)-1
-It's the last time I can say I'm in my 20's (not that I really care)
Problem is, I plain forgot so I didn't schedule a party or anything. Grandma turns 80 on the 15th of July so I'll be heading up to Plano then.
In a related note, both my knees and ankles hurt. This is what I get for taking ballet every freaking day and doing technique class on pointe. The biggest issue has to do with my hyper-extended legs which look nice when you point your feet (knee cap disappears in the line) but causes to knee cap to grind if I'm not pulling up enough.
People often ask me if there is wood in pointe shoes. Nope. The shoe is constructed out of layers of canvas hardened with glue. A layer of satin finishes it off. Why satin, I'm not sure but Baryshnikov used to make all-canvas pointe shoe with cushy toe pads. Those have been discontinued unfortunately.
These are my shoes (a bit worn)
I wear shoes made by Grishko model Maya1 in size 3x. This is what they look like new:
Second thing people often ask me is: does pointe work hurt? Well no, not really because if your shoe is fitted properly you won't feel pressure in your toes. You feel it in your arch and maybe sides of your feet more. You can wear padding to prevent blisters, but if the tops of your toes feel like they're getting mashed. Chances are your shoes are too wide.
Can adults take pointe? Yep. I started doing pointe work seriously when I was an old geezer. I was in the 20's by then. You just have to make sure you've got proper training. I say if you are an adult, have had several years of solid training and good instruction and want to try pointe work, go for it. Just make sure you ask your teacher first and also get professionally fitted for the shoes. It may take a while. I took me about 2 years to find the right brand and style that best fit my feet. Most importantly though--don't over do it. Or else you'll be sore and creaky like me.
-It's a prime number
-It's only 3 digits away from being a Mersenne prime number (N=(2^n)-1) eg. 31=(2^5)-1
-It's the last time I can say I'm in my 20's (not that I really care)
Problem is, I plain forgot so I didn't schedule a party or anything. Grandma turns 80 on the 15th of July so I'll be heading up to Plano then.
In a related note, both my knees and ankles hurt. This is what I get for taking ballet every freaking day and doing technique class on pointe. The biggest issue has to do with my hyper-extended legs which look nice when you point your feet (knee cap disappears in the line) but causes to knee cap to grind if I'm not pulling up enough.
People often ask me if there is wood in pointe shoes. Nope. The shoe is constructed out of layers of canvas hardened with glue. A layer of satin finishes it off. Why satin, I'm not sure but Baryshnikov used to make all-canvas pointe shoe with cushy toe pads. Those have been discontinued unfortunately.
These are my shoes (a bit worn)
I wear shoes made by Grishko model Maya1 in size 3x. This is what they look like new:
Second thing people often ask me is: does pointe work hurt? Well no, not really because if your shoe is fitted properly you won't feel pressure in your toes. You feel it in your arch and maybe sides of your feet more. You can wear padding to prevent blisters, but if the tops of your toes feel like they're getting mashed. Chances are your shoes are too wide.
Can adults take pointe? Yep. I started doing pointe work seriously when I was an old geezer. I was in the 20's by then. You just have to make sure you've got proper training. I say if you are an adult, have had several years of solid training and good instruction and want to try pointe work, go for it. Just make sure you ask your teacher first and also get professionally fitted for the shoes. It may take a while. I took me about 2 years to find the right brand and style that best fit my feet. Most importantly though--don't over do it. Or else you'll be sore and creaky like me.
posted by cchang at 3:34 PM
2 Comments:
you are still so very young, my friend!!! What are we doing for your b-day? Something fun?
Heh. I flat out forgot my birthday. Maybe I'll have a late party in AUgust. Not sure.
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