Tuesday, January 27, 2009

I Only Wear Freeds - Or I Used To

Freeds have long been my favorite pointe shoes. This classic British brand has been making traditional top-notch pointes forever, or so it seems.
But for the past few years, New York's Gaynor Minden has been designing hi-tech shoes using new materials such as elastomer, with built-in padding - how is it that no one thought of doing that before??? They are now worn by the likes of Gillian Murphy from ABT and the Royal Ballet's divine Alina Cojocaru.
So while I will still be using Freeds sometimes, I bought a pair of Gaynor Mindens. I can't wait to try them in my pointe class next Sunday...

30 comments:

Marja said...

What a lovely blog!

Anonymous said...

oh..i am excited for you!! how wonderful that you dance ballet...

;) nancy

Anonymous said...

With inbuilt padding... such brilliance. These photos of yours fill me with nostalgia. I recall tending to my blisters after class, a small price to pay for being allowed to reach such heights.

Bonbon Oiseau said...

ooo...so pretty! so ballerina-ey!

Mary-Laure said...

ILONA - thanks!

GRACIA - yes I totally agree, the pain is totally worth it. The sensation and experience of being on pointe is so magical that nothing else matters!

Unknown said...

I love ballet flats!!!

Tess Kincaid said...

Lovely post. Now dancing is something I know nothing about. Wonderful soft pix!

Seeker said...

OMG you were a ballet dancer, how great!!!
I love ballet, wish I could have learn something.

Take care

xoxo

Anonymous said...

dance...our shared passion

Laura in Paris said...

Pointes look so beautiful (your shots are great) ... but they must be terribly uncomfortable to wear!
Have you bought the ribbons?

sealaura said...

mary-laure you are so multitalented and inspiring. i love the pictures of the shoes. ¿ y Benjy qué hace en su tiempo libre? Norm is currently reading Tartuffe! Bueno, yo se lo leo a él :)

Mary-Laure said...

WILLOW - if you know nothing about dance, let my blog be your guide... You can also see some amazing clips on YouTube, just type in names of famous dancers like Rudolf Nureyev or Sylvie Guillem in the search box.

THE SEEKER - well I'm by no means a pro, just a little amateur.

TRAVELER'S SOUL - dance brought us together.

WORLD IN A PAN - yes, I bought ribbons and elastics. I still have to sew them on...

SEALAURA - en su tiempo libre, Benjy juega al futbol, pasea por la playa, lee mucho... Le mandamos un gran beso a Norman...

Anonymous said...

These pictures are so familiar and strange go me in the same time. Like them.

Syed said...

Love those! And I do wish I'd had padded shoes when doing ballet, it used to hurt like heck those first few months lol.

tangobaby said...

How dreamy. You are living a fantasy of mine. Tell us more about the pointe shoes.

Mary-Laure said...

TRAVELER'S SOUL - familiar because you are a dancer and strange because you don't dance on pointe, you're a boy!

DAPPER KID - how COOL that you did ballet, ballet rules!

TANGOBABY - I'll tell you more in another post about pointes... Stay tuned.

Trish said...

Awww, I wanted to have a ballet shoes!!

Spangler Cummings said...

Another beautiful moment with you! Just when you thought nothing else could be invented...pointe shoes with self-padding...(and, what about wheels on suitcases)?

raining sheep said...

Toe shoes...wow...memories of when I was 14 taking ballet class and using toe shoes for the first time. They hurt my feet, and ballet did make my toes go inwards a bit....but I just loved it.

Mary-Laure said...

SPANGLER CUMMINGS - LOL

RAINING SHEEP - I didn't know you were a dancer!
Yes, the pain is totally worth it, because the beauty of it is just so amazing. I just love it.

Solange said...

wow, you are a real ballerina, and ballet shoes must be so important, how long have you danced?
what a lovely thing to be able to dance.

have a good day,

Solange

Kira Aderne said...

wow, I love it!
fantastic photos!

artycho said...

I wonder if you keep all your ballet shoes like relics...

Unknown said...

oh they are just fabulous!

Mary-Laure said...

SOLANGE - well, I don't know about being a REAL ballerina, I'm just an amateur and truth be told, I'm not very good!
I took some really not serious classes when I was little, and fell in LOVE with all things ballet. A few years ago in Paris I decided to go back to ballet. I've been taking several classes a week ever since.

ARTYCHO - you know, I can't BEAR to throw them away even though when they're used they're useless. I have a big bag at my parents' place, filled with old pointe shoes! It's just ridiculous.

annechovie said...

Though I no longer dance, I will always have a weakness for beautiful ballet shoes from my childhood! Padding, how ingenious! Have a wonderful weekend.

Mary-Laure said...

ANNECHOVIE - it's to bad you no longer dance... I think that when one has danced as a child, one holds ballet dear for ever.

Stardust said...

Beautiful! Don't know much about pointes or ballet yet, but my daughter just started lessons, and I just love to watch them dancing.. so cute.

Fifi Flowers said...

Lovely photos of your ballet shoes!
I love the photo in your sidebar too... I have it saved... plan is to paint it one of these days!

Hope your new shoes work out!!!
ENJOY!
Fifi

Mary-Laure said...

STARDUST - how old is your daughter? It's very important not to let her start pointe before the age of 12, which they do in some schools, because the foot bones are still soft and it can DESTROY the foot.

FIFI - Oh I just so love it when you paint my pictures! Such an honor.