Can switching pointe shoes to the opposite foot each day make them last longer?
I don’t have much money for shoes after paying for my living expenses and dance classes. Wearing a pair for an extra week would be a bonus. —Jessica, Staten Island, NY There is a way to extend the life of a pointe shoe, but that isn’t it, unless you want to risk injury. Even though toe shoes don’t come in left-right pairs, they quickly conform to the shape of your feet with wear. Dr. Thomas Novella, a NYC podiatrist who works with dancers, believes that alternating shoes puts more pressure on the toes and joints of the forefoot, while making it difficult to control your balance. Also, dancers with mismatched feet can—and often do—fine-tune the size of each shoe with a special order to their shoemaker. Keep your shoes from wearing out too soon by pouring Fabulon (floor shellac) into the toe box and letting it dry overnight. My sleep-deprived dancer daughter is actually bragging about getting nine hours a night since hearing you lecture at the School of American Ballet about the benefits
