I am an int-advanced ballet dancer and have been doing it for years on regular ballet shoes. I have good balance and am pretty strong, but the reason I have not done point is my bunions. After 2 hours of class the one on my right foot feels pretty awful. But, I have been using toe spacers and they help some Anyways, I can see that pointe shoes are quite different than they were 15 years ago and I want to give it a try. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for pointe shoes that won't kill my bunions (mine are on the side of my big toe). There are so many shoes, I would just like an idea of what brands might be a good choice to start with. I am hoping with that maybe I can find some that won't kill my feet.

Hello, redshoeslover...(By the way, I love your name!) I have a teenage student with very severe bunions on both feet. She inherited this condition from her grandmother. She has had to be very careful not to overwork her feet on pointe. As talented at ballet as she is, she has gone into musical theater and given up a lot of pointe work. Obviously, you are dancing because you love it and have no professional aspirations. Working with your teacher's advice, of course, I think the best thing for you to do is to try a lot of different shoes with someone who has a lot of experience fitting pointe shoes. It would not be a good idea to order them over the internet. The length of your toes and toe configuration, your foot's profile (which might be higher with the bunions), your arch, the width of your foot, the size of your heel....these are all things to take into consideration when fitting pointe shoes. Good first shoes are Capezios, Blochs, and possibly Grishkos. Within these brands are many varieties depending on what your particular foot would require. Yes! There are many more options for dancers today than just fifteen years ago. But, again, I do stress to you the importance of having someone knowledgeable looking at your feet and fitting you. Take it very easy and slow with your pointe work and be pro-active with your care of your feet (therapies, ice, etc.) after class. This will be even more important for you because of those bunions! Discount Dance Supply carries a "Bunheads" product called "Bunion Busters" which might be worth looking into. Let us know how it goes...