Thanks a lot for this account of your experiences, Etoile. I'm not a dancer (and certainly not on pointe!!), but I found it interesting and clear.

If GM ever goes out of business, there could be a lot of VERY unhappy dancers around the world.

On a general note, I love seeing old topics revived.

I was actually browsing this forum for another topic and happened upon this one. I just wanted to say -- interesting read!! -- and I second Stuart's post. Many of the Kirov dancers love the GMs and buy them whenever they can -- but at $85 that's a high price for most of them to pay. They've said they like them bc a pair will last 3 months --and, priced out over time, its worth it for their reliability and durability, if you like the style and fit. (Many of them dislike the Grishkos...but many also swear by Grishko and dislike the GMs due to the shank popping action mentioned in this thread).

I never tried GMs, but swore by Freed Studios at the end (in case anyone was interested!!) I think the strangest point shoe award should go to Sanshas with the bamboo insert. I never did understand that phenomenon...

Catherine...This is interesting...Do GMs resemble the Kirov pointe shoes? What do they wear? I always assumed that they wore shoes made for them in Russia, as in the past. I personally don't have any experience with GMs. I noticed on the last Kirov visit to Berkeley that their pointe shoes were incredibly noisy! So noisy that it was almost distracting and bothersome...

Ooo-ooo! I have to weight in here. Obviously, like just about every brand and make of pointe shoes, GM are not for everyone. That said I have to report that the founders/makers are very nice; accommodating. When I first began to see these appear in dance shops and my students began to express interest, I e-mailed the Mindons who responded and told me they're happy to make their shoe in just about 88 different ways and could customize them for individuals.

And here is yet another new pointe shoe I just became aware of today. One of my students had a pair today to try, and she said they were quite comfortable. http://www.chanhongoh.com/diamond_pointe.shtml Have any of you out there had experience with these shoes?

I hadn't heard about them, but I like the sounds of them from that link, thank you! I'm intrigued, too, to see someone affiliated with NBoC doing something like this. The company and the (still quasi-affiliated) school have been so closely associated with Freed and especially Suffolk, I wonder if they'll stock this shoe as well now at The Shoe Room (the school's store). it would be nice to have even more options.

My first post on this website ever! I am so happy I found this forum! After having heard about them recently, I bought a pair of Gaynor Mindens after having used Suffolks and Freeds. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought a new brand of pointe shoes a week and a half before my school's end of the year show. That's the first thing. Now, at my summer intensive, I do not even have to paint my nails. My pointe shoes have already made my left big toenail blue. So, does anyone have experience with what kind of padding/cushioning is best for Gaynor Mindens? I know it varies, but I would like to know your opinion. I find that when I have too much on, I don't feel the floor since GM's are already pre-cushioned. I know there is no problem with the fitting. Another question here though. How do I recognize if I should get a wider or thinner shank? Would it be possible that I got too much of a wide shank and that my foot is "sinking" into the shoe instead of being lifted out, hence the bruised toenail? Also, while I was a bourrée pro on my other shoes, I am a bourrée disaster in these shoes. They are becoming better though, so I am assuming that my foot is finally getting used to the feel of the shoe. Actually, the original reason I got GM's was because the Freeds and Suffolks were breaking in way too fast and because I have a strong foot. (Strong not meaning arched, but strong.) Any comments would be appreciated.

Hello, firebirdfairy, and welcome to CriticalDance! I like your name! Yes, changing your pointe shoes to another brand right before the show was adventurous on your part. Pointe shoes are expensive, and Freeds don't have a long life. If you're in a company and they are paying for your shoes, it's a different story! It sounds as if you are adjusting to your new shoes. You may have hit the nail on the head (so to speak ) when you say that perhaps the shank is too wide and thus your foot may be "sinking" into your shoe. Gaynor Mindens seem to have many options, so perhaps try a slightly narrower shank? Here's a trick I used to do for bruised toe nails: Buy Dr. Scholl's foam callus cushions (for the big toe nail) and smaller round foam corn pads for smaller nails. Cut in half. Place the 1/2 pad curved on the skin right below and up to your nail. Keep in place with Johnson and Johnson's cloth tape. This completely takes the pressure off your toe nail without feeling like there's a lot of "stuff" in your shoes. I'm wondering about your "bourree disaster" comment...This makes me think that you might be "going over" too far in your shoes and not feeling like you are "pulling up out of your shoes"? You do say you have strong feet...
I think it's challenging to switch shoes, and it definitely takes some adjustment time. I switched from Capezios to Freeds when I joined San Francisco Ballet. It took a while to adjust, but I was SO happy I made the change.

hi,
i am a virgin gaynor user... majority of my classmates were all using GMs. I refused to try them, cos, i was already very comfy with my BLOCHs. But i thought, i needed to just feel what is it like, to wear them, especially when the sole is pre-arched. I went to the shop, and got myself fitted. I bought them, sewed on the ribbon (which was a nightmare, because of their elasticated border), and danced on them the following day for rehearsals (corp work). This was about a month ago.
GMs were ultimately comfortable, easy to rise en pointe, made me rise on pointe almost effortlessly. It made me balance en pointe forever. simply not a problem to do anything in them. no blisters whatsoever. it was like a marathon shoes for me, i was reluctant to remove them even after classes and rehearsals. in fact, they were such a luxury to do petit allegro in. the articulation of the feet were well facilitated. The structured pre-arch in the sole did not bother me at all. my feet looked and feel extremely flat on the floor when i stand (my classmates mostly struggle with the transference of flat/clenched up to pointe).. all seemed like a paradise for my feet... till
last sunday, the block cracked. i was mortified. all i did in the class was centre work (intermediate level) en pointe. and for the entire month or so, since i bought it, i just used it for class practice 3 times, only once a week. The satin in the front was already fraying/torn before that class, and by the end of the class, there was a crack in the block, i could literally see the foam and plastic block in the front. i was devastated. I was told that GM were long-lasting shoes, in fact, my fellow classmates who were using GM, had them for at least 6 months and used them for ballet exams and performance and class practice, and theirs still looked good as new, satin all intact.
Does this unfortunate matters happen to any GM users??? What can i do, apart from spending a bomb on another pair? *sob sob*
pixie