The Second Job

My full time job is teaching fifth grade.  I'll probably talk a great deal about that in the future, but today I want to talk about job #2.  On Fridays and Saturdays I work at a dancewear shop.  It's usually a pretty laid back job.  I have time to correct papers after I clean, organize the stock, deal with customers etc.  (This is the dead season for dance.  Our busy times of the year are the fall  (getting everyone decked out for the year of dance) and the spring (when everyone is prepping for recitals).  It's a pretty good second job ... except when my daughter visits and sees things that she adores.  I usually try to avoid that by having her make up a list of what she needs.  Keeping her out of the shop is much easier on my checkbook.  Although this week she sent a list for short leg warmers and a black Body Pop top.  Yes, I am thankful for our 20% discount.


Due to the closure of the only dance shop in the REGION that fit and sold pointe shoes, the owner of our shop has decided that the time is right to start carrying them.  She went to Florida to learn how to fit the shoes, the benefits of certain shoes for certain types of feet and a myriad of other "pointe shoe mysteries."  When she came home, she brought sample shoes and brochures home with her.  We're going through a crash course on pointe shoes right now.  None of the staff will be doing the fitting (yet), but it's important that one is educated when working in retail.  Right?  You bet!



I've learned a great deal in the past week -

• If a pointe shoe is not correctly fitted, the ballerina can easily break an ankle.  Umm ... seriously?  That doesn't exactly support buying pointe shoes online, does it?  Major guilt!  To my credit, Bailee did have fittings in the spring and fall.  I had no desire to drive 90 miles in our winter weather ... so we purchased her winter replacements online.  I had no idea what went into assuring that a girl has the proper fit.  Each foot has to be evaluated for type (more on that in a sec), and choices have to be made regarding the box, width, crown, vamp, shank (strength and length),  platform, and throat.  The fitter has to evaluate the type of shoe which is appropriate for the girl's ability, flexibility, arch, and the type of dance she is involved in.  This is a real science, folks!  My mind spins after reading through all the literature we received from So Danca (the shoes we will be carrying). 
• There are several types of feet.  Did you know there were types of feet?  I didn't.  Well, I guess I knew there were stinky and not-so-stinky feet ... but other than that, nope.   I'll admit that every foot has it's distinctive personality and look, but I certainly never thought about classification of said feet.  The three main classifications were the Greek Foot (where the second toe is longer than the big toe), the Square Foot (where the toes are squared off), and the Egyptian Foot (where the toes slant diagonally down).
• It seems that all ballerinas from ages 7-10 are rabid to get "on pointe" like the big girls.  I knew that in order for a girl to go on pointe that the growth spaces in the foot had to be almost closed, AND that the ballet mistress had to give her permission.  There's more though ... there has to be a sufficient natural arch in the foot, the dancer has to have good strength in the ankles, knees, and lower back muscles (that's where the ballet mistress comes in), and there can be no hereditary deformity of the feet, knees, or back.  It's difficult to think that a girl could come so far in dance and then have to abandon the option of going on pointe.
• Point shoes have to provide correct arch and metatarsal support.  They also have to facilitate "rolling" up and down from Pointe, and assist the dancer in establishing a central point of balance when on her toes.

It all spins my head a bit, but it's good to know.  The learning curve on this whole dance journey has been pretty steep.  Who knew I'd need to know all this stuff?