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A ballet dancers best friend are her ballet shoes. The wrong shoes can result in disater. Ballet shoes that are not well fitted can cause a dancer to improperly execute ballet techniques. Injury and improper balance can also occur when ballet shoes are not properly fitted. Any ballet dancer with a little experience knows that properly fitted ballet shoes are critical to good performance.

Ballet shoes have five components: The binding, quarters, drawstrings, side seams, and pleats. Each of these parts must be adjusted to fit the dancer's foot exactly. Properly fitted ballet shoes will ensure the dancer can feel the floor beneath them. In other words, ballet shoes should fit like a glove.

Grace, poise, and technique is the essence of ballet. To accomplish this a ballet dancer must have excellent fitting ballet shoes. For the best fitting ballet shoes, there are necessary steps that must be taken. Here are four tips to help a ballet dancer achieve this.

Number One - Realize your feet can be different sizes, meaning your ballet shoes may not be exactly the same. It is sometimes necessary for ballet dancers to have two different sized ballet shoes. Try on various ballet shoes to see what fits best.

Number Two - Make sure to wear tights when fitting your ballet shoes, just as you would when wearing your ballet shoes to dance. This will ensure a better fit. Never try on ballet shoes without wearing tights.

Number Three - When you first put on your ballet shoes, pay close attention to your toes. Stand flat on the floor. If your toes curl, you need to change your size, as your ballet shoes are not fitting correctly. If your toes curl you cannot achieve proper technique while dancing and you will have a poor performance. Injury may also occur if you cannot perform the proper dance techniques because of your toes curling. If your ballet shoes are too large you will curl your toes in an effort to keep the ballet shoes on. This can also result in a poor performance, bad technique, and possible injury.

Number Four - The last step is to criss-cross your drawstrings, then 'pointe' your foot. There should be no gap in the width of your ballet shoes. Simply put, this means there should be no extra space at any part of your ballet shoes. There should also be absolutely no toe room. If there is toe room you will not be able to properly 'pointe' your foot. You will also not be able to feel the floor beneath you. Hence you cannot perform any dance techniques properly.

Properly fitted ballet shoes are crucial for a ballet dancer. With these tips in mind you will be able to properly fit your ballet shoes, and be on your way to a beautiful dance performance.