Theatre Ballet Pointe Shoes-From Moscow To New Jersey?

In the world of quality pointe shoe manufacturing, the Russian  traditions of design and construction techniques have  always stood out among the competition. You can see this in the beautiful aesthetics of Russian Pointe, Grishko, R-Class, Kiev and Vozrozhdenie shoes. Now there is another Russian pointe shoe brand to add to this site. Theatre Ballet. I am saying this with trepidation as you will learn later.

A Little Interesting Company Information

According to the about us  page found on the company website, Theatre Ballet was founded in 1998 by two acclaimed Russian dancers; Konstantin Dournev and Julia Vorobyeva. Both of them have outstanding credentials in the ballet world for both teaching, choreography and stage performances.

Mr. Dournev and Mrs. Vorobyeva are now teachers and principal dancers for The New Jersey Ballet.  Both have deep roots with all things Bolshoi and Mariinsky. This means offering American dancers and ballet theaters access to the finest in Russian craftsmanship in costumes, props and pointe shoes.

The Theatre Ballet  Pointe Shoe Models Are Made In Russia

Model B1-Square Platform

Model B2-Round/Medium Platform

Model B3-Narrow/Rounded Platform

Model B4-Round/Wide Platform

Model B5-Round Narrow/Medium Platform

Theatre Ballet currently has 5 models advertised on their website. All of them are shown with two shank variations; regular and soft. The design specifications focus around the box shape and platform style. The models can be customized to the individual dancer.

Contacting This Company For Pointe Shoe Info: Frustrating

Let’s face it, I want to learn as much as I can about a pointe shoe model before I write a post about it. The best source of this information comes right from the maker themselves. 75% of the companies that I send emails to are great about getting back to me. The others? They ignore my repeated requests for information, both as a writer and as a potential customer .

Sorry, Theatre Ballet. You are one of those companies. I understand that teaching and choreography for The New Jersey Ballet makes for a full schedule, but a potential customer should always be acknowledged. I have half a mind to create a page showcasing these “no answer” companies, so please excuse my frustrating rant, dear reader. Perhaps you will have better luck visiting their official website, Theatreballet.com.

I simply want to know one thing about these pointe shoes. Are they produced in Russia as the brand name Theatre Ballet, or is Theatre Ballet an American distributor of another brand made in Russia like Kiev  or Vozrozhedenie? I will cautiously add this company link to the sidebar until I learn more.

The Dance Academy Founded By Dournev/Vorobyeva In New York

Love-For-Dance Pointe Shoes From Mongolia

Love For Dance from Mongolia

Mongolia. If  hearing the word China conjures up images of a place so vastly far away from the east coast of the United States, it has to be Mongolia. In my youth, joking about places like Timbuktu and Outer Mongolia were the norm if you were trying to convey long, long distances.

In today’s online global market place , all it takes is dedication, desire and a bit of luck to find those pointe shoe brands that were hidden from view before the Internet came along.  Today I can celebrate the fact that I found a Mongolian pointe shoe brand. Specifically, from the part of the world known as Inner Mongolia.

Where Is Inner Mongolia?

Inner Mongolia is an independent region of  mainland China. It is bordered on the south by China and to the north by Russia. The Capital of Inner Mongolia is Huhhot. It is in this capital city where the brand name Love For Dance products are made.  Unfortunately, the shoe photo image above is fuzzy and poor-quality. Nonetheless, it is an interesting find and another international brand to add to the sidebar!

What Huhhot, Inner Mongolia Looks Like

Images of downtown Huhhot, Inner Mongolia. Some people also spell it Hohhot. This isn’t the vast outer reaches of civilization I had pictured in mind. Huhhot is a vibrant cosmopolitan area that continues to expand performing arts within their culture. That includes ballet performances.

The Love For Dance Brand Name Products

Although I have never heard of this particular brand before, according to the company website, they produce many, many different kinds of dance products. This includes apparel, accessories and shoes for ballet and other dance genres. They also state that their company has been in business as a dance supply manufacturer since 1983. Production of the Love For Dance pointe shoe models takes place in their factory, the Huhhot Wumel Dance and Art Garment Factory.

The Huhhot Wumel Dance And Art Garment Factory

I love the fact that this company actually provides some detailed information about themselves including a photo of the factory and how many employees it has. They are a large, successful company with several bases scattered throughout China.

The only disappointment I found when visiting their website is a video that doesn’t work and another web address for their Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, China location that I couldn’t read if my life depended on it. Check it out here:Wumei-costume.com. Even Google translate couldn’t handle that one.

You can visit the official website at Lovefordance.en.gongchang.com.   To see the shoe, click on  products, then go to page 7.  According to Love For Dance,  they come with hard soles and can be ordered  in bulk with several material/ color choices. It is unclear whether these pointe shoes must be bought in bulk quantities for ballet schools only. Mongolian pointe shoes….amazing!

Cinderella Pointe Shoes By Cecilia Kerche

Years ago when I first began this blog, one of the first topics that I posted about was my impatience with the  Cecilia Kerche website that was under construction at the time. From March of 2010 until just recently, all I did was lament and moan and anticipate the grand opening of her official website. You can read all of my lamenting by entering Cecilia Kerche into the search bar here.

The New Cecilia Kerche Dance Products Are Here

It has taken quite awhile for the official website to come together. Finally (finally!), there are products for sale with the fabulous Cecilia Kerche brand name. Including pointe shoes. No longer is SoDanca of Brazil the only supplier of CK pointe shoes.

The Cecilia Kerche Line Of Pointe Shoes

There are now two categories of shoes in her line; the Traditional models and the Professional models. The Professional line includes the CK6-Pas Classique, CK7-Bayadere and the CK8-Kitri.

Cinderella by Cecilia Kerche

The Traditional line includes the CK30-Lise, CK31-La Sylphide, CK32- Clara and, are you ready? The CK40-Cinderella. Did I mention the Cinderella model? If ever a pointe shoe held such a magical, enchanting name it has to be the name of Cinderella.

The name alone conjures up romantic images of Prince Charming, glass slippers, gold-plated horse-drawn carriage rides and ballgowns that are out of this world. The basic design specifications of the Cinderella are a little more down-to-earth, of course. Because the Cecilia Kerche official website is written in Portuguese, this is the best we can get from Google translate:

Cinderella – CK 40: This model provides greater stability on the platform and more support on the side of the shoe. The insole is made of cellulose fibers and textiles along with aggregate natural resins. These materials create a memory of resistance or spring back qualities and also allow better contact with the floor.
Even Cinderella needs some stability and support en pointe while she waits for Prince Charming…

You can see all of the latest dance products and pointe shoes on her official website, Ceciliakerche.com. Click on Produtos then Sapatilhas/Ballet Shoes.

Discovering Diamar Of Argentina

In one of my earlier posts, I published a photo of a pair of pointe shoes that were marked on the sole with the maker name as Diamar. I mentioned wondering about the actual nationality of these models. You can see my post about them here at Diamar, under mystery brands. I made this post way back in July of 2010. However, things come to those wait. And research. And spend hours online. After almost two years,  I finally found the Diamar company. The shoes are made in Argentina.

The Diamar Company Of Argentina

The best place to gather information about any company is to read their “about” page. Although Diamar does not go into detail about the origins and history of their business, they state that they have been in business for over 50 years. The company has its home base in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Diamar Pointe Shoe Models

Diamar Student Model

Diamar Professional Model

 

Two Versions Of Diamar Pointe Shoes

I have noticed that several international pointe shoe manufacturers  categorize their models in two ways; a practice or studio shoe and another model for performances. In many instances, the shoes look exactly the same.

Navigating the official website, Diamar.com.ar,  takes a few minutes because the site is completely in Spanish and the pointe shoes are located on an inner page. Click through the entrance page, go to Productos, choose calzados, then scroll to the bottom where you see siguiente. Click on that three times and you will come to the pointe shoes.

Unfortunately, there is no information available on these models other than an opportunity to email Diamar directly for more details. After waiting almost two years to solve this puzzle, I am not going to complain.

Mituri Pointe Shoes From South Korea

Amazing isn’t it? There are pointe shoes being made in South Korea. When I think how far away that sounds from the good old U.S.A, I get a chill or two.

Mituri is located in Jongno, Seoul Korea, a large metropolitan area on the western side of South Korea. Take a look at this amazing city from the vantage point of  The Jongno Tower in Seoul. This is a vibrant, cultural city and the chances are extremely good that there are many more pointe shoe manufacturers here that we haven’t learned about yet.

Information About The Mituri Company

What have I been able to find out about the history and background of the Mituri Company? Not too much. As a matter of fact, I poured over their website looking for a company profile, but couldn’t find anything but a location.

However, Mituri seems to offer excellent customer service to their online shoppers and sells a nice variety of trendy dance wear apparel like leotards, slippers, legwarmers and other beautiful dance clothing for both male and female dancers.

Mituri Pointe Shoes For PracTice And Stage

Mituri Pointe Shoes Sole Design

From what I can translate, Mituri has two models of pointe shoes. One is advertised as a practice pointe shoe. The other pointe model is for stage. Both come in normal or wider versions.

One of the most interesting features about these models is the sole. If you click on the photo, you will see that Mituri stamps them with an image of a foot wearing a pointe shoe. I find that very, very interesting and unique.

Coming from so far away, the Mituri pointe shoe is surprisingly affordable for American customers. I found them on an online  global marketplace for only $23.41 or they can be ordered directly through the official website; Mituri.com.

Many thanks to the reader, Monicaca, who provided me with the link to this company and directions on navigating the Mituri website. The pointe shoes can be located by clicking on the shop tab, choosing the 5th bar down and going to the 2nd page.