Dennis Reeve Pointe Shoes

For the last few hours, I have been on an intense information hunt about the Dennis Reeve pointe shoe brand. The origins of these shoes are mysterious indeed. Checking online for the name Dennis Reeve comes up short as far any good , solid information goes.

The soles here are slightly worn down so reading the makers stamp for more information is difficult.

Dennis Reeve Pointe Shoes

I did find one dancewear company based in Germany that has an interesting advertisement. The company, En.swing-balletshop, offers a Merlet pointe shoe model for sale that is classified as a beginner pointe shoe. The name Dennis Reeve can be seen in parenthesis next to this Merlet Pulsion model.

I find this very intriguing! How does Dennis Reeve connect with Merlet? Did Dennis Reeve just endorse this model as a beginner pointe shoe, or did he actually design it?  I have sent an e-mail inquiry to En.swing-balletshop asking for more information about Dennis Reeve. If I am lucky enough to receive a response from this company, I will update this post .

Benefis-More Than Just Tutus

K0001

The Benefis Dance Wear Company in Chisinau, Moldova is well-known for producing some of the most beautiful  classical tutu and ballet costumes in the world. The company has been producing dance wear since 1995 and is the only ballet costume manufacturer in the country of Moldova.

Moldova is located in Eastern Europe and is nestled between the countries of Ukraine and Romania. The Benefis website contains a surprise; pointe shoes.

I hadn’t visited the Benefis website in quite a while, so I was surprised to see pointe shoe models for sale.  I was fortunate enough to receive a quick response from Benefis about my inquiry of these shoes.

The Kiev Pointe Shoe Brand

The pointe shoes sold on the Benefis website are made in Kiev, Ukraine making them totally unique and a 100% Ukrainian pointe shoe brand. I was also fortunate enough to be contacted by an avid reader who has a pair of the Kiev pointe shoes in her collection. These are her personal photos of the Kiev pointe shoe. Thank you for sharing these great photos.

Russian-Style Design

Maker's Stamp

Kiev Pointe Shoes

Made in the Ukraine

Thick Leather Soles

Benefis only sells this model in two limited sizes. They don’t carry a large inventory of the Kiev model. The model, K0001, comes in a child’s size and an adult size. At the time of this post, Benefis had 3 pairs of these wonderful, Russian-style  pointe shoes in stock.

The discovery of a new pointe shoe brand makes all the research and hunting for information worthwhile. The Ukrainian-made K0001 is an intriguing pointe shoe model and adds  another country to the list of pointe shoe brands from all over the world.

Ballerina Brand Pointe Shoes From Japan

1048

EX

EX II

LEGATO

RX

Beautiful And Mysterious

The Ballerina Dancewear Company has a been a real challenge to research. Perhaps research is the wrong word. The Ballerina website seems absolutely stripped of any real information that a dancer can use to make a pointe shoe decision.

The Ballerina Company website has no “about” page, and even more mysterious, no contact e-mail for the business. They supply a fax number and telephone number for inquiries about their products. Asking customer service a question from the United States would require a translator, a fax machine, and a good long-distance carrier on your phone service.

There are English words on the website mixed in with Japanese, but not enough to decipher the meaning. Finding the Ballerina website has solved two of my pointe shoe mysteries regarding the EX II and Legato model which you can see here at the top of the page. The Legato model is the third pointe shoe from the top left and the EX II is next to it on the right. The pointe shoes do all have names, but so far I am able to come up with the EX, EX II, Legato, and RX. None of the models have any design specifications other than color.

The Ballerina pointe shoe collection is amazingly pretty, and it appears that there are at least 3 retail shops in Japan that sell Ballerina products. Hopefully this pointe shoe company will provide an e-mail contact sometime in the near future.

The Ballerina of Japan website is just as pretty as their pointe shoe models. You can visit their website here.

Freed’s Pointe Shoe Miniatures

Freed Miniature Pointe Shoes

Ekaterina’s Pointe Shoe Fitting

This young, beautiful ballet student is going through the dreaded pointe shoe fitting process that all ballet dancers go through. She is trying on a pair of Freed miniatures in this photo.

As you can see, the vamps are too long for her. She may do better in a Grishko or Russian Pointe miniature. In case you are wondering why a kitten in pointe shoes has shown up here at Pointe-shoe-brands,  there are some things in life that are simply too hard to resist!

Ekaterina is a female Persian kitten and is the latest member of the Costume Creations Dancewear Company in the United Kingdom.

She still has a long way to go as far as building up foot (paw) strength, but I feel she will make a wonderful apprentice at the Mariinsky Theater when she gets older. And think how beautiful she’s going to look in a white classical tutu!

Ekaterina  is now on Facebook where you can see her in her classical tutu

Multi-Colored Spanish Pointe Shoe Miniatures

These pointe shoe miniatures are from The Spanish Dancewear Company in Grenada, Spain. The website doesn’t give a size on them so it is unclear if they are really tiny or if they are the larger 3″ size. If I was going to buy a pair of these pretty miniature pointe shoes, I would have a hard time choosing what color. Looking at the photos I notice that the black pair appear pre-arched and the silver pair have the same toe box shape as the Rumpf Maria which I find interesting.  What color do you prefer?

Capezio’s Latest Pointe Shoe Model-Tiffany

Good News For Short Toes

So far, the Capezio Tiffany model is looking like a wonderful alternative to the discontinued Odette model. I am always pleased when pointe shoes are made with shorter vamps and having another model available with shorter vamps will make dancers with short toes a bit happier. The Tiffany hasn’t yet been added to any of the Capezio websites, but is being sold through popular dance supply companies here in the U.S. The Tiffany is lower cut on the sides and heel, similar to the Aria. The best thing about this model is being able to order it with a hard shank. Only time will tell if this model will become popular and sell well for Capezio. Because the Tiffany is just now becoming more well-known, reviews and opinions have been very few. The Tiffany is very pretty and I wish Capezio success with this new pointe shoe model.

I would like to personally thank Zoe Cleland, Capezio’s pointe shoe expert for providing additional information about the Tiffany model. The Tiffany model may make a possible alternative to the Plie I, but is a harder pointe shoe. Here are the design specifications of the Capezio Tiffany:

Tiffany #126:   (Capezio’s new shoe!)

New last!

• Engineered to provide a better fit for today’s feet

• Tapered toe and heel

•  Slightly shorter vamp than Glissé

• Hand-molded

• Strong toe box

• No.3 shank skived from 3/4 down to 0 for quick break in and greater flexibility

• Flat crown

• Generous platform for stability and ease of balance

• U-Throat and elastic drawstring

• Moderate length feathered side wings for support and smooth roll through

• So Suede® lining absorbs moisture, fights bacteria to reduce foot odor, and provides abrasion resistance

• Crease resistant back quarter panels

• Heel height like Glissé

• Good for toes of uneven length, bunions, shorter to moderately long toes, those needing moderate support and those having difficulty getting on top of the platform

• Good for dancers of all levels

• N, M, W more generous widths

• Begin street shoe size

(Tiffany ES #128: Same as Tiffany except with a #5 shank.)

Is Merlet Still Producing The Lington Pointe Shoe For Men?

These pointe shoes are quite mysterious. I have read on the internet that this model is no longer being produced by Merlet and was replaced by the Empriente model.

Today I found them for sale on a German dance supply website.The Merlet Lington is advertised as a strong pointe shoe and made  specifically for male dancers who do pointe work. Sizes start at a European size 42 which is a size 8.5 men’s street shoe size in the United States.

Another mystery about this model is the fact that several French female dancers claimed  that the Merlet Lington was their favorite pointe shoe. That makes me curious about whether this model was created for male dancers and  female dancers with larger feet liked them, or whether they were originally created for female dancers and are now being sold as mens pointe shoes because the only available sizes left are the larger sizes.

Update 10/13/18- It’s amazing how long a discontinued pointe shoe model can be tucked away, then resurface for sale years later.

A beautiful Lington pair featured on eBay Germany in October of 2018.

Anyone who adores  collecting rare or vintage dance shoes appreciates those of you who save and care for treasures like these.

Miniature Pointe Shoes-Pocket Sized Works Of Art

How beautiful miniature pointe shoes are! Just think, someone made these tiny little works of art using the same construction techniques that are used for life-sized pointe shoes. I have seen miniature pointe shoes made into purses, pencil cases, and wall art. The pointe shoe manufacturers have been clever enough to create these versions using the leftover materials from the factory so very little goes to waste. At the same time, miniature pointe shoes make wonderful gifts for ballet lovers of all ages.

Domyos Renaissance Pointe Shoe

The Domyos pointe shoe comes from a very long and at times confusing background of company split-name branding. The Domyos brand name is actually one of seventeen different divisions of a company called The Oxylane Group.

The Oxylane Group produces and sells all of their fitness, gymnastics, and ballet wear as the Domyos brand. The Oxylane Group also has another division called Decathlon. The Decathlon website sells Domyos brand ballet wear which tends to confuse buyers about whether the shoes are Domyos or Decathlon.

The Domyos Fitness Company is a leader in the sporting goods industry selling all types of  athletic wear and even sports equipment. The corporate headquarters of the Domyos Fitness Company are located in Marq-en Baroel, France which is a suburb of  Lille, France.  Marq-en-Baroel  is located at the far northern end of France close to the border of Belgium.

The Domyos website gives viewers different language choices and different global locations in which to choose from.  The Renaissance model is the only pointe shoe model available on this website. I am unclear whether the Domyos Renaissance has been discontinued or not. Trying to make contact with the Domyos Company at this time has been futile.

The Renaissance model is described as a novice, or beginner pointe shoe that has a flexible sole for easy demi-pointe and a shape that is suitable for many different types of feet. The boxes are slightly tapered and the profiles are medium-high. This is definitely a pretty pointe shoe. You can read more about the Renaissance model by visiting this page on the Domyos website.

• Update 8/25/2015 The above link is no longer valid and the model has been removed from the company website.

Aloart XWB 1001 Canvas Pointe Shoes

Lightweight And Ready To Wear

The Aloart canvas model pointe shoe is truly a lightweight, professional pointe shoe. Holding the shoes in my hand, they felt as light as butterfly wings. I can see  how a professional dancer would be able to have the highest freedom of movement in pointe shoes designed this way.

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The toe box on the XWB 1001 is very firm and strong, and yet the rest of the shoe can be bent back upon itself like a ballet slipper. Many dancers spend time removing the last quarter or half of their pointe shoe shanks to achieve this same flexibility.

The XWB 1001 has a strong, sturdy shank that ends at the natural curve of the arch. As soon as I put these shoes on I was able to pointe my foot completely and the shoes hugged my arch closely.

The vamps measure approximately 4 inches in length from the edge of the drawstring casing then down across the entire platform to the platform end. The platforms are 1 and 3/4 inches wide and approximately 1 inch tall. The vamp length would work well for medium to short toes. This model comes with an elastic drawstring.

The Aloart XWB 1001 in canvas makes an excellent rehearsal or practice pointe shoe for professional dancers.