Surprise!
Just in time for our busiest season of all, our local dance store has closed its doors and we dancers are left hanging. The next nearest dance store is two states away and just about a two-hour drive to Massachusetts.
So what happens when we're in the middle of our two weekend and realize we're low on knot keepers? Or your pink trunks mysteriously go missing? Or somehow all of your best tights have gone from pretty and pink to filled with runs? When you're balancing two weekends full of performances, school, and other jobs (which many of us have), we don't have time to make a spur-of-the-moment trip to Burlington, MA.
The solution? Stock up.
So I'm making like a squirrel and beginning to stow things away for the upcoming winter. The first item in my burrow is what I really want to talk about and I couldn't be more excited about it.
Gaynor Minden has released what they're calling "performance tights." They are based on the reality of what many dancers, including myself, like. I like my toes to be exposed for better control and so I can feel the shoe. With my tights in my shoes I feel like I'm trying to sew with gloves on... Know what I mean?
And everyone, I'm sure, would agree the heel of a pointe shoe stays put better against skin rather than the slippery nylon of tights. So with this knowledge, Gaynor Minden thought to remove the material covering the toes and make a slit for the heel to fit into. Might I say genius?
I found these via apost from @worldwideballet on Instagram and had to see it for myself. I purchased three pairs and tested them in class...
The good news is, I absolutely love them!
A slight peek of the heel at the end of the shoe is perhaps more visible than I'd like at our home theater in Falmouth, Maine, where we do most of our performances. However, on a larger stage like Merrill Auditorium - where we perform the annual Nutcracker - it's not an issue.
I came up with what should be Gaynor Minden's marketing strategy for these tights with the hashtag: #freethetoes. Absolutely liberating not to mention long overdue are these tights!
