37 replies to this topic

[dirac]

Quote

Eva (Zoe Saldana): No way people actually buy this s***!
Jody (Amanda Schull): It’s signed by Kathleen Donahue.
Eva: It’s a smelly old shoe.

It's a free country, of course, but I tend to agree with Birdsall, the Europeans, and Eva/Zoe on this one.

[angelica]

I think that if you've ever danced in pointe shoes, there's something special about owning a pair worn by one of your favorite dancers. They're usually in pretty good shape when they're put up for sale. And they don't smell at all, ever.

I have been turned off, however, by the men's ballet slippers, and have never been tempted to buy a pair. They always look very worn, as if they've taken a great deal of punishment, even when displayed on the Grand Tier of the Met. I've never attempted to smell one.

[Helene]

Men's slippers last a lot longer, and, as a result, they get a lot more wear.  I could have broken a window with Heather Watts' shoe -- I had never held a pointe shoe before, and the hardness terrified me -- but it was too soft to be useful to her anymore.

[dirac]

I can't imagine the gift shops actually flogging odorous pointe shoes (or bloody ones, or any others exhibiting too much wear and tear).

Offhand I can't think of another dance form where collecting shoes is such a central aspect of fandom and I suspect it has more to do with the totemic value of the pointe shoe than anything else.

[cubanmiamiboy]

I've always felt a bit of a sense of fetishism on this....

[AlbanyGirl]

Hello, All,

One year at SPAC, I bought a pair of point shoes for $10 from a basket of shoes (which were indeed stinky), the proceeds going to NYCB.  I chose the most gently used and they turned out to be Faye Arthurs, who is a corps member. Her feet are very tiny!  Most of the shoes in the basket were pretty beat up and I was happy to find Faye's pair in very good condition - the satin on the points isn't even torn.  They are so pretty and the pink color of the satin is exquisite (they're Freeds).  I'm going to have them bronzed and either make them a sculpture or outfit them to a base for a lamp with a shade - I think that'd be really nice!

[aurora]

 AlbanyGirl, on 05 January 2013 - 06:39 PM, said:

One year at SPAC, I bought a pair of point shoes for $10 from a basket of shoes (which were indeed stinky), the proceeds going to NYCB.  I chose the most gently used and they turned out to be Faye Arthurs, who is a corps member. Her feet are very tiny!  Most of the shoes in the basket were pretty beat up and I was happy to find Faye's pair in very good condition - the satin on the points isn't even torn.  They are so pretty and the pink color of the satin is exquisite (they're Freeds).  I'm going to have them bronzed and either make them a sculpture or outfit them to a base for a lamp with a shade - I think that'd be really nice!

Somewhat OT but Freeds are, or were, the makers for NYCB. As SAB students we used to get rejected company pairs really cheaply. It was never clear whose they were though, you just looked for your size and which maker worked best for you.

[Kerry1968]

I have a few pairs of signed shoes: Veronika Part, Megan Fairchild, Misa Kuranaga, and Whitney Jensen. I keep them at my office, not in a display case but on top of a cabinet, where people can see them and even handle them if they want to.

Some people think they are gross. They don't smell but they are dirty and worn. My boss calls them my "creepy shoes." On the other hand, some of my women colleagues are fascinated by them and have even tried them on,