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How much are they worth??


Guest Tat

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I just recently attended an ABT performance and at intermission i was looking at some of the autographed pointe shoes for sale and i noticed that Julie Kent's shoes were being sold for less than Gillian Murphy's and also Paloma Hererras?? Is her technique worse or is it because the other two are perhaps younger and more up and coming?? :confused:

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I don't know if Kent's shoes are worth less than the other dancers. But at least she got some use out of them. When ABT appeared in Chicago a few years ago, some of the dancers made an appearance at a department store downtown, and handed out signed, brand new, unused pointe shoes to each person in line! I found this a shocking waste of resources for a company that is constantly in fundraising mode.

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RE: Julie Kent's Shoes Pricing:

It could just be a supply and demand thing. Either they do not sell as well (low demand), or Julie uses up more shoes quickly (high supply), or maybe Murphy and Herrera do not give all of their shoes to be sold and Julie does. Just a thought. . .

S.

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Tat, how much were the various shoes going for? I'm curious. I would LOVE to have a pair of Julie Kent's, but can't afford them on eBay (and they don't come up for auction very often). A pair of Susan Jaffe's shoes are currently up to a $56.00 bid. I wondered why they looked as if they hadn't been danced in - maybe they were defective.

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At the NYCB gift shop, the cost depends on rank.

Principals=50

Soloists=25

Corps=5

(This went up a year or two ago from the 25/10/5 that it had been for years).

So, Wendy Whelan (hard to come by) shoes go for the same as Miranda Weese (who recently gave the gift shop a huge supply).

The first shoes to go tend to be the up-and-coming corps members' shoes-- an investment, I guess!

Just some more info. to add to the mix.

-amanda

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Bumping this topic back up briefly, to say that a pair of Merrill Ashley's signed Capezio pointe shoes just sold at auction for a final bid of $400.00! I was suprised....that amount surpassed the last pair of Farrell's shoes that were auctioned on eBay.

If anyone is still wondering how they are going to pay for their summer vaction getaway, just get in your closet and dig out all those old (autographed) pointe shoes! ;)

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ABT's pricing is stratospheric compared to NYCB! We saw principals' shoes priced at anywhere from $400 to $1000 a pair. Keep in mind, of course, that what they're really seeking is a donation. But I'm also told the prices are higher at the balcony stand than on the lower level. But for those prices you'd expect that they'd at least personalize them for you . . . or come over some Thursday night and twirl around once or twice on your back porch, leaving the shoes behind.

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One of my friends studio has "connections" with the Bolshoi and they get some of the used pointe shoes from Bolshoi dancers and let the students use them as soft shoes. And my friend has NINA ANANIASHVILI's pointe shoes!! I still think the idea is so strange though, because the shoes have already been moulded to someone else's feet. Also, why doesn't the company do as ABT and NYCB and sell them to fans for extra $? Oh well, I was green with envy to say the least.

At NBoC pointe shoes go for $50 ( principal), $25 ( soloist) and $15 ( corps). Sometimes they include the performance the shoes were worn in, so you can buy the shoes that you saw a dancer wear on stage. They also sell mens ballet slippers (sanshas, dyed in lots of different colours). Forget how much the cost, but sweaty canvas slippers don't seem to have the same allure as pretty satin pointe shoes!

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lara - In answer to your question about Corella's shoes, we went to NYC to see the Don Q's this year. They had some of the principal dancers shoes on display for sale. The gentleman tending the boutique booth said that they like to offer the shoes of the dancers that are scheduled to dance the current performance. Knowing that Corella was dancing Basil in the matinee the next day I asked the gentleman if he would have a pair of his shoes available. He looked a bit wistful and said, 'He never gives us any.'

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Does anyone know how to go about finding the value of a pair of ballerinas' slippers? We have a signed pair of Nina Ananiashvili from one of her performances with the Bolshoi ballet ---- I understand that she is now retired and wondered what they might be worth --- any info would be appreciated!

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Does anyone know how to go about finding the value of a pair of ballerinas' slippers? We have a signed pair of Nina Ananiashvili from one of her performances with the Bolshoi ballet ---- I understand that she is now retired and wondered what they might be worth --- any info would be appreciated!

Judi,

They are worth what someone is willing to pay. A lot of different factors would go into pricing-were they from a notiable performance (first performance in a role or very last performance ever), how much of a demand there is for the item, and how hard are they to come by. Like art, I would think, a deceased dancer's shoes would be worth more because they would be limited over a living dancer who might be retired.

K

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lara - In answer to your question about Corella's shoes, we went to NYC to see the Don Q's this year. They had some of the principal dancers shoes on display for sale. The gentleman tending the boutique booth said that they like to offer the shoes of the dancers that are scheduled to dance the current performance. Knowing that Corella was dancing Basil in the matinee the next day I asked the gentleman if he would have a pair of his shoes available. He looked a bit wistful and said, 'He never gives us any.'

Some of the people at that sales table at the Met during ABT's season have told me that the European dancers think the practice of selling autographed shoes is "creepy" (or some such). But I did notice they were selling shoes by Vishneva and Osipova in recent years at $500 -- I don't know if anybody paid that, but that's what they were asking.

Men don't go through as many shoes as women, of course, so if you see some from a favored dancer, I'd suggest grabbing them! I have autographed shoes from Hallberg, Cornejo, and Gomes. Gomes even wrote the dates of his performance as Basilio, along with his autograph. Proceeds go to the dancer's emergency fund, so I think many dancers recognize the value of their donations.

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Some of the people at that sales table at the Met during ABT's season have told me that the European dancers think the practice of selling autographed shoes is "creepy" (or some such). But I did notice they were selling shoes by Vishneva and Osipova in recent years at $500 -- I don't know if anybody paid that, but that's what they were asking.

Men don't go through as many shoes as women, of course, so if you see some from a favored dancer, I'd suggest grabbing them! I have autographed shoes from Hallberg, Cornejo, and Gomes. Gomes even wrote the dates of his performance as Basilio, along with his autograph. Proceeds go to the dancer's emergency fund, so I think many dancers recognize the value of their donations.

The creepy factor is understandable-they are probably thinking why would anyone want my sweaty smelly shoes.

Also if the company is more stringent with their shoe inventory-they might be wearing them until they are truly dead dead.

Since it is not a practice in Europe, then the shoes would be worth more because they would be rare.

Men, because they don't go through so many, might also consider them their lucky shoes if they had really good performances in them. If it is going to a good cause, most would be willing to donate because when you think about it-they would get tossed otherwise.

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