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Here in our little seaside village, we have two dance studios with two very distinct styles. Their teaching styles are different. Their studio set ups are different. Their clothing and shoe requirements are different. We have always carried Capezio Piouette II half cap shoes for contemporary dance in both leather and canvas, so I was left scratching my head when I had so many people requesting the Turning Pointe 55 by Sophia Lucia specifically, and leaving with no shoes when I offered the Pirouettes. To me, they look and feel nearly exactly the same. So I decided to do some digging. Why would one teacher recommend one shoe and another teacher require the other?
One answer I got was uniformity. In competition, they want the feet of all their dancers to appear identical, in sync with style as well as movement. They usually even require a new pair before performances so that the wear and tear doesn't create variations in the look.
The other answer was more complex and had to do with the construction of the shoe. The Turning Pointe 55 has a rounder toe and wider suede floor patch for greater floor coverage. It was specifically designed for high intensity pirouettes and ballet inspired contemporary movement. For dance schools that choreograph with more upward movement, lifts, leaps, and spins, this is the best possible shoe. For studios that root their contemporary choreography in more street dance styles with lots of floor work, the Pirouette II allows toes to spread and grip the surface, helping stabilize and isolate motion. This shoe is much closer to a barefoot dance style.
So when it all comes down to it, there is a best shoe for every teaching style, even within the same discipline of dance. That is why we have chosen to carry both at Metronome Dancewear. We want to support all our local studios equally and make sure all our dancers have just the right shoe for their chosen artistic style!