The Great Debate: Gaynors
Here we go you guys!
Before I begin, let me link to you my first impression of Gaynors as a freshly retired ballerina.
This brand of pointe shoes has always had the most buzz around them since their start. From the coined “cheater shoe” to the most recent closure of the US factory, every dancer in the world has heard of Gaynor Minden.
If you haven’t heard about Gaynor Minden, it was first founded in 1993 by Eliza Minden and her husband, John Minden. Breaking the traditional turn shoe style, they created a pointe shoe masterpiece with polymer plastic and poron cushioning that has brought the dance world into the modern age.
So what’s the big deal?
As a fitter myself, I can tell you of the days where Gaynors were still considered “cheater shoes” to the more traditional teachers. Up until the early 2000’s, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes came in one shape (Classic) and two shank strengths (Extra-Flex and Hard). Both of these shanks are the two strongest in their pointe shoe line. Such strength at the early time in the shoe development, was too strong for most dancers. It would prop them up onto pointe instead of allowing the dancer to articulate their feet. In today’s day and age, there are three softer shanks (Pianissimo, Feather Flex and Supple) as well as two more shoe shapes (Sculpted and Sleek).
What I have found to be so significant with Gaynors is how much effort they put into the medical studies that back their research and construction of the shoe. In the durability, shock absorption, and stability studies, Gaynors blew everyone out of the water. These shoes were made for athletes, which dancers fall in that category. I’ve linked Gaynor Minden’s Medical Studies page here so you can check out the lengths they’ve gone in order to make this shoe something incredible. And on top of that, the shoes last a while.
I have known and fit several dancers who tried every shoe and had problems with every shoe, except Gaynors. Within the link above you can find the shoe rehab stories of several well-know professional dancers. This shoe has a magic of stabilizing the dancer while they rehab from an injury that no other shoe on the market currently can.
Overall, I think that Gaynors are a wonderful shoe that works for so many dancers. I think the “cheater shoe” term should be put to rest at this point ;)
This is all for today! Let me know if you want to see any other deep dives into styles of pointe shoes!
Take care my loivelies!