We love Empire Dance!

A huge thank you to Empire Dance for treating our Spokane ballet dancers so well at their first pointe shoe fitting last weekend. The girls learned so much about the fit and care of pointe shoes, and had lots of fun as well! The first week of pointe classes went well, due to your excellent fitting...:) Inland Northwest ballet loves Empire Dance!

PS Though you may be able to find less expensive dancewear online, you will NOT get the availability and care of Philip Broadbent and his staff at Empire Dance. If you have to return what you purchase because it does not fit, or it was not quite what you wanted, than it may cost you much more in the long run. Need another reason? Empire Dance supports local arts programs. That means they are putting their money back into the community where it benefits our dancers...They are worth every penny! :)

First Pointe Shoes!

Above: Jemima, Madi Maude, and Emily releve in 5th position...very pretty!

Below: Mackenzie, Ciara, Jemima, Madi Maude, and Emily show off their new pointe shoes, and are joined by Sarah and Shannon, who have been dancing on pointe for awhile...All smiles!


Finally! A group of our level 7 Inland Northwest Ballet students from Spokane made a much anticipated trip...Miss Janine, along with parents, took the girls to get fitted for their very first pointe shoes!

Empire Dance, located in downtown Spokane, is THE place to go for the best fit. The owner Philip Broadbent, along with his wife Sally, both danced professionally in Europe for many years, and truly know ballet. It can be a long process to get the correct fit, but so important to asssure the health of the dancer's feet, lower back, and hips. After the fitting, Philip gives the girls a talk about the care of pointe shoes, along with ribbons and elastics and what to do with both, and answers any questions they may have.

At Inland Northwest Ballet, we are very cautious about whom we allow to dance on pointe, some of these girls have been dancing for 12 years! They had their first class on Saturday, and said it felt "amazing" to go on pointe. What fun!

First pair of pointe shoes!

First pointe shoes…

A dancer being fitted for her first pair of pointe shoes is a huge thrill…Yesterday we made a trip down to Empire Dance Shop (http://www.empiredanceshop.com/) in downtown Spokane..., THE place to be fitted in the northwest, to have some of our dancers fitted for their very first pair of pointe shoes. The girls looked beautiful on pointe, and can’t wait to actually dance on their toes! We celebrated afterwards by having lunch at the Olive Garden.. We know the girls were so excited they didn’t sleep much the night before the big day, but Miss Janine hopes they sleep before their first pointe class on Monday…

Malinda tests the fit of a pretty pair of Blochs...

Shannon's first response was "This feels amazing!"

Malinda getting support for her first releve, while Madi and Sarah watch...

Shannon rolls over nicely onto pointe, with help from an Empire Dance fantastic staff member!

For all the girls, it was fun to either relive the memories of being fitted for their first pointe shoes, or to have a taste of what is in store for them if they continue to work hard...:)