You’ve never seen pointe shoes as ugly as this. It’s not pretty. How did this happen?

Being a dancer in Singapore has some unique challenges. Mould. Green and sneaky. It creeps up the walls. It makes your clothes smell weird. It grows on paper and in books and on pillows… and it LOVES pointe shoes.

Singapore is humid and hot. We dance in beautiful NEW studios, air conditioned during the day. But still, if a pair is left alone, the creeping green fuzz begins. There is nothing we can do…the pointe shoe rack has been compromised!

After our Nutcracker performances in December, there were a lot of half-worn shoes left over. We decided to bring the shoes home, hoping we could save them for the new year. We placed moisture absorbers all over the room and hoped for the best.

It is safe to say….
they DIDN’T MAKE IT.

(But hey, at least our pillows were not mouldy… like last year…!)

THE SOLUTION:
Actually – we didn’t lose ALL the shoes. We placed a lucky few in a plastic box with a locking lid, and stuck a moisture absorbing box inside. The shoes were perfect, and had even become extra hard due to the lack of humidity in the box. Perhaps an idea for the studios? We will see – until then, time to start sewing ribbons….