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Permalink Reply by Hannah on October 10, 2007 at 5:28pm

wear them!wear them!wear them! it's all you have to do ;D

xxxx

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Permalink Reply by Jane on October 14, 2007 at 12:03pm

I wear them one year and I can´t do toestands...:( I think I have to do more than wear them two times in week...

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Permalink Reply by Nicole on November 28, 2007 at 8:36am

a bent shoe alone isn't enough for toestands - make sure you also have enough strength in your feet to support you - or it can lead to nasty injuries....
What shoes do you have?

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Permalink Reply by Bredeen on November 9, 2007 at 3:46pm

bend them and put them under a low bed it will bend them!~!~!

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Permalink Reply by Sylvie on November 22, 2007 at 11:07am

At your own risk, here is what I do:

There are two places where your shoes need to get soft: 1. where the descending sole part (coming from the heel down) meets the ball part of the sole, and 2. right behind the front tip.
It helps if you wear the shoes for an hour before you do it:

1. just push and bend the sole in this place
2. This is a little hard to do: Bend the tip towards the rest of the shoe. The sole should bend right behind the tip (it wont work at first, but keep trying). If done well, the tip meets the front part of the heel. After doing that a couple of times, tie your shoes laces to keep the shoe in this position and leave until next practice. Do that for a few days.

Of course, wearing the shoes is the best way to make them soft and mold to your feet, though!

Good luck!
Kitri

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Permalink Reply by Fi on December 15, 2007 at 10:15am

Im an adult dancer-just started and I got my ghillies in the post today-not sure if they fit though-they are a bit tight-will the leather give a bit over time?They are my usual street size-I'm so confused-should I send them back?

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Permalink Reply by Angelika Berber on January 3, 2008 at 12:34pm

I used my elastic bands (the ones you wear around your shoes) and bent the shoes heel to toe, using the bands to keep them in place whenever I was not wearing them.
How long your shoes take to become supple depends on your type of sole and brand of shoe. Mine are grey sued sole Fays and they broke in pretty fast, a matter of a month or so to make toestands comfortable.

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Permalink Reply by Frank on January 16, 2008 at 2:48pm

Hi,

maybe this could help:

http://www.celtic-dance-world.com/en/how-to-break-in-jig-shoes.html

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Permalink Reply by Christina on January 18, 2008 at 6:56pm

You need make them bend it two spots. The first where you'd normally stand on your toes, the second in the arch of your foot.

By your toes:
You'll see crease on the top of your shoe, bend the shoe in this spot, and tie it down with a rubber band. I also suggest bending the she back and forth in this area.

Same goes for the arch. Point your toes in the shoes and find where the arch is. Now BEND your shoes. You can keep working them, and tie them with a rubber band or string while you're not wearing them.

Also, be sure to put the shoes on and walk around in them. Go up on the balls of your feet, and point your toes.

Stand with one foot flat, the other, put your tip on the floor, as you would for a toe stand and gently put a little more weight on this foot. Switch feet.

Practice doing toe stands in a door way for extra support.

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Permalink Reply by Leenke on April 5, 2008 at 9:07pm

Maybe not the best tip for your shoe but it does work: soak them overnight in water and then wear them around the house.
You can also buy leathersoftener, I find that also works.
Then I do then bending the front to the heel around the upper and the lower side (so pushing the tip into the inside of the heel and pushing the tip to the bottom of the outer part of the heel). Tie that up and leave it for a while. A hard job but also very effective

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Permalink Reply by Ben on April 6, 2008 at 11:03pm

fold shoes in half put elastic on it then stick under couch/heavy chair folded

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