30th
Product Review: Gaynor Minden
You either love or hate these shoes. Many companies have supplier deals (NYCB is supplied by Freed, Mariinsky/Bolshoi dancers mostly wear Grishkos), but there is yet to be a co. that only wears Gaynor Minden.
Gaynor Mindens are super lightweight, flexible, and quiet. The built-in toe padding is key, it relieves the majority of the pain of being en pointe and a lot of dancers wear GM’s without toe pads. The shoe “lasts forever” due to the high-tech material that replaces the paste/glue/cardboard composition of traditional shoes.
If you have naturally beautiful arches, these shoes can be a dream. For me, I just can’t find the right size. The flatter profile made the fabric gap around the sides. The built-in padding made my toes cramp, but if I went a 1/2 size up I lost the articulation of my feet. The durable shank doesn’t break in. Its unyielding-ness means that it’ll never mold to your feet, hence the “weird” look of Gaynor Mindens that turns off many people.
I’ve seen people dance with Gaynor Mindens like they were invincible. There is a sense of freedom that the shoes give you, because of how much more comfortable they can be. However, they don’t work for me. Back to Grishko 2007’s, the overwhelming favorite of many dancers.
