Video:How to Tie Pointe Shoes

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Transcript:How to Tie Pointe Shoes

Hi, I'm Jennifer Peterson for About.com. Today, we're going to discuss how to tie your pointe shoes.

For these types of shoes, the drawstring is on the side - most types of shoes have the drawstrings ending over the toes. Some pointe shoes don't have a drawstring at all. You just want to make sure that your drawstring is tied right enough.

Tie Pointe Shoes With Both Ribbons

Some people teach their pointe shoes the ribbons one at a time; I use both at a time. You want to have a flat foot and try to fan your toes out a little bit, so your foot is as wide as it would be.

So first you start by crossing the ribbons. Your foot is nice and flexed; your toes are spread out. So you cross in front, cross behind, cross in front, cross behind, and bring it back to the front.

Then you want to bring them together and tie them in a double knot. Make sure it's nice and tight. And then you're going to tuck them all in underneath the ribbons so it stays.

Tips for Tying Pointe Shoes

A couple things to remember are when you're tying the knot, make sure you're not tying it in a bow. The knot will stay nice and tight if you tie it in a double knot, but the bow is more likely to fall out. Also, when you're tucking the knot in, please be sure to tuck the knot in between your ankle bone and your Achilles tendon, but not on the tendon.

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