Today I want to highlight the versatility of Bloch’s warm-up boots, worn by professional dancers and dance students the world over.
Bloch Warm-Up boots
I’m often asked what dancers wear in between rehearsals and shows to keep their feet warm, and the answer is usually a Bloch warm-up boot.
They all have black soles but a variety of colours on the topside – blue, purple and red plus grey. They are very light and have adjustable straps around the top of the boot and the middle for a perfect fit. Perhaps you need to put your ballet shoes on underneath ?
The boots are extremely warm despite weighing almost nothing, and in the UK they cost around £22. They can last for a long time and are fairly tough – just don’t put them in the tumble dryer !
They come in three sizes usually – small (UK 2-4.5), medium (UK 5-7) and large (UK 7.5-10). You can buy them from online dance shop DanceDirect and a number of other ballet wear shops.
Here is a picture taken back stage at the Royal Albert Hall last year when English National Ballet were performing Swan Lake.
Silvia waits backstage during the Swan Lake intervals, wearing her Bloch warm-up boots
February 23, 2011 at 10:03 am
Those look awesome
February 23, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Agreed! These booties are the best! They’ve been so helpful with my achilles tendonitis, keeping me warm through barre. I usually take them off around battement tendu jetes but if I’m very cold, they can stay on all the way through adagio due to the straps. Balancing in them is a bit challenging due to the soft sole, but I like to think of it as a balance board!