Gaynor Minden’s new Lyra Pointe Shoes at Dancing Boutique

Gaynor Minden is thrilled to introduce Lyra as part of their 30th Anniversary celebration; their first all new pointe shoe line over that period and we are delighted to be stocking and fitting these shoes for our dancers from early May 2024.

Pointe shoes perform a remarkable job — enduring tremendous forces and repeated strains, all the while appearing as refined and delicate as the ballerina herself.

Made with proprietary Premium Weave soft satin, pliable construction techniques, and a flexible microfiber vegan sole, Lyra is designed for expressive footwork, secure alignment, and effortless roll-through.

Lyra is available with the same numerous fitting options (model, length, width, box, shank, vamp, and heel) that have always been available from Gaynor Minden’s existing line, now known as Europa. Most dancers can wear the same size in both lines. 

However, Lyra is truly different. 

Gaynor Minden Lyra Pointe Shoes from Dancing Boutique
Gaynor Minden Lyra Pointe Shoes

Developed over a three year period, Lyra’s new Premium Weave Satin is a proprietary blend of yarns, woven in Italy and exclusive to Gaynor Minden. The Lyra is a completely new pointe shoe that is designed to provide dancers with the ultimate in support, alignment, and flexibility.

Although a more expensive shoe, Gaynor Minden can demonstrate that their pointe shoes cost less to use than other brands because they last an average of 3–5 times longer than conventional pointe shoes. 

Gaynor Minden believe that dancers are artists who deserve no less than the very best that human intelligence and imagination can deliver. To best serve dancers, they feel that it is essential to recognise that they are athletes as well as artists, and that the dancer’s body is her instrument. 

This approach has contributed to the development and launch of Lyra.

In stock at Dancing Boutique from early May 2024. Jump online and book a fitting appointment for LYRA!

Suffolk® Pointe shoes at Dancing Boutique

It is always our aim to offer our dancers a broad range of Pointe Shoes. We want to become their ‘one stop shop’ helping them find their perfect shoes

Where shoes and brands have become hard to source in recent times we felt it was important to add someone new and special to the Dancing Boutique fold.

Having had various delightful conversations with Mark & Keri Suffolk at Suffolk Pointes, we sampled their fabulous shoes and were delighted to become one of their UK suppliers.

From their Premiere Collection we now stock their Stellar Pink Standard Insole Pointe Shoe 

The Premiere Collection is their hardest working collection of pointe shoes. With heavy paste and high wings, these pointe shoes are made to last. The hard paste and durable shanks allow this collection to be the longest lasting pointe shoes in the dance industry. Combining the high wings with our patented design, Suffolk® handmade pointe shoes guide the foot into proper placement en pointe. 

The Suffolk® Stellar pointe shoe is the best pointe shoe for dancers that want an elegant line en pointe. The Stellar is one of the best-selling pointe shoes in the dance industry. The broad platform makes balancing en pointe easy. The toe box is roomy enough to articulate your feet when rolling through demi pointe. The high wings taper just enough for the dancer to feel secure and in proper placement without looking boxy or clunky. Once this handmade pointe shoe breaks in, the box will mold to your feet perfectly, the way no other type of pointe shoe can.

From their Corps de Ballet Collection we now stock their Spotlight Pink Standard Insole Pointe Shoe 

The Corps de Ballet Collection is made up of traditional pointe shoes made inside out and turned to reveal the right side of the pointe shoe after the shoemaker has hand pasted the toe box into the shoe. These lightweight shoes are known and loved by dancers that want the shoe to mold quickly to their foot.  From the stage, dancers appear to wear flat slippers when wearing shoes from this collection. Many artistic directors favor the aesthetic of Suffolk® pointe shoes made in this traditional British style of shoemaking. They only classic pointe shoes that feature Suffolk’s patented design which extends the life of the shoe. 

The Suffolk® Spotlight was the first pointe shoe in our line to introduce our patented design. This comfortable pointe shoe for bunions or dancers with large toe joints cups the foot at the metatarsals for extra support. The Spotlight’s patented design is unique in its ability to help all dancers get over the platform in correct placement, while the insole allows them to fully articulate their foot. The lightweight shoe is made it hug the arch, while offering the dancer support and lift, and also deters sitting in the shoe.   

Suffolk® Pointe Shoes are made from modern lasts designed and hand-carved by an engineer and master pointe shoemaker and then computer-graded for perfect sizing. So they fit the modern dancer’s foot. 

We are thrilled to have their Suffolk® Pointe Shoes in our range and know that our dancers will love them.

Kate & Mark x

Our New Home (the bigger boat!)

We got there!

After keeping on top of many moving parts we were delighted to move into our new home at 8 Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells with a popping of corks and some lovely feedback.

Below are some more shots of our much larger space, over two floors, with lots more dancewear on display and our lower floor Shoes and Fitting area.

We love being on Camden Road with it’s cafes, ecletic mix of shops and all round buzz. When you visit, park in the Victoria Centre or Crescent Road mulitistorey carparks which are a 5 minute walk away. Our new postcode is TN1 2PT when using your sat nav.

Come and see 8 Camden Road soon!

Kate & Mark x

‘We needed a bigger boat (shop)’

In the words of Chief Brody in the film Jaws we had realised some time ago that we needed a bigger shop and in January of this year the perfect property became available.

Offering us twice the space, over two floors, this light and spacious, turn of the century premises on bustling Camden Road, amongst its varied shops and cafe’s, immediately felt like it was where we should be. Having been on the market for two hours it was ours. Serendipity perhaps?

The first floor offers a larger open retail area and a small fitting space for folk who won’t want to go down to the lower ground floor. The lower ground floor has two fitting rooms for dancewear and uniforms as well as our shoes including pointes.

With parking just 5 minutes walk away at the Royal Victoria Centre we are now easier to find but minutes from where it all started for the company.

After over 50 years in the ‘small shop on the corner’ we know that some of our customers will feel sad to see us leave but we hope that 8 Camden Road will offer all of our customers the space, greater range, ease of use and most of all the same friendy and professional dancing expertise that they have loved throughout our years.

So we have the ‘bigger boat’ and we can’t wait for our customers to some and see it.

With Love, Kate & Mark

From high end to dance essentials and everything in between!

Here at Dancing Boutique we pride ourselves on sourcing wonderful dancewear for our dancers from some of the world’s leading manufacturers.

Dancers generally love what we source for them, and it helps that we have been doing this for a little while (51 years and counting!) We love hearing from dancers what they would like us to stock and with a dancing daughter ourselves we are never short of tips!

However we are also aware of the need for good value. We know that being a dancer can get a little expensive. As well as dance basics, and the uniform you need for your dance classes, you also know that you have to look after your feet with good, well fitted shoes and often there is the need for something special for an audition or just to feel fabulous !

To make it easier for us to support this challenge, we are a private, family owned company who work hard to buy well from our suppliers, offer dance essentials as well as high end and don’t have hundreds of staff to look after! (although sometimes it can get a little too busy!)

We update our ‘Sale’ page regularly to show items we have on offer, are end of line, have limited sizes, we have too many of or we secured a promotion from the supplier. Or just because we feel we can.

We also work incredibly hard to add value to every purchase our dancers make, providing them with fitting advice, sizing expertise, our 50 years of knowledge of what they need for their chosen dance discipline and a comprehensive understanding of the uniform needed at one of the many schools across the South East we work with.

Times have become a little harder but we are here to do what we can to help keep our dancers looking and feeling their best.

The Homme range of men’s dancewear from Ballet Rosa.

As part of our commitment to continue to grow our collection of dancewear for men, in 2021 we were thrilled to start stocking the stunning Homme collection from Ballet Rosa. We now offer 17 items from this collection, available in-store, online and at selected schools.

Their first ever complete menswear range combines their passion for fashion with their reputation for old-world craftsmanship.  As they said at launch ‘We looked around the world for inspiration to find fabrics and develop prints and embellishments to enhance the male physique’.

Ballet Rosa Homme features several fashion collections, cosy athleisure, new Academy basics for boys and men, and bags inspired by the needs of the male dancer.

We love the range and we know our dancers do. Available in our Tunbridge Wells store or online.

For the full range have a look here. Photo shown is the Endo Zip Leotard

Dance Schools who have made the Dancing Boutique Connection

We have worked for over 50 years with dance schools across the South East and a few well beyond.

Our aim is to make being part of the school easier for the dancers and save time, energy and investment for the school.

We hold the latest version of a school’s dancewear uniform list, in some cases we have bespoke items made* and in all cases we ensure we are holding a selection of sizes across their dancewear which can be bought from the schools own page on our website or from our shop in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

The investment in holding the stock is the responsibility of Dancing Boutique, the expert sizing and fitting is the responsibility of Dancing Boutique and overall the supply of the schools uniform is made so much easier for their new and existing dancers.

For larger schools we have a School’s Agreement which ties us a little closer but in all instances we work with good schools, of any size, who have high standards and who value our relationship.

*based on the size of the school and a supply agreement being in place.

The Schools we are thrilled to work with are:

Associates

Babee Ballet

Benenden School

Bethany School

Cascade Dance Company

Catherine Bellinger

Cygnets to Swans

Dance Academy Sevenoaks

Elmhurst Ballet School

Elmhurst Young Dancers

Encore School of Performing Arts

Footsteps Theatrical Workshop

Gabriella’s School Of Performing Arts

Holmewood House

Italia Conti Tunbridge Wells

Judith Wilson

Kent College

Legat Dance Academy

Lisa Maybank School of Dance

Marlborough House School

Mayfield School

Sarahjane School of Dance

Schools at Somerhill

Southborough School of Dance

Sutton Valence Prep School

The Dance Consortium

The Mead School

Tring Park School for the performing Arts

Tring Park Associates

Tring Park Classical Ballet Academy

If you are with a school who you think might benefit from making the Dancing Boutique School’s Connection, or you are a teacher or Principle who think we might be able help, speak to us on 01892 529 720 and ask for Mark or email us on sales@dancingboutique.com.

We would love to welcome you on-board.

Mark & Kate Curtis

We welcome DellaLo of Milan to the growing Dancing Boutique portfolio of fashion dancewear

At the end of 2021 we were thrilled to become the first UK retail outlet for Milan based dancewear creators, DellaLo. Founded in 2015, DellaLo combine high quality Italian fabrics, excellent craftmanship, haut couture and a love of dance.

Their ethos is that dancers wish to be inspired by the garments they wear and, through them, they reveal themselves and their aspirations.

They use exclusively high quality Italian fabrics combined with excellent craftsmanship to offer customers the best of Made in Italy.

At Dancing Boutique we selected items from their Dellalo ‘Icons’ range which represents a selection of their iconic garments which are timeless and a design symbol of the brand since their launch in 2015. They express elegance, minimal style and refinement using stunning fabric. 

Take a look at one of their stunning leotards below.

See the full collection we hold in stock here.

DellaLo at Dancing Boutique, In-store, Online and at selected schools.

A Greater choice of Dancewear for Men & Boys at Dancing Boutique

Since we took over Dancing Boutique in 2019 we have watched the number of male dancers who want us to supply them with dancewear, across all dance genre, grow dramatically. 

But we also kept hearing that the choice of dancewear for men and boys was limited and so over the last 18 months it became our passion to source and supply a much broader range of great dancewear for men and boys. Let’s face it, they deserve it as much as the girls! 

We now hold over 2000 items (excluding shoes) of dancewear for male dancers, across over 60 products in our Men & Boys categories of leotardsshorts and tightsunitards and bikeardswarm upsdance tops and underwear & socks

Giving greater choice, our selection for male dancers is now one of the broadest ranges in the UK sourcing from manufacturers such as Ballet Rosa, Bloch, Wear Moi, Freed, So Danca and Dansez to name but a few. 

We are pleased with the progress we have made but there is always more we can do as we look to source great products for male dancers from around the world. 

(featured image Conrad Unitard from Ballet Rosa Homme collection, available from Dancing Boutique, in-store and online)

Dancing Boutique’s Merlet Brand Ambassador

Born in Tunbridge Wells Sophie Medvedev began her dance training locally before becoming a Junior Associate at the Royal Ballet London. At the age of 11 she began full training at Elmhurst Ballet school which is where her relationship with Dancing Boutique really began. She trained there for 8 years and in her graduate year was able to perform with Birmingham Royal Ballet. She then went on to dance with various companies around the world including Croatian National Ballet and Royal Swedish Ballet.  

Sophie is currently a part of International Arts Collective and, when able, tours with Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet company. She founded the wells academy and SYM dance teaching both locally and further afield.  

She discovered Merlet pointe shoes a few years ago through Dancing Boutique and haven’t looked back since. She loves the comfort and as well as the support they give her and is proud to be an Etoile Merlet and work alongside Dancing Boutique. 

Manufacturer since 1974, Merlet dedicates its know-how, its energy and its passion of the dance to the design, the innovation and the manufacture of slippers and shoes of dance, in the tradition of the master shoes. 

It is with a careful attention to detail that Merlet works every shoe and combines tradition and modernity brilliantly. Each pair is carefully developed in our workshop in Verneuil-sur-Vienne, near Limoges, and is carefully controlled to ensure that dancers have a product of perfect quality and finish. . 

Dance is a demanding art. Aware of the need to always acquire new techniques and adapt to the expectations and needs of dancers of all levels, Merlet reinvents itself every day by offering new products, imagined and created from a dancers requirement. 

Dancing Boutique are delighted to offer our customers Merlet Pointe Shoes. In stock we offer their professional range with the Diva and the Diva (hard)  and the Merlet Rose which is ideal for beginners. 

Sharing a little dancing joy

At the end of 2020 Kate & I identified a fair few items of dancewear that we wanted to reduce our stock holding of but wanted to be creative in how we did this. 

After some discussion Kate contacted Jessica Ward, Principal at Elmhurst Ballet School, to see if she could point us at any dance schools who might benefit from a donation of dancewear. 

From this call Jessica introduced us to The Leap of Dance Academy in Nigeria, Africa, and Transformación Ballet in Sololá, Guatemala, two dance schools and charities who carry out incredible work in their communities to bring ballet to dancers who would otherwise not get the chance. 

Leap of Dance Academy’s profile skyrocketed last summer when its founder, Creative Director and self-taught ballet teacher Daniel Owoseni shared a video on the academy’s Instagram feed. The footage shows 11-year old student Anthony dancing barefoot in the rain outside his Lagos home. The video went viral and highlights the young dancer’s tenacity, passion and talent for dance developed during his time with the school.

Founded by Christine Tjahjadi-Lopez, Transformación Ballet strives to grow student’s self-worth and determination through dance. The school teaches a range of dance styles including ballet to children of all socio-economic backgrounds, including two orphanages on Lake Atitlán, Sololá. The school challenges and motivates its students on an individual level whilst teaching them how to create and achieve in a healthy and supportive environment. 

Both Leap and Transformación work with children who are hugely underrepresented and unreached in the dance and ballet world. Their ethos is that ballet should be enjoyed and seen by anyone who wishes to engage, regardless of their situation and background. We are delighted to be able to play a small part in supporting this ethos.

With Elmhurst taking care of the shipping, we have been able to send 140 boys’ and girls’ leotards, over 70 pairs of satin, leather and canvas ballet shoes, and 18 pairs of pointe shoes divided between the two schools

We were inspired by some of the stories we saw of the children pursuing dance despite difficult circumstances. Being parents of a dancer, we know the commitment each and every one of these students makes to achieve their goals.

Given the obstacles the past year has presented, it is truly lovely to be able to spread some joy to dancers in need.

Top Tips – ballet shoes

Finding the perfect ballet shoe for every foot is a mighty feat and one our expertly trained staff take great pride in. Whether is it a first pair of ballet slippers for those just starting out or pointe shoes for the advancing dancer. 

Even for a simple ballet slipper there are so many options to choose from, whether it is leather, satin or canvas, with or without a drawstring, a narrow or wide fitting, to full sole or split sole.

The beginner and younger dancers usually wear a full sole ballet shoe to help develop and strengthen their feet, the choice of material will depend on their dance school preferences.

Leather ballet shoes are the most traditional choice and the most hard wearing. Satin ballet shoes are often used for performances and exams, offering a very pretty option especially when the elastic is replaced with ribbon.

As dancers develop, they will often move to canvas ballet shoes, especially the stretch canvas options, designed to hug the foot and show off the arch. Canvas shoes tend to be split sole, allowing for a perfect point. Split sole options are also available in both leather and satin ballet shoes. 

Almost all ballet shoes now come in a variety of colours and shades, from the traditional pink to the diversity skin tone shades. Not forgetting the male dancers who usually wear either black or white shoes, or sometimes flesh. 

Every foot is different and changes as a dancer grows and progresses, so we like to take our time, even with ballet slippers, to make sure every dancer walks out with the right shoe. From the Bloch Arise to the Capezio Hanami, we know our way around the maze of styles and brands. 

Dancing Boutique is proud to carry a vast array of colours, styles and brands allowing us to help every dancer find the perfect fit. 

Behind the Scenes at Dancing Boutique

Kate & Mark Curtis acquired Dancing Boutique from the original founders in June 2019, carrying on the family ‘owned and run’ history since the business started in 1971.

With backgrounds in Publishing, Finance, Advertising, Tourism, and Industry they had spent their years developing and improving businesses and felt that Dancing Boutique was a truly exciting opportunity in an industry they love.

The couple have three children, one of whom graduated in 2020 as a dancer at Laine Performing Arts. Having become ‘dance parents’ as their daughter started her ballet training from the age of eight years, they grew to understand how important a good service driven dancewear provider was for fittings, ballet shoes, pointe shoes and the expertise to understand their daughters feet.

In their first year, Kate and Mark focused on reviewing all aspects of the business, keeping what worked and improving what would make the service to their dancers and schools even better.

As Mark says ‘The fitting, sales and customer service staff had been working with dancers for many years and already provided a great service. Giving them the tools to make this quicker, more fool proof and allowing them to just focus on delighting customers seemed to make sense’

Having added modern stock control, purchasing and retail systems, a rebrand, delightful new website and a refurbishment of the shop by early 2020 the world changed.

The Dancing Boutique team have worked hard through the Pandemic to ensure first class service to their customers, an online pointe shoe booking facility that has seen over 1000 fittings taken up since its launch, exciting new product lines including a range of diversity dancewear and shoes, a new school wide uniform for one of its major schools and close relationships with its suppliers.

As Kate says ‘It has not been a period that we had planned but that is the same for everyone. However, we are in a great position to keep building now we are out the otherside and are thrilled at the support and great feedback we have had from our customers. We must be doing something right!’

Update 2022 – in August 2021 we took on new distribution and warehousing premises to help us fulfil customer’s shipped orders and help us hold ever more stock lines to feed the Tunbridge Wells shop and our growing number of schools. Onwards and upwards, we keep building!

Further Update July 2022 – we moved to fabulous new premises in Tunbridge Wells and can now be found at 8 Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 2PT. Onwards and upwards!

Shades of colour for all from Russian Pointe

The world should be full of choice and at Dancing Boutique we feel that we should offer that to our dancers. That is why we have chosen to work with Russian Pointe and their new Palette Collection of a broader range skin tone-inclusive shades in ballet shoes, tights, ribbon and now Pointe Shoes.

Russian Pointe has been inspiring dancers to lead extraordinary lives for over 20 years. They are world renowned for their original product: precisely fitting pointe shoes that blend traditional artistry and modern technology to best support student and professional ballet dancers.

Each new product reflects the company’s established standards of excellence for outstanding comfort, fit, and elegance.

We are delighted to be able to offer this choice to our customers which are now in-store, online and at selected schools.

Dancing Boutique Gift Vouchers

We have been offering gift vouchers for our customers to buy for some time but we thought it was time we gave them a good brush up.

So after much toing and froing with our patient designers we are delighted to offer new gift vouchers and cards to chose from in £10 and £25 denominations.

Order them by email, over the phone or in-store and you will have a treat to give your dancer to use anytime over the 12 months from the time it was bought.

Unfortunately they are not available to buy online (computer says no, for the moment anyway)

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