Testing My New Shoes

I know I'm resting from dance but I just had to try out my Gaynor Mindens today.  It figures I'd buy new, expensive pointe shoes right before I take a break.  I never got a chance to dance in them!  Anyways, I didn't do anything crazy.  I only wanted to get the feel for them.
 Overall I'm happy.  Gaynor Mindens don't break in, which is a major relief.  I always dreaded the first few days of dancing in a new pair of Grishkos.  They're extremely hard, and stubborn in their refusal to bend.  From the second the Gaynor Mindens were on my feet I could rise up to pointe and lower back down easily.  Unfortunately they beat up my heel, which wasn't something I was expecting.  Pointe shoes normally cause blisters to appear on the toes.
 I love the fact that Gaynor Mindens are slip proof.  It was dangerous to dance on my dance mat in my Grishkos, they were always slipping out from underneath me.  It might have been due to the conditions I was dancing under at home, since they were usually fine in a studio.  Now though, I can step up to pointe in my new shoes on my own floor without any worries.  This extra security does make sliding out to pointe a little trickier because they want to stick to the floor, but I think it's a good thing.  It forces me to focus on pushing my legs out, and the extra effort will make those muscles stronger.
 I still think Grishkos are excellent shoes that I'll probably never completely abandon.  I want to remember what it feels like to dance in traditional shoes, and I've loved my Grishkos since the first pair I owned when I was thirteen.  I'll be honest though, it's really nice to treat myself to these considerably more comfortable shoes for a while.