Enthusiasm, skepticism, gratitude, suspicion — the initial reaction to Gaynor Minden was mixed, not surprising given ballet’s traditionalism. (There was a scandal the first time a ballerina wore a tutu on stage.) Fortunately, early adopters and influential teachers encouraged other dancers to try them. Dancer feedback led to the development of many additional fitting options, and to this day we still work closely with dancers and teachers as we update and improve our products.

Ballet’s traditions are part of what make it so wonderful; being conservative has helped ballet preserve its greatness. But ballet has often been reluctant to acknowledge the athletic needs of its amazing artists, whose job it is to conceal athleticism under a serene smile and who understandably do not want their art to become a sport. Unlike sports equipment, where innovation is constant and welcome, ballet “equipment” has been slow and resistant to change.

Gaynor Mindens became controversial almost as soon as they became successful; Eliza Minden was pictured as Satan on a Facebook page; one of our competitors accused us of being a CIA plot intended to destroy Russian ballet; they were dubbed “Cheater Shoes”. (Any overly stiff pointe shoe can allow the dancer to “cheat” and not work her muscles correctly but unlike traditional pointe shoes, Gaynor Mindens do not soften with use. In fairness to dancers who have found Gaynor Mindens too stiff, you may not have tried our more pliable styles because not all stores carry them. Also, dancers accustomed to breaking in traditional shoes sometimes insist on a very stiff Gaynor Minden, not understanding that, in our case, durability is not a function of hardness.)