Cotton Canvas Founded in Sydney, in 1932 by Jacob Bloch, Bloch is a pioneer in the technical dance market. Since its inception, the renowned footwear brand has produced handmade pointe shoes for esteemed ballet dancers worldwide. Bloch recently entered an exciting new period of innovation and fashion design with the creation of mainstream footwear, following the demands by current customers to create street-ready shoes.
A**Y
Weird fit, incorrect strap placement
I have worn Bloch ballet shoes for a couple decades now, but the Zenith style missed the mark completely got me. Read on to hear why...The "Pump" style was my previous go-to and fit well, but in traditional, non-stretch canvas, it always took a couple classes to break them in and my big toe would eventually break through and leave a hole. Leather had better stretch, but you can't put in the washing machine, and what pro dancers where leather ballet shoes to class anyway? So I recently decided to try shoes with stretch canvas instead of plain old canvas.I ordered the Performa and the Zenith. Much to my surprise, the Performa felt amazing, but the Zenith was drastically worse. Both have pre-sewn straps, which I had mixed feelings about - the traditional dancer in me appreciates dancers having to show the dedication to sew on their own straps, and I used to sew mine in a loop so that I would wrap the elastic loop under my foot to hug my arch. When I teach, I tell my students to sew the elastic just next to the edge of the seam in the middle of the shoe; however, the seam on the Zenith is cut on the diagonal and all out of whack - wrong placement on your foot, and so therefore, where they sewed the straps is entirely wrong, as well, placed too far forward on the foot.Additionally, the leather pads on the bottom of the Zenith shoe are smaller than the Performa and are also placed incorrectly. The heal pad falls not underneath the heal, but under the arch, and the shoe also sticks out funny there when you lift your foot. This happens even when the shoestrings are pulled tight. It is important to note that shoe size was not the issue, as the back of the shoe came up high on the back of my heal, and I ordered a size 3.0 B in both the Zenith and the Performa (same size I've always ordered for the Pump, too).Lastly, (this may be important to some and not to others), the Perform lacks shoestrings but the Zenith still has them. The traditional dancer in me used to like having shoestrings to tie tight and tuck in, but after trying the Performa, I'm now a convert. Given that the stretch canvas is more revealing of the foot underneath than traditional canvas, you would see the shoestrings more under the stretch fabric, and the lack of shoestrings in the Performa makes for a cleaner line without sacrificing elasticity and fit.With all of this said, I realize that everyone's feet are each built so differently with different needs, so if you are going to buy these or any other pair of dance shoes, I would recommend buying multiple styles to compare and see what works best for your feet.
A**R
Makes your feet look amazing, but the heel padding is strange
I like this shoe. It molds really well to show off your arches and stretches to fit like a glove.However, the padding on the heels is strangely thick and does not sit right on your heel. I have to keep fixing the position of the heel or else my feet will roll a bit. So that's sort of uncomfortable. Other than that, I really like this shoe since it's lightweight and really stretchy.For reference, I'm a size 6-6.5M and I bought this in 5.5B. It initially fit a bit snug on the big toe, but it stretches out with wear.Its been around 2 months with an average of 4.5 hours of wear per week and they're holding up well so far.
K**E
Had to exchange for 1/2 size larger
I love these shoes but they run small. I've been wearing Bloch for 15 years. After reading the reviews, I ordered 1/2 size larger than my usual Bloch size. The shoe fit but just barely. I'm sending them back for a bigger size. The shoes are very well made and comfortable. They look great on the arch. I would order them again. If you're going to order this shoe know your size.Update: I usually wear 2 sizes smaller that my shoe size in Bloch. These shoes run very small. I had to order 1 size smaller than my street shoe size. They are still tight but tight in the right places. I would order again.
C**U
Hard to get the right size
Edit*** It seems that there is a huge sizing discrepancy between the canvas and leather shoes. If you order the canvas shoes you need to order street size or even half a size larger. If you order leather you need to order smaller than your street size.Dang it! I followed the recommendations and ordered a size smaller than my daughters regular shoe size (she is a size 3 and I ordered a 2), and they are way too small. Her toes are curled and they hurt her feet :( Her 1st class is in the morning so we are extra bummed. Aside from sizing being awful, they seem to be well made.
D**.
Great Shoes - Order Street Shoe Size
These ballet shoes do NOT follow the Bloch ballet shoe sizing guide. I wear a 7.5 regular shoe, and their guide puts that as a 4.5 size ballet shoe. I followed the reviews below and originally ordered a 6.5, which was still too small. I then ordered a 7 and it fit, but if I didn't need the shoes that day, I would have returned those too and ordered a 7.5. I would say to just order your regular street shoe size. Great shoes overall though.
E**H
Good materials, terrible sizing.
The shoe itself is made well and they are an attractive shoe. But the sizing is all off. The first pair I ordered down two sizes and they were nearly 2” too big. The second pair I ordered based on US & UK sizing, cm, and size chart on the ad. I ordered down 2 sizes again and they came in so small, my toddler could almost wear them. I maintained two stars bc the shoe is well made by materials. But deducted 3 bc I can’t consistently say how to order them. One place has them farrrr too big and the next has them farrr too small at the same sizing. If ordering from this company, order street shoe size. It my advice would be, just go to the dance store. It’ll save you a lot of driving to UPS to process returns.
S**D
Hit and Miss
I purchased the shoes in my street size (7m)They are roooooomy. I even pulled the elastic ribbon in the casing to compensate but it looked bunchy and really didn't help. I may launder them in hot water or dry them on high to shrink them to fit.It seems others have had luck getting the right size in line with their street shoe size so I cannot help but wonder if I were to purchase another 7m, would it be a better fit or too big again? (shrugs)
V**M
A tried & tested quality brand of ballet shoes that fit perfectly!
These were perfect for using in my adult ballet class, & they are so comfortable! The elastic wasn't too tight, & if you use Bloch's advice on sizing they should be true to size. And being that they are Bloch, you can't beat the quality. For me it was definitely worth spending the extra money on this brand versus getting sub-par quality discount ballet shoes. Ballet is tough enough without having to worry about your shoes falling apart in the middle of class...
A**R
Great fit and product
Good fit was as matched great shoes
C**E
these shoes are amazing. They hug the arch perfectly
You should know your size before you buy, or buy a bunch of sizes and return the ones that don't fit since sizing is tricky. Once you get the right size, these shoes are amazing. They hug the arch perfectly. These shoes make anyone's feet look better! They are so flattering that they are the required ballet shoes for competitions at my studio.
M**Y
Very satisfied!
Exactly what my daughter wanted! We had been told that this model was discontinued, but we able to order very easily, and they arrived within 7 days! Very satisfied!
E**B
Excelente
Excelente, me encanta como llego en su caja, de siente de súper calidad y el tamaño es el correcto.
M**R
Las mejores zapatillas suaves
Muy cómodas. Talla perfecta
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