Our Hard Shank is extremely stiff, appropriate only for dancers who have very high insteps, or require extra support for some other reason. An overly stiff shank of any brand could do this. If you feel that you are not being made to pull up out of the shoe, try a softer shank. Ask your fitter about Supple, Feather Flex and Pianissimo shanks. Ballet tradition demands that pointe shoes be made from pink satin.
Satin is delicate and vulnerable to abrasion.
Although the inside of a Gaynor Minden is high-tech, its outside appearance honors the traditional aesthetic. Every foot is different, and lots of feet are not perfectly suited for pointework. Many dancers have anatomical structures that make pointe shoe fitting especially challenging. Compressible metatarsals, narrow heels, tapered toes, long second toes, bunions, a large space between the first two toes, sensitive toe nails - all can make it difficult to achieve a good fit. All these problems can be solved with the right arrangement of cushions and liners inside the toe box.