UnMasked - Recovering Post-COVID

 I have not written here in a while, the confines of trying to keep busy during the last one and a half years while locked inside having driven me crazy.

My COVID journey was long. Less than one week into the dreaded limited human contact (not a full lockdown but schools and offices and everything else, were closed on 17 March 2020), I fell of my bicycle and went into 6 weeks of using a steel brace and crutches as I was unable to get anyone to see my injury. Finally, an orthopaedic surgeon advised that if I wore the brace any longer I risked a thrombosis; and that I should do some gentle walking and swimming.

I'd already tried some swimming and gentle walking and this was all the impetus I needed. The ballet shop suffered because I was unable to climb 4 flights of stairs to the little outlet; but the online sales continued to the extent that people were still dancing. Not much of course - reduced or no classes at all, reduced salaries for some. It all adds up.

This year we are appearing to go back to the life we once knew, with classes carrying on - with masks, if you please, but carrying on. The performing arts get a new lease of life.

We still have some uniforms sourced from UK with pre-Brexit prices as they are on our shelves since before Brexit.  Other EU-sourced merchandise remains the same, of course.  We have increased our platforms to include Revolut besides PayPal; and BOV Mobile payments if you are in Malta. If you are present in our shop, our BOV Cards machine accepts all international and Maltese cards. You're spoilt for choice.

We will always have some bargains on - just look up our bargains corner from time to time, our check out our website for any ongoing deals.

That's it! Happy Shopping!

Back to School - Autumn is here!

 

Schools in the performance / arts communities are reopening in Malta and this is such a relief. Although children have to wear masks, which can be a bit difficult when the activity involves strenuous exercise, it is always better than not being able to continue with tuition at all.

At The Ballet Shop, we have stocked up for all forms of dancewear for different forms of dance, but remember that if you have a uniform requirement for a particular school, you need to be specific about what it is you need.  The colour and material of the leotard is important, for example. If you are in Malta, we are also happy to have you over for a fitting, especially since pointe shoes require proper fitting, for example.

Ballet shoes, tights and socks, hair nets, bunholders - these are universal. A pink bunholder is the same in any school as is a pink wrap-over cardigan (ok you might be asked to choose between fleece and normal knitted cardigan); hairbands are the same colour as the leotards (usually) and tights, socks and shoes are invariably pink.

Head over to our shop now and see if there's anything that works for you!

The first few weeks of school term ...

So the first few weeks of school term have kicked off well, with people coming to the shop to get their uniforms.  Many people still prefer to fit their children with the appropriate uniforms, rather than order online, simply because they are growing so fast.  Some people think it is hardly worth their while ordering online and receiving items by post.  That is a great pity since it can save them time and money - of course, if they know the size.

It is important to fit the child well - many make the mistake of taking items which are far too big, or stretch out items which are far too small.  Ill-fitting clothes are dangerous in dance, as they can cause discomfort or, worse, injury.  This is especially true of footwear, since they can cause the dancer to trip and fall, or they can so badly cramp the feet that the work is not carried out properly and correctly.

Receive a proper fitting and contact us for an appointment.  You can also find us on facebook ! 

Our mini-shoes are finally on sale!

... We have found the time to upload them to the website, after having to edit the available images which were not of sufficient quality!   So you can now buy the pointe shoes and the mini soft shoes keyrings, usually available in most colours. You can either buy them in pairs or alone, and you can place them on display or attach them to a keyring - whatever suits you best.

If you are a school and wish to give these out to your students, or to sell them from your shop, please contact us for bulk discounts.  The same also applies if you want to order in bulk.

These items are excellent gift ideas but also make great souvenirs, e.g. at the end of a party, be it for young children, young adults, or a gathering of dancers.

We hope to be able to add more models soon - watch this space!

Sansha Soprano Pointe Shoes 5W

We have this one last pair of Sansha Soprano pointe shoes, it being an end-of-the-line model.  It is in Sansha size 5W - being a wide fitting in European size 35 or UK size 2.5.  Please be sure to check your size before purchasing as we do not have any others in this model, it being an end-of-line model.

You can view and purchase the item on ebay.

Hurry, only 10 days of sale left!

Since we had decided to run a sale over the month of August, we have seen increased visits to the website, as well as some sales! We are delighted!

Do visit our website - read the blog here or simply just go shopping. We would be delighted to be of service to you! 

Sansha Chicago now on sale!

Our Sansha Chicago Unisex jazz pants are on sale!

We have a lot of these black jazz pants on sale and cannot wait to get them over to you! We want to clear our stocks for even more new exciting items.  These are a durable pair of pants - you'll want more than one for your dance wardrobe! You can use them for all forms of movement - be it dance, drama, aerobis, walking - or even just hanging out! The quality of the material means you can do floor-work without the fear of wearing a hole in them.

Remember, we post free to Malta and have very reasonable rates worldwide. We accept Paypal, the safest way to pay!