Gaynor Minden Just Changed the Ballet World

We all know that “nude” colored leos, technique shoes and tights have a woefully limited definition of “nude.” Dancers with darker skin tones are hard pressed to find something that works for them, since regularly available colors only work for people with light, pink-toned skin. Everyone remembers Michaela DePrince‘s mom in First Position, talking about hand-coloring her daughter’s tutu straps, right? Yep, not cool.

And that’s not even considering pointe shoe preparation, which already requires an intense time commitment. Dancers with dark skin might want their tights and shoes to match their skin and thus extend their line (just like pink tights and shoes blend to extend a fair-skinned dancer’s line). They have to pancake like mad, hope they don’t get the box too soggy, and waste precious recovery and rest time on a ritual that just drives home how different they are. Now, Gaynor Minden is trying to change the game.

The company has released two new options for their pointe shoes: “Core Colors” in Espresso and Cappuccino. These colors could be worn as-is, but they’re actually meant to be base colors for further customization. Now, instead of applying three layers of pancake, a dancer might only need to add a light coat.

This is MAJOR. It’s inclusivity in action, and the company is planning to expand from here, adding more colors. We can only hope that other pointe shoe manufacturers catch on, because not everyone chooses to wear Gaynors.