u/Kermit--san

I've always been naturally stiff despite doing ballet for a long time and I've finally decided I'm tired of not pushing myself enough. I've started doing a "ballet back" exercise by Maria Khoreva and some other dynamic/hold stretch exercises to help improve my leg flexibility. I've recently added floor battements from my pre-class warmup into my at-home strengthening routine! I'll be getting a resistance band to help soon and I'm excited.

What's your favourite routines to do? Also, does anyone have some reliable deep stretches to help loosen the inner thigh muscles? My side splits are struggling compared to my forward splits.

For those who have made a "swap" from old american-made Gaynor Minden pointe shoes to the new European-made, specifically "Lyra" and "Europa" lines, how similar was the sizing to your old shoes?

I am struggling to find shoes in my country in my size and shipments that arrive at boutiques are very random and unregulated. I was wearing the old SC-9W5XDH but it seems to be a very popular size. I might need to order online if the boutiques can't get stock for me, since I'm on a long waiting list now.

I'd describe my feet as having a tapered heel, widest at the metatarsal, slightly tapered toes, disappearing heel, average arches and high profile (I'd like to not add photo). I prefer sculpted shoes with flexible shanks as I do not dance so many hours per week and the shoe's "instant comfort" is important to me. I considered a virtual fitting but I'm not confident enough in myself and the timezone may be an issue.

I've tried just about every other shoe brand available to me and they've all flopped (either too much pressure, sinking, or knuckling). I've been through the ringer with pointe (10 years, survived Grishko hell) so I'm really not going for anything less than GM's comfort. Bloch Etu is not available to me and FR Duvals weren't in my size either so I'm betting everything on Gaynor Minden.

Hi guys, as we all know winter has hit and I am in dire need of a nice pair of overalls versatile enough to wear on campus but also in the field (I'm a botanist). My only problem is that I have been looking since February and I am unable to find something that's actually good, i.e. fits well, not too baggy. I've run out of stores to look to and I'm not well-versed with places that sell genuine workwear, and definitely not going to consider buying on Shein for personal/ethical reasons.

You guys know any places around greater CPT area, other than thrifting (unless quality is guaranteed), where I can look to find some dungarees/overalls for a not-absurd price? (Seriously, how is the same thing priced R500 for "workwear" but R2,000 for "fashion"?!)