I Have been dancing for a little over 2 years and recently started pointe work because i have exceptianally stron ankles and toes and needed to work on my arch more then anything. It is a LOT of fun and a wonderful challange as long as you're careful. I have been doing all of my barre exercises en pointe and it has mad a huge difference in my point and in my releve. I would suggest going to a store that carries more then one brand to see what works best for you. Personally I favor bloch's shoes over anyones. Thier shoes in general run wide and i have fairly wide feet so when i went for pointe shoes, a 7.5 E fit perfectly and im a men's 10 street shoe. [/i]