What is your pointe shoe secret? Episode 6: Julia Roscoe
- Ikuko
- Jul 25
- 5 min read
The Episode 6 of the What is our pointe shoe secret? features Julia Roscoe, a rising star with The Royal Ballet in London, the United Kingdom. Julia has just been promoted to a Soloist for the 2025-2026 season. Congratulations!
Julia is a beautiful thoroughbred in a way. She is from London and graduated from The Royal Ballet School White Lodge into the company. That means she excels in techniques but also she is at the world top level in artistry.
I am privileged to say that Julia was one of the early adopters of Prima Materia. I also watched Julia perform on stage a few times in Covent Garden, including when she debuted as a sublime Myrtha in Giselle many years ago. Since then, she has danced a various classical soloist roles. She dances like soft warmth on stage. In my very personal view, ballet dancers who are casted for Myrtha at an early stage of their career have a long career ahead of them. So she is the one to watch.
To make everyone jealous, Julia is engaged to Luca Acri, a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. He is a brilliant dancer with crisp techniques and lots of positive energy.
When I asked Julia if I could interview her for this article, she kindly accepted my request despite her manic schedule with summer shows. She gave us a lot of details about her boots. And they are the latest model everyone is talking about. Let's find out about her secret with a little bit of The Royal Ballet seasoning. This turned out to be a super informative interview.
What brand of pointe shoes do you wear?
At the moment I am wearing Bloch Flexus. Which is a new type of pointe shoe they have created with the Royal Ballet dancers. A lot of dancers have been trialling them this past year.
What model? Why do you like them?
So the make is Flexus, I like them a lot because the box is a lot flatter so it hugs the foot better than my last model of shoe, it's made slightly curved to fit the arch of my foot, doesn't bulge as much and feels easier to point my toes and jump in. The sole is also flatter which makes it easier to balance and feel the ground in adage.
What is your size and width?
My size is 5 1/2 double X in these shoes, which is crazy because my previous model of shoes was a 4 double X+ with a double heel pin. So it just goes to show that sizes can vary drastically even with the same brand of shoes.
Since when have you been using this brand?
I've used Bloch since I was 15, but have changed models quite a lot in those years. I used to wear Serenade Strong as a student and then fully customized my shoes as a professional (we called them blobs) but now I changed to the Flexus about 4 months ago. It's been a big adjustment as it pushes my weight forwards a lot more than my last ones and made me unable to turn very well for the first few months, but I am persevering and I hope it will be worth the changeover next year. Only the past couple of weeks have I felt my turns are feeling a bit more familiar!
Do you ask for any customisation at the manufacturer side?
Yes, I have the back cut down to a 3/4 length inside my shoe. I like to show as much foot as possible so I have the side cut down to a 'boat shape' by my arch and I have the vamp cut open into a low wide U shape. I like having an elastic drawstring too.
Do you do any customisation yourself? If so, how long does it take for you to finish customising a pair?
I try not to, because I ask the makers to do so much before it even gets to me. I don't have the correct tools so it's quite difficult to cut the backs down, which I used to do to previous shoes. I darn all the way around the toe, twice with some thick cotton thread and when my shoes start to break down, I shellac the toes and jet glue the backs.
Can you share a picture or two of your pointe shoes with us?
Do you like soft shanks better or hard shanks better?
Depends... For class and things that involve quite a lot of point work (relevés or pirouettes) I like a hard shank. But for jumping and faster movements I like to have softer shoes as it feels more comfortable to move in.
New shoes or old shoes?
Again, it can vary, I feel like new shoes hold their shape better and make my feet look nicer but old shoes allow me to feel the floor and move quicker. Plus, I feel like it's easier to slip in newer shoes.
What support or protection do you use? Do you recommend any specific brands and products? Do you use the same support for both feet or different for each foot?
So, I tend to get corns in between my fifth and fourth toe so I cut a makeup pad into quarters and fold and tape one of those quarters between them. This helps to absorb sweat and to relieve some of the pressure of two bones pressing against each other.
I also use a reusable gelly pad that you can cut into any shape you want and tape that over my big toe nail, this stops it from bruising and means I can last all day in a pointe shoe! I used to use second skin patches, but found they disintegrated too quickly. This is the alternative that I found and it works so well! It's called 'silopad' 4x4 gel square.
Do you use elastics and ribbons of any specific brands?
No, I just use the ribbon and elastic supplied to us in the shoe room.
Have you tried any other brands before? If so, why did you change?
I used Freed for my first years on pointe, I started pointe when I was 9 with my first ballet teacher Debra Bradnum. I think it's a great shoe, we are also encouraged to wear them in our first few years at the Royal Ballet school. In our more senior years at school, we were allowed to try out other brands, so I tried out Bloch, which I felt suited me better and haven't looked back!
Do you use different shoes for different roles?
No, I keep the same make for everything, however, it depends on the role I'm doing as to whether I have a hard or soft shoe and I'll often keep a pair specifically for a big performance if I notice it's feeling particularly good!
How long do a pair of shoes last?
I have about 6 or more pairs of shoes on rotation at any time, one pair of shoes is good for class for maybe 4/5 days before they become a rehearsal/ performance pair of shoes. They could then last a few more weeks depending on the rep. If I was to only wear 1 pair of shoes for everything, then I think a pair would last about 2-4 days.
Lastly, what is your ambition for the new season?
I'm looking forward to old and new challenges this year. My goal is to dance my best, get stronger and as always continue to work on my technique!
Thank you Julia!
All still images are courtesy of Julia Roscoe, except the ones credited for Andre Uspenski.
