New Hire
We are pleased to welcome choreographer, actress, singer and professional comedian Casey Whitaker to the Russian Pointe Team! |
Updated Team Bio
 Elizabeth Mensah, a Joffrey Ballet trainee, rejoined Russian Pointe when she returned to Chicago last September. We are proud to have this fine dancer and experienced fitter on the Russian Pointe team! |
Upcoming Trunk Shows
August 14
Toe to Toe Dancewear
Flint, MI
Info: 810.238.7400
August 22
Dancin' 1 Ltd.
Downer's Grove, IL
Info: 630.968.1794
Learn about Trunk Show Seminars
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Tulle Dancewear Boutique
Carrie and Joey Skains, owners
Keller, TX
817-337-2327
Welcome to Russian Pointe! |
Keeping in touch...
Retailers, remember to check your emails from Russian Pointe for important news and offers!
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Cuban Classical Ballet
Russian Pointe is pleased to be the new Sponsor and Official Shoe of Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami's current performance season. On July 17, Ali and Juneanne traveled to Miami to fit the company in pointe shoes and ballet slippers. For most of the dancers, it was their first experience with Russian Pointe. "I absolutely fell in love with my Russian Pointes," said dancer Kaleena Burks after the fittings. "I was wearing [another brand] and now I am switching to Russian Pointe Sapfirs."
CCBM's artistic director Pedro Pablo Pena is also founder and director of the annual International Ballet Fest of Miami, in its 15th year.
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Bolshoi Ballet Academy Summer Intensive
Russian Pointe spent four days at Bolshoi Ballet Academy Summer Intensive in New York and Connecticut last month, fitting dancers from elementary to pre-professional at this prestigious program. Juneanne and Ali were happy to see dancers who recognized them from last year, and to meet so many others from all over the U.S. and several other countries. Russian Pointe is Sponsor and Official Shoe for the program. |
New tote bag
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Culture Studio Open House
 Elizaveta got to see first-hand how Russian Pointe's luxury tees are crafted, at Culture Studio's
recent open house, which included a fun print-your-own-tee activity.
"You picked your size and one of their designs, and then got to watch
the whole process - printing and putting it through a huge oven-like
conveyor belt to bake the ink into the shirt," Elizaveta says. Culture
Studio specializes in unique printing techniques and embellishments, and
we are proud to have them creating our beautiful tees. Elizaveta,
pictured here with daughter Klava and Culture Studio's Carlo Oviedo, is
planning a new tee design - coming soon! |
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Russian Pointe Newsletter
August 2010
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Greetings from Aleksandra
 Most fittings here at Russian Pointe Dance Boutique are conducted by my staff of expert fitting specialists. Once in a while, though, my schedule allows me to do a personal fitting, as I did on June 25 with 13-year-old Raya Terran.
Raya had traveled from Oregon (where she studies at Eugene Ballet Academy) with her mother, Eve, and was visiting Chicago before beginning the American Ballet Theatre summer intensive in Detroit. Her summer intensive experience also includes Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and this fall she'll start at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet in New York! Raya found Russian Pointe through recommendations from other dancers, and bought her first pair at San Francisco Dancewear. I was pleased to receive this note after the fitting: We want to thank you and the staff at Russian Pointe for sharing [your] time and expertise with us, and making us feel so welcome. It was the highlight of our trip to Chicago, and the pointe shoes have been working great for my daughter at her ABT intensive. We will definitely stop by if we are ever near Chicago in the future. Thanks again!! Eve and Raya Terran I will never forget doing my first fitting, 12 years ago when I started my business. Each fitting was an opportunity for discovery and learning for me. Now, fittings take me back to the roots of my business. I still discover something each time, but it's a different kind of discovery. Now, I re-discover - firsthand - how much Russian Pointe shoes mean to the dancer, how they help her develop her technique and artistry, and how they enhance her passion and pride in dancing.
Aleksandra Efimova
President
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More from Aleksandra's Blog...
Aleksandra enjoyed an evening of beautiful music and good company on July 16, at an intimate dinner and concert at the Official Residence of the Consul General of Japan at Chicago, George Hisaeda. In a program entitled "Chopin Over the Pacific," five Chopin pieces were performed by three superbly talented pianists: Tomasz Robak, Mio Nakamura and Michael Pecak.
Earlier in July, she visited Asia for the first time, on a trip with fellow businesspeople and friends. Visit her blog to see her photos! |
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On the Road in July
 July was a busy month for Russian Pointe fitting specialists! On July 30-31, Juneanne Hardy presented a Teachers' Seminar and Trunk Show Seminar at The Sock Basket in Greenville, SC (Kay Betsch, owner). She enjoyed fitting 35 dancers at the trunk show, and giving about ten teachers first-hand experience with Russian Pointes at their seminar. "We fitted a student with challenging feet, who had come with one of the teachers," Juneanne says. "It was a wonderful opportunity to show teachers what really goes into a fitting, and I think they learned more about the shoes because it was hands-on."
Juneanne traveled to North Carolina Dance Theatre in Charlotte, NC on July 16, to fit the pre-professional students at the NCDT summer intensive, where she reports that about half of her fittings were with dancers new to Russian Pointe!
 On July 27, Juneanne and Ali Aguilar had a wonderful time fitting 25 dancers at Ellison Ballet Summer Intensive in New York. "We had many dancers who already wore Russian Pointes and wanted to try the new models from the Spotlight Collection, and we had several Russian Pointe converts!" says Juneanne. The Newsletter has spotlighted two of the amazing Ellison dancers who wear Russian Pointe: Emily Kadow and Anne-Sophie Rodriguez. |
Auditorium Theatre Junior Board
 Elizaveta and Aleksandra joined the new Auditorium Theatre Junior Board at a kick-off cocktail party on July 26 at the Hard Rock Cafe. Auditorium Theatre calls the Board "a group of dedicated young professionals that will be committed to carrying out the legacy of the Theatre and making their mark in history."
"After our longstanding relationship with Auditorium Theatre, a National Landmark that is the venue for so many of Chicago's most thrilling performances, I'm excited to take this step forward in support of their outstanding arts and education mission," Aleksandra says.
Photo: Aleksandra with Amanda Martinez, Development Associate, Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University |
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Filming at Russian Pointe Dance Boutique
On July 21 a team of Russian journalists visited Russian Pointe here in Chicago, to interview Aleksandra about the history, mission and operations of her company. The journalists are taking part in a TV Co-op project through the Office of Broadcast Services, part of the United States Department of State's Bureau of Public Affairs. They are traveling around the U.S. for a program showcasing small businesses with unique concepts, to air in Russia (and possibly the United States). Russian Pointe was recommended for inclusion by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office and WorldChicago. In addition to the interview (conducted in Russian), Aleksandra gave them a personal tour of Russian Pointe: our offices, Boutique, warehouse and shipping department. "It is an honor that learning about my experiences with Russian Pointe could be useful for those in my home country. It is rewarding to know that small business opportunities are being supported by the Russian government and media, and that the U.S. is able to facilitate this. Projects like this one help put passion and vision into reality," Aleksandra says. |
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Russian Pointe Celebrities
We love this photo of Paige Smith, photographed by her mother Angie on the beach at St. Augustine, Florida. The recent college graduate was named "Miss University of Florida" in 2009, and buys her Entradas at Arabesque in Gainesville. Arabesque owner Jacquie Smith shared this great photo at our recent fitting seminar. Paige has danced since age four, was on her college's dance team and has worn Russian Pointes exclusively!
This photo was shot just after Lake Forest freelance designer Peach Carr returned home after completing filming for Project Runway. Peach is a regular customer at the Boutique with her daughter, and we're always excited to see her - especially Dustin! She's appearing on Project Runway Season 8, which premiered on July 29. (Visit her Project Runway page here.) We're all looking forward to watching her throughout the season! |
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Jillian Lewis Dancewear has arrived!
Visit Russian Pointe Dance Boutique in Chicago or online to find this unique, sophisticated dancewear in its debut collection! Jillian Lewis was a Project Runway Season 4 finalist, and is a former dancer with a unique understanding of dancers' needs and desires. Click image to view.
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