I used to wear Blochs and they would squeak when the shoe was about to die (or dead). My last two pairs have been Grishkos and no squeaking so far. I don't think it's a big deal, though -- but, a little annoying, yes. My teacher's pointe shoes squeaked at one point (pun intended... ), too.

Many of my pairs of suprimas would do this! would make for a amusing ballet class. Is it true that some ballet competitions deduct marks for squeaky pointe shoes? I have heard this. I switched from suprimas to grishkos (not for this reason) and grishkos have never squeaked for me!

Shoes will squeak, not all the time, but it's a common occurance. The tough thing is when the shoes are broken in perfectly and are squeaky: the squeaks will go away if you 'wear down' the squeaky part, but if your shoes are already perfect I would hesitate on that. If it really bothers you, I would find the offending section of the shoe, apply water by cottonball until it goes away, let it dry, and if more support is needed, lace the inside with Jet Glue.

I'm not 100% on the physics of it, but I think squeaks occur when little pockets of air form between layers, and the movement of that pocket of air causes the squeak. I always thought that made sense anyway.

In my class we all started off in the same exact shoes (went to the same place that was recommended by our school-big mistake! I have tapered toes and they put me in a square box, vamp was too tall, etc etc. I didn't know any better at the time) but I switched to Russian Pointe after months of struggling in my Blochs, no more squeaking. The two in my class who still have the Aspires squeak like crazy. I wonder if it's a fit thing? They can wear their padding plus thick cotton socks without any problem which makes me thing they don't fit right. But I'm still a newbie so I could be totally off. It sounds like this type of shoe just squeaks a bunch.

There's a girl in my pointe class and her Bloch pointes always squeek as well. So far she hasn't found anything to stop it.

My Grishko Elites have just started to squeak in the demi-pointe area after about 15 hours of wear. The shoes are well worn in, but not dying yet. The squeaking is pretty quiet though, thank goodness!

I have Blochs, the axiom I think, and they have never squeaked. I have also used the Balance European and they never squeaked either. Maybe it's the one style that has the issues or maybe it just happens every once in a while that you end up with a noisy foot

my bloch sonatas didn't squeak. neither do my gaynors. My friend's sanshas squeek though, but she can't even stand on demi because she's tooo light for her hard shanks. maybe a softer shank?

I have always thought that when my shoes squeak, they are dead. I mean- I can tell when they're dead because the platform gets soft, the stain on the top shreds off, the shank provides no support, etc.- but when they squeak it's like they're telling me "Okay- we're really truly dead now!" I wear Bloch Balance Europeans so I don't think it's uncommon with this brand or other brands more than others.

My Bloch Suprimas squeaked almost constantly and really loudly. I havent had that problem with my Grishkos.

BREAKING IN THE SHOE

Pointe shoes should not be worn at home without the teacher's permission.
Brand new pointe shoes are unsuitable for wearing. Some "breaking in" must be done before the shoes can be worn comfortably. For new students, the "breaking in" should be done by or under the supervision of the teacher.
1. The box of the shoe needs to be "smashed" or flattened to help it conform to the shape of the foot. The shoe can be placed in the hinge side of a sturdy door -- between the door and its frame. The door is then gently pulled shut so as to flatten and widen the box. Another method is to lay the shoes on the floor and step on top of the box with the heel of your foot.
2. Bend the stiff, flat shank at the place where it will conform to the shape of your arch. This should be done at the very back of the shank -- NOT IN THE MIDDLE! To make it flexible, it is sometimes necessary to bend the shank back and forth several times until it bends easily.
3. Try on each shoe. If it gaps around the side of the foot, adjust the drawstring for a snug fit. Be careful not to pull too tightly. Tie the strings in a square knot, cut off ends to about 1 inch, and tuck them inside.
4. Put the shoes on, tying the ribbons correctly. Walk around on as high a demi-pointe as possible. This will be difficult and painful at first. But increased flexibility in that area of the shoe will make it much more comfortable to work in.

CAUTION: This last step in breaking in the shoes is very important but should not be attempted at home without the teacher's permission.
Source: parkenet.org . . .

(This method should be successfully applied to most brands of pointes that need to be broken in to some extent. Of course, the instensity and length of the process may vary according to the brand and shank strength, so this may not be enough for some shoes to be completely comfortable. This is why sometimes more “wear” time is needed or why more less “orthodox” breaking-in techniques are applied.)

Now, some brands require certain tricks or special brake in process (or non at all):

Shoes that require no brake in process at all:
1. Gaynor Mindens (dancer.com)
If Gaynor Mindens never weaken or soften, how do I break them in? Good news: you don't. They are ready for dancing now. You must, however, be sure to select a shank that is flexible enough. Dancers who are accustomed to cardboard and paste shanks are usually concerned with finding a shoe that is hard because they know how rapidly conventional construction softens. Keep in mind that Gaynor Mindens will not break in and be sure you are satisfied with the roll-through and flexibility of the shoe when it is new. Ask about Supple, Feather Flex and Pianissimo shanks if you need a more flexible shoe.
2. Prima Soft (prima-soft.com)
Don’t Bend or Flex Prima Soft Pointe Shoes The research and design of Prima Soft shoes is made with the highest technology available. From that we understand that the word “HI TECH” does not necessitate using artificial materials. Prima Soft pointe shoes are made of natural materials and no plastic, fiber glass or rubber is used in the shoe construction. Using natural materials allow the shoes to work with, not against the dancers feet. Prima Soft Pointe Shoes are designed on a new, innovative last. This form allows the dancer’s toes to go directly straight down into the toe box, thus preventing the toes from settling into the upper part of the pointe shoe vamp. The shanks on each design of Prima Soft pointe shoes are graduated in strength. The need to manually soften the shoe by mashing and hammering is alleviated by the unique mold to the arch graduated shanks. The shanks mold into the arches naturally. Prima Soft pointe shoes offer total support and comfort from first wearing and need not ,and should not, be bent or flexed or bent by hand. Prima Soft pointe shoes are the only pointe shoes to be endorsed by David Howard. After seeing the balance and placement of Prima Soft pointe shoes Mr. Howard stated “Not just another shoe, but the correct shoe”.
I’ve heard there’s also no brake in required for: Gamba 97, So Danca Grad Pas.

Before my shoes are fully broken in they make all kinds of noises, I believe it is due to the glue breaking down. Do not worry it is pretty normal for pointe shoes to make noises!

Gaudium, my teacher requested that we do certain exercises in our shoes to help break them in at home.

Anyway, I did a very minor part in a performance in them (mostly just sous-sous, releves, and a pirouette and some pique turns) and they're getting pretty loose now. They don't squeak as much anymore. I went online to research reviews of my shoe, and it sounds like almost everyone who used Bloch Aspires had a squeaking problem throughout the life of the shoe.

My GMs have been squeaky recently, not sure why. Only in the last few classes; I've worn them for about, ooh, five or six hours in total probably, if that.

Honestly, my Grishko pointes only squeak when I've broken them in! It's so embarrassing, in my studio mine are the only ones that make any noises!!

I have that same problem!!! I have Suffolk Solos and they always squeek!!! No one else in my class has that problem, just me.

I wonder if there are any pointe shoes that dont squeak seriously I think it would be great to have them silent but I do not see that as a possiblity unless the shoes are made in such a way to quiet them both on flat and on pointe.

I used to wear European Bloch shoes and they never squeaked but now I wear Heritage Bloch. Every now and then, including the pair I have now which are only a few weeks old, have squeaked. My right shoe squeaked from the very beginning. But after I got water on my left shoe that shoe has squeaked more than the right. It's so annoying and I have a recital this Saturday.

When I was still dancing and wearing pointe shoes, my shoes would start to squeak when they were getting dead. For me, it was just a little annoying. I wore Bloch Serenade and Bloch Aspiration. The Capezio Pavlova and Leo Roma I wore never had a problem squeaking. From what I'm seeing on this thread, it seems that Bloch pointe shoes seem to have a problem with squeakiness.