The Gaynor Minden shank comes in 5 levels of stiffness: Hard, Extraflex, Supple, Featherflex and Pianissimo and you can tell at a glance what stiffness the shank is for a pair of Gaynor Mindens by the colour of the drawstring bag they are in.

Gaynor Minden Green Bag

The green bag contains pointe shoes with a Hard shank.

To give you an idea of what they would feel like compared to normal pointe shoes the Gaynor Minden hard shank is comparable to brand new pointe shoes

Gaynor Minden Yellow Bag

The yellow bag is for Gaynor Mindens with an Extraflex shank.

The Gaynor Minden extraflex shank is comparable to slightly worn pointe shoes.

Gaynor Minden Pink Bag

The Pink bag, or to be correct the rose coloured bag, contains pointe shoes with a Supple shank.

The Gaynor Minden supple shank pointe shoe is comparable to broken in pointe shoes.

Gaynor Minden Blue Bag

The blue bag, which is actually turquoise, is for pointe shoes with a Featherflex shank.

The Gaynor Minden featherflex shank is comparable to pointe shoes that are wearing out.

Gaynor Minden Purple Bag

The purple or lavender bag contains shoes which have a Pianissimo shank.

The Gaynor Minden pianissimo shank is comparable to pointe shoes that are worn out, and are worn by only a select few so are not that common in your local dance shop.

More information on Gaynor Minden pointe shoes

Buy Gaynor Minden pointe shoes online
Where can I buy Gaynor Minden pointe shoes in the UK?
Who wears Gaynor Minden pointe shoes?
What you should know when buying Gaynor Minden pointe shoes

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This is what The Zone had to say when we met at Move It in March 2013:

Long before the leotards are available for sale The Zone’s models are given the new designs with the intention of breaking them! If a leotard fails in anyway then The Zone look at what broke and then fix any flaws in the design. Emphasis is placed on the suitability of the fabric as it must survive extreme wear.

The percentage of faulty returns on Zone products is incredibly low (currently 0.3%), which is exceptional, considering the high expectations and rigours that The Zone garments experience. We are dedicated to upholding the high standard expected by this range, and test and check the garments thoroughly before they go out to the customer. New strategies have been put in place since the end of 2011, which will reinforce our commitment to The Zone’s high standards.

• Fabrics are independently tested by the fabric manufacturers prior to them being considered by The Zone.
• Further initial wash tests are conducted by the design team, before any prospective designs are produced.
• Rigorous wear and wash tests are conducted by a team of high-level gymnasts, who train for periods of 4 hours + each day prior to the product going into the brochure.
• Wear and wash tests are repeated with future deliveries of new batches of the fabric at our factory.

All garments are packed and checked by trained quality control operatives at our British factory, based in Oldham. In addition to this a spot check (approximately 10%) is carried out at our warehouse, looking at fabric, stitching, appliqué, crystals, colours and general all round quality and finish. Each leotard (whilst still with the original packaging) can be traced back through the production process, identifying each seamstress and machine involved at every different stage, which means that we can isolate any issues and resolve them quickly.

We’re currently wear testing fabrics for the Autumn/Winter 2013 brochure, and so far so good, everything is coming back with very, very positive feedback from the gymnasts. I look forward to seeing it as a complete collection!

I think that you’ll agree that The Zone’s testing methods are very comprehensive and when you buy your leotard from The Zone you know that it will work as hard as you do. Just follow our guide How to look after your gymnastics leotard.

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What is a Character skirt?

The character skirt resembles the traditional national skirts, its length goes just below the knee and its drape is flowing. It is black in colour but with ribbons just above the hem, again harking back to the traditional styles worn by the national dancers of Hungary, Russia and Poland.

The colour of the ribbons is usually chosen by the dance teacher, but the range of colours is determined by the examination board. For the range of available colours visit our website.

What are Character shoes?

Character shoes can be leather, or more usually canvas, with either a low, Cuban or high heel up to 3 inches. The character shoe also typically has an elasticated strap over the instep to secure the foot during dancing. The soles can be hard leather or, as is the case with RAD syllabus, soft suede in either grey or black.

For a complete range of character shoes visit our website.

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You may have noticed some familiar faces modelling The Zone leotards – here are two that you should certainly keep an eye on:

Jennifer Pinches @jempin515

Beam Champion at the British Championships 2012. Jennifer introduced “The new Zone Spring Range 2013″ in their launch video.

Charlie Fellows @charlieefellows

The Zone’s highest level gymnast is Charlie Fellows. Charlie trains at City of Liverpool, and this is her first year at senior level. Charlie has been selected to represent Team GB at the Tokyo World Cup this month. Charlie is on the cover of The Zone’s main Autumn brochure wearing the Laser.

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What is so special about Zumba?

Music is the key ingredient to Zumba classes, where the score, created with specific beats and tempo changes, transitions the workout from one toning, strengthening or cardio move to another, thus targeting every major muscle group in the body. During a Zumba class you can expect to hear beats from the following dance styles: Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue, Mambo, Flamenco, Chachacha, Reggaeton, Samba, Belly dancing, Bhangra, Hip hop music, Axé music and Tango. With these rhythms it is almost impossible to be out of time with the rest of the class – almost.

You’ll be so busy caught up with the Latin beat, dancing like Shakira, that you won’t notice and you won’t care that you are putting your body through an interval training session with fast and slow rhythms and resistance training, toning and sculpting your body whilst burning fat at a huge rate.

With the energy of the Latin beat, and the structured workout Zumba classes give you the ultimate non-workout exercise regime.

What are the benefits of Zumba over regular fitness classes?

All people recognise the importance of regular exercise and a lot of people do something about it like running, swimming or going to the gym. But it is fair to say that all but a few ‘strange’ people find their exercise regime mentally stimulating and that is the biggest reason for people giving up. Put simply, they get bored! Bored, bored, bored. With no mental stimulation the mind has nothing to focus on but the pain of exercise, and who enjoys that? …yes, those ‘strange’ people I mentioned earlier, but they are weird.

What normal people need is an exercise regime where they don’t notice they are in an exercise regime. By keeping the mind busy during exercise you distract the senses from the pain your body is experiencing, and the mind is kept very busy when learning and repeating choreographed moves as in a dance. That is why Zumba is the answer.

What are typical Zumba injuries?

Typical Zumba injuries happen below the waist: sprained ankles, popped knees and hips. The usual cause of such injury is the wearing of sports trainers that are wholly inappropriate for Zumba. Sports trainers are designed for running and not only do they have too much grip on a sports floor for Zumba but the foot is angled on an internal wedge, which is ideal for running but not for dance fitness like Zumba.

What are the best shoes for Zumba?

Wearing dance sneakers will improve the enjoyment of Zumba and will lessen the risks of such injuries. Take a look at our blog post What are the best shoes for Zumba?

What should I wear for Zumba?

Zumba is a high performance activity and it demands high performance clothing. Luckily the dancewear industry has spent $millions on researching and developing fabrics that stretch, breath and wick sweat away from the body far more efficiently than sports clothing bought from the high street and the best is available from the Dancemania website.

More Zumba related posts

How to look great for dance fitness
New Dance fitness shoes arriving in 2012
What are the best Dance fitness shoes for men?
Zumba on Wii
What to wear for Zumba fitness classes
What are the best shoes for Zumba?
Capezio BOLT Dansneaker great for Zumba

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Don’t Disappoint Her

Dont Disappoint Her

If you dance ballet then this link is for you: Ballet

Here’s to the gymnasts

Stick it!

If you are a gymnast then this link is for you: Gymnastics

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A new look for Dancemania

We all liked our old colour scheme as it was dark and sharp, but times change and the time was right to pull back the drapes and let in the light!

Our new colour scheme is light and spacious with an authoritative air, with earthy red, amber and apple green contrasted with graphite grey. We find the site easy to view and we hope you do too.

But the big changes, as they say, are under the hood…

A mobile site for dancers and gymnasts

The Dancemania web site is fully optimised for mobile devices.

This means you can get instant access to the best dancewear and gymnastics clothing while you are on the go via your smart phone.

With quick loading pages and text you can actually read you can find what you are looking for with little frustration and quickly place your order securely on our one-page checkout.

Swipe and tap through product listings rather than clicking on navigation tabs that you find on sites that have not been made for mobile.

All secure and easy to use.

A dancewear web site that accepts Pounds, Dollars and Euros

Choose your currency: Choose to display product prices in your native currency. Use the currency selector at the top of every page to choose what currency you use and prices, sub-totals, shipping charges and your final bill will be dispalyed in that currency.

A review site for dance wear and gymnastics leotards

Benefit from the buying experience of other shoppers: After their purchases have been delivered shoppers are invited to provide a review so that you can see what they think of the items they have bought. Use this information to inform your buying decisions.

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Pineapple clothing for girls

Pineapple have produced a range of tops and bottoms for girls aged 5 to 12 years and all items have been inspired by dance, as is clear from this season’s slogan “We are all Pineapple stars. Move with the beat. Don’t stop dancing”.

Pineapple is now a recognised brand, thanks in no small part to its appearance on reality TV and the emergence of Louis Spence, and little girls simply love to wear Pineapple.

Pineapple clothing for women

Pineapple have been doing hoodies and double layer dance tops since always, and they do them so well. But with this collection we are seeing a slight expansion in to fittness with muscle back bra tops, V vests and yoga pants. This is a welcome move as it allows the gym to benefit from the evolution in dancewear in the same way dance studios have.

Take a look at these new outfits and let us know what you think:

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To add extra kudos to these leotards they have been modelled by three of GB’s Artistic Gymnastics Team: Imogen Cairns, Hannah Whelan and Rebecca Tunney – all veterans of the London 2012 Olympics.

Annie Bodice Blue 131001

Milano Annie Bodice in Indian Ocean Sparkle, Amazon and Perfect Pearl with Scattered Cobalt Diamante.

Colour: Indian Ocean Sparkle, Amazon and Perfect Pearl .
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £41.75

Calla Bodice Lime 131301

Milano Calla Bodice in Lime Sparkle and Platinum with detailing in Indian Ocean Sparkle and Aqua and Christie Diamante.

Colour: Lime Sparkle and Platinum with detailing in Indian Ocean Sparkle and Aqua.
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £42.85

Chiara Bodice Damson 131901

Milano Chiara Bodice in Damson Delight Sparkle and Onyx with Everest Drop Diamante.

Colour: Damson Delight Sparkle and Onyx.
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £41.75

Jupiter Bodice Blue 130901

Milano Jupiter Bodice in Powder Blue and Ebony with Platinum swirls, Powder Blue Stars and Clear Nadine Diamante.

Colour: Powder Blue and Ebony with Platinum swirls, Powder Blue Stars.
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £41.75

Jupiter Long Sleeved Leotard Blue 130301

Milano Jupiter Leotard with Long Sleeves in Navy Glitter and Kingfisher with Platinum swirls, Navy Glitter Stars and Clear Nadine Diamante.

Colour: Navy Glitter and Kingfisher with Platinum swirls, Navy Glitter Stars.
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £58.25

Loire Bodice Kingfisher 131201

Milano Loire Bodice in Kingfisher and Lime Sparkle with Platinum detailing and Loire Diamante.

Colour: Kingfisher and Lime Sparkle with Platinum detailing.
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £43.95

Perry Bodice Plum 131801

Milano Perry Bodice in Sugar Plum with a dramatic shock of Ice fabric and glistening Perry Diamante.

Colour: Sugar Plum with a dramatic shock of Ice fabric.
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £42.85

Spektro Bodice Yellow 131501

Milano Spektro Bodice in Pineapple Crush and Ebony with Graphite details and Makalu Drop Diamante.

Colour: Pineapple Crush and Ebony with Graphite details.
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £42.85

Waverly Bodice Damson 131601

Milano Waverly Bodice in Damson Delight Sparkle, Party Pink Sparkle, Marshmallow with Ebony trim and Waverly Diamante.

Colour: Damson Delight Sparkle, Party Pink Sparkle, Marshmallow with Ebony trim.
Material: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex

From £42.85

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Kate Weston

Kate is best known on the south coast for her daily broadcasts on the local radio station Wave105, where she not only reports on traffic issues but maintains a moral compass for the scallywags that present the radio shows – although, judging by Kate’s saucy laugh one might at first think the presenters might need protecting from her!

Originally from Somerset, Kate began her career as a singer and performer, which led to engagements in London’s West End, and The Casino De Monte Carlo in Monaco.

Following a brief apprenticeship on Cable TV, Kate was chosen to present GMTV’s Saturday morning children’s series ‘Rise & Shine’.

She then went on to present ‘Games Republic’ alongside Trevor and Simon, and the European Drag Racing Championships for Sky Sports and Channel 5; a job that took her to all parts of Europe engaging in one of the world’s fastest and most exciting sports.

Other television credits include ‘Surprise Surprise’, ‘Antiques Fair’ and ‘The Games Room’.

However, as a regular supporter of local pantomime Kate is currently appearing in Bournemouth’s panto Sleeping Beauty at the Pavilion theatre.

Sleeping Beauty at the Pavilion theatre Bournemouth

This year’s panto in Bournemouth is Sleepy Beauty, starring Su Pollard, Colin Baker freshly returned from his weight-loss experience with Ant and Dec in “I’m A Celebrity”, Chris Jarvis from Cbeebies, Michael Chance as the King, TV actor Asa Elliott and of course our favourite Kate Weston.

Sleeping Beauty is performed up until the 6th January, twice daily except for New Years day (no perfromance) but only once on New Years Eve.

Tickets start at £15 but there are concessions for under 16s, senior citizens, and group bookings. Phone the box office on 0844 576 3000.

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