Talking shoes with Ballet Manila’s Cinderella: Shaira Comeros
Once making do with hand-me-down pointes, Shaira Comeros now uses brand new ones. Here she is at a fitting session at D’Pointe Fishermall.
Stepping into Cinderella’s glass slippers for the first time in December 2023 was a dream come true for Shaira Comeros. Cast as one of two Cinderellas in Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s fairy tale ballet for the company’s Holiday Cheer series, the ballerina said it was special on so many levels. Just recovering from a year dealing with injuries, Cinderella was her first full-length ballet as a principal dancer with the company and also the first full-length ballet she shared on stage with boyfriend and fellow principal dancer Joshua Enciso as her Prince.
As Cinderella, principal dancer Shaira Shaira Comeros enjoys a magical moment when Fairy Godmother gives her a pair of glass slippers to wear to the ball. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
Now, Shaira takes on the beloved role once more as the Silliman University Culture and Arts Council, together with Ballet Manila, presents Cinderella at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium in Dumaguete City this weekend. Shaira has three performances – November 8, Friday, 10 a.m.; November 9, Saturday, 2 p.m.; and November 10, Sunday, 7 p.m.
Between rehearsals, we caught up with Shaira to talk about a topic most associated with Cinderella. What else but shoes!
What is your shoe size?
Regular shoes: size 7. Pointe shoes: 4 1/2 XXXX, Medium (Grishko).
Aside from pointe shoes, how many pairs and what kinds of shoes do you have in your wardrobe?
I have three pairs of heels, two pairs of flats and seven sneakers.
Shaira performs in the Peasant pas de deux in Giselle, most recently staged by Ballet Manila last August. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
What’s your favorite among these and why?
I have two favorites. First is the Puma Mayze platform in beige because it goes well with any outfit. Second, the Nike Air Max Dawn which was Joshua's pasalubong (souvenir) from Taiwan, because it's super comfortable and I could walk all day in those.
Shaira couldn’t believe she was entitled to so many pairs of pointe shoes when she became a BM company member in 2018 that she just had to take a photo when she got her first haul.
What is the most expensive pair of shoes that you’ve ever bought?
Pointe shoes. They're more expensive than any of my sneakers! But outside pointe shoes, it's the Puma Mayze platform. I think I got it for around P5,000 – and it was on sale!
Do you have a dream shoe purchase?
I have a lot! They're all Nike sneakers.
Have you ever gotten a pointe shoe collectible and if so, from whom?
I don't have a pointe shoe collectible but I would love to have one from (The Royal Ballet principal dancer) Marianela Nuñez.
What's your process in breaking in and sewing a new pair of pointe shoes?
First, I try them on to determine which is right and which is left. Then I handsew the ribbons and garters even though I have a sewing machine at home. Haha. It just feels more natural to handsew them. Then lastly, I darn the shoes just like in the video.
I try them on and break them in by doing some roll-ups and relevés. I usually ask someone to step on my toes so that the box will soften a bit. When it's soft enough, I put super glue on the shank and the box to make it hard again on parts that need more support.
What do you do with your old pointe shoes?
I revive them with super glue and use it again for months or use it as my beige pair.
A sneaker girl off-stage, Shaira loves her pair of Nike Air Max Dawn “because it's super comfortable and I could walk all day in those.”
Can you share a memorable shoe-related experience?
It would probably be my first OWN pair of pointe shoes. Before coming to BM, I never had the chance to have my own pair of pointe shoes. I always used to wear hand-me-down pointes from a generous senior in another company. I know it's not advisable to do that but I just didn’t have a choice since my parents couldn’t afford to buy a new pair of pointes. Then I became a company member of BM and each dancer is entitled to 12 PAIRS (traditional) of pointe shoes. I remember being so happy I laid down all of it on my bed and took a photo. I remember not knowing what to do with 12 pairs. Ang dami po masyado (there were too many) – at that time. Haha.
What kind of shoes would you advise Cinderella to wear instead of glass slippers?
I say she should try wearing sneakers. It's much more comfortable and she wouldn't have to worry about tripping and leaving it on the staircase.
Darn it! Shaira loves working on her pointe shoes.
