Vito Bernasconi's story —

When did you get your first pair of flats?

My first pair of flats were white full sole, leather ballet shoes made by Salvios. I was 5 years old and just beginning to dance.

Do you have any interesting stories about your flats?

When I was younger, around 13-14, I competed in regional eisteddfods and competitions. Once, I was performing a classical solo and my right shoe started to slip of because my tights were very shiny and the material was slippery. My shoe slipped halfway off my foot and I had to kick it off stage to finish my solo. I ended up learning a valuable lesson that day which my teacher taught me. If I felt my tights were ever too slippery, I coated the tights and the back of my shoe in hairspray and it helped make it more sticky. Funnily enough, I ended up getting 3rd place. 

How many pairs of flats do you use?

I go through about one pair every two weeks. As soon the glue from the inner sole comes unstuck from the heat of my feet, I rip it out, continue using that pair but start to prepare the next pair. A constant process of wearing in new shoes, which keeps my feet active and working hard.

Do you sew your elastics? How did you learn to sew?

I sew my own elastics but the style changes with what I am doing within a season. If I need a quick pair of shoes, then I sew the elastics to each other to form a loop, but usually I sew the elastics to my shoes. I learnt how to sew my own shoes from my first ballet teacher and my parents. I pricked on my finger quite a lot during the first few years of practising.

Do you use leather or canvas flats?

I started off wearing leather shoes when I trained at my first ballet school, Academy Ballet, and then when I began at the Australian Ballet School I transferred to canvas shoes. I prefer to wear canvas shoes now, but I'm very grateful that I started in leather shoes because it trained my feet to work in tough conditions. 

What type of character shoes have you worn?

I have worn character shoes for many ballets and many characters. They have ranged from leather boots (Captain Hook in Peter Pan) to shiny ballroom shoes (Shall We Dance in Strictly Gershwin) and even to women's heels (Stepsister in Cinderella).