Shoes
Breaking in Your Shoes
Ghillies
You can bend ghillies at the middle and rubberband them toe-to-heel with the sole touching to give it an arch.
You can also use mink oil to soften them up, but use it sparingly - it may make your softshoes too floppy.
However, I and many other dancers usually just wear them to break them in, as they're quite soft to begin with.
Reel Shoes
Some boys' shoes are tough, and some are as flexible as jazz shoes. If you get the tough leather soles, however, I recommend rubbing mink oil on the sole (at the arch and around the edges) and the upper to make your shoes more flexible. This way, you won’t have to fight the shoe to make a nice point.
Hardshoes
Again, I’m going to have to recommend mink oil. Yes, you can boil your shoes, soak them in water, take a shower in them. But why do that then your shoes can soften up in five minutes with mink oil?
Rub the oil (which can be found at shoe stores and actually is more of a gel) along the seams of the sole, the front where the sole meets the tip, the arch and any other place you think you need it. You can also rub it on the upper as that helps keep it supple.
Do this with a towel down as the oil is quite greasy. It may turn your soles a bit of a different color - it made my Fay’s light gray soles a bit darker with a hint of blue. Wait five minutes and wipe off the excess oil. These directions should also be on the mink oil itself; always read what’s on the container before applying it to your shoe.
All Shoes
The next best step is to do the obvious - wear them! The only way that the shoes will form to your feet is if they know how your feet are shaped.
Photos from Corr’s Irish Shoes.