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Leather Demi

Pointe Shoes

Pointe shoes, also incorrectly referred to as toe shoes, are a special type of shoe used by ballet dancers for pointework. They developed from the desire to appear weightless and sylph-like onstage and have evolved to allow extended periods of movement on the tips of the toes (en pointe). Pointe shoes are normally worn only by female dancers, though male dancers may wear them for certain roles, such as the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, or men performing as women in dance companies such as Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and Grandiva.

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In 1661, King Louis XIV of France founded the Royal Academy of Dance; however, women did not appear on stage until 1681. The standard women's ballet shoes at this time were heeled. Marie Camargo of the Paris Opra Ballet was the first to wear a non-heeled shoe, to allow her the ability to do more complicated jumps. After the French Revolution, the standard ballet shoe no longer had a heel. It was flat and tied with ribbons to secure the foot. It had pleats under the toes and allowed dancers to fully extend their feet, jump, and turn.

The first dancers to rise up on their toes during this period did so with the help of an invention by Charles Didelot in 1795. His "flying machine" lifted dancers upward, allowing them to stand on their toes before leaving the ground. This lightness and ethereal quality was received well by audiences who especially liked when a dancer lingered on her toes. Due to this, choreographers looked for ways to incorporate more pointework into their pieces.

As dance extended into the 1800s, the emphasis on technical skill increased, as did the desire to dance en pointe without the aid of wires. When Marie Taglioni first danced La Sylphide en pointe, her shoes were nothing more than satin slippers, darned at the ends. The sole was made of leather and the sides and toe were darned to keep its shape. Dancers relied heavily on their own strength, in the feet and ankles, without the support of a hard pointe shoe. They most likely padded the toes for some comfort.

The next substantially different form of pointe shoe was found in Italy in the late 1800s. Dancers like Pierina Legnani wore pointe shoes which were not as pointed as earlier ones, having instead a sturdy, flat platform. These shoes also included a box, made of many layers of fabric, and a stronger sole. The Italian shoe style was imported into Russia where it was transformed further. They had no nails in them and were only stiffened at the toes, making them silent.

In the 1930s, Broadway dancers like Harriet Hoctor wore shoes with steel shanks, allowing for "toe-tapping". (In ballet, the shank is the part of a pointe shoe used to support the arch of one's foot when dancing en pointe.[1]) This style extended into the 1950s. However, during World War II, supplies were short and pointe shoes were in just as short supply. Dancers had to strengthen their feet to dance in shoes that were worn to shreds.

As shoes became harder, to cope with increasing technical demands, flexibility of shoes decreased, no longer allowing dancers to feel the floor. Experimentation with many different styles has increased over the decades resulting in a large variety of pointe shoes and styles. Though their tip is hard, it is not made of metal or steel, but simply of glue and satin.

The construction of the modern pointe shoe is often attributed to the early 20th Century Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who was one of the most famous and influential dancers of all time. Pavlova had particularly high, arched insteps, which left her vulnerable to injury when dancing en pointe. She also had slender, tapered feet, resulting in extra pressure applied to the big toe. As a result, she would insert toughened leather soles into her shoes for extra support and would flatten and harden the toe area to form a 'box'. While this practice made dancing en pointe easier for her, it was very much frowned on by her peers as 'cheating', but has now become the standard for dancers worldwide.

Dancers now use satin pointe shoes with a hard but pliable shank and a box made up of layers of burlap and glue. Dancers must break in their shoes by dancing in them using the proper techniques. Often, dancers improve their shoes by manipulating them. In today's world of pointe shoes, there are many different companies that offer a myriad of pointe shoe styles and shapes. This variety of shoes allows dancers to find a perfect pair. There are many different ways of breaking in pointe shoes, such as pounding the shoes against cement, hitting them with blunt objects, wetting the box then wearing them to class and bending them on door frames. Even ten years ago, the selection of shoes was limited, and many dancers were forced to independently "customize" their pointe shoes to avoid injury. Though it is said that it is not now necessary, in practice, most dancers do still break their shoes in by the methods described above. Some manufacturers try to curb the practice by actually employing the wetting of the box method by suggesting the dancer to do a one-two hour barre work (to make the box wet by sweat and mold to the feet) then wait until the shoe gets dry and apply shellac inside the box, to keep it dry in the future. Even the old dancer trick of softening the glue with hot towels, molding the shoe to the foot and then letting it cool had been "discovered" by manufacturers and patented under names like ThermoMorph (although the manufacturer suggests the use of a hairdryer instead of hot towels). In short, a dancer should be properly trained so that she knows how to dance correctly en pointe. If the dancer is using the correct technique and muscle support, the shoes should last ten to twenty hours en pointe. If the dancer is breaking the shank too far down, or the box is going soft, it is often the sign of either a weak dancer or a poorly fitted shoe. If a dancer has not been correctly trained to go en pointe, it is dangerous for her to do so, as it may cause permanent damage to her feet and ankles.

Seasoned dancers select new pairs of pointe shoes carefully, checking that they are even and balanced. Usually, they have a favorite brand, model, and even maker. In the pointe shoe world the general consensus is that the best shoe is not one brand or another but the one that fits the dancer's feet the best. There are many different types of pointe shoes, and each fits the dancer in a different way. Some dancers use different brands or models depending on the actual piece they perform; some shoes are better suited for lots of groundwork while others are better in dances with lots of jumps, and hops. The pointe shoe should be tight, with only a pinch of cloth at the heel when the pointe shoe is en pointe. Two ribbons wrap around the dancer's ankle, one over the other as to form as cross at the front. The ends are then tied in a knot (not a bow which will look lumpy on the ankle and may come undone unexpectedly) which is tucked into the inside of the ankle so it is not visible. An elastic band is wrapped around the ankle to keep the heel pocket of the shoe in place when the dancer is en pointe. Dancers no longer attach the elastic through a loop on the heel as this has been shown to cause achilles tendinitis in many dancers and is no longer recommended. Because exact placement of the ribbons varies with the dancer?? feet, the ribbons do not come attached to the pointe shoes. The dancer must sew the ribbons and elastic on by herself after purchasing the shoe. Exact placement is imperative. Some stores will sew the elastic and ribbon on after the shoe is purchased. A good fitter will at least mark where the elastic and ribbon should be placed. Incorrectly placed elastic or ribbon can cause the shoe not to fit properly. Elastic and ribbon should be sewn on with the correct thread. Most professionals recommend embroidery thread. It comes in 6-string strands, but usually using 3-strands is sufficient. Some dancers also use dental floss, though embroidery thread works better.

The shank of the shoe comes in two different sizes, 3/4 and full shank. The full shank is traditionally for the dancer who has a strong arch, and needs more support than the 3/4 can offer. The full shank was used in the original pointe shoe. The 3/4 is shorter, and helps dancers go up en pointe with more facility. Very often dancers cut the shank to their own specific foot to provide just the amount of support they prefer. This is known as "shanking" the shoe. There is a wide variety of pointe shoes that have different attributes and longevity. The choreography will often dictate the type of shoe required: the supple, lyrical style of the white swan, for instance, requires a softer shoe, while the black swan's dazzling turns are best done in a hard, stiff shoe.

Pointe shoes are usually made in light pink colors varying from peachy-pink to rosy-pink, to very pale pink. White and black pointe shoes are also common, but many pointe shoes can be specially ordered in almost any color. They also offer pointe shoes in several styles which have canvas uppers instead of satin. At dance supply stores, pointe shoes retail for anywhere between $35 and $120. Students usually pay between $40 and $80 for one pair of shoes, which will last (with major fluctuations depending on the strength of the dancer's feet, her weight, the type and strength of the shoes, and the amount of time spent en pointe) for about one to three months. Higher level dance students, who usually take several pointe classes a week, can often go through one or more pairs monthly. Professional dancers go through pointe shoes much more quickly and order shoes in bulk directly from manufacturers - one pair can "die" after twenty minutes of a performance. Many professional ballet companies offer shoe allowances to their dancers, allotting a certain number of shoes to each dancer per season, depending on her position in the company. Professional dancers may buy very expensive pointe shoes, ranging from $80 to $100, depending on what company and how they are customized.

Before beginning pointe work, some dancers use a demi-pointe shoe. This shoe, also called a pre-pointe shoe or a soft-block, has characteristics of both a soft ballet slipper and a regular pointe shoe. Its outer appearance resembles that of a pointe shoe. It has a toe box similar to the one in a pointe shoe, but it is much softer and the wings (sides of the toe box) often cover a smaller portion of the toes. The most important difference between demi-pointe shoes and pointe shoes is that demi-pointe shoes have no shank. Therefore, they do not give the necessary support for a dancer to actually stand on her toes in them, and to do so would be extremely dangerous. Rather, their purpose is to accustom the dancer to the feel of wearing a pointe shoe, so she is already used to it by the time she is ready to dance fully en pointe. Demi-pointe shoes are not necessary for learning pointe, but they can be a useful learning tool. Demi-pointe shoes are not to be used to stand en-pointe as there is no shank to support the foot.

It is important that young girls be fitted for pointe shoes by a professional. Shoes that are too small or too large can cause serious problems from technique issues to chronic injuries. Even when a dancer knows what type of shoes to buy, if they buy the wrong size, they are prone to injury. Many pointe dancers today are unaware that the shoe is incorrect, and become frustrated. Most commonly, dancers are fit in shoes that are too blocky for their foot, thus pulling the dancer back off the platform. In a best case scenario the teacher, student, student's parents, and the shoe fitter are all together at the fitting to ensure a proper fit for the dancer and the choreography.

Pointe shoes are an incredibly beautiful piece of equipment for the advanced ballet dancer. So often, dancers assume that the shoe is responsible for the quality of dance. In reality, the shoe is merely an accessory. If properly fit, the shoe can showcase the dancer's abilities, but never enhance them. On the flip side, if a shoe is not the proper fit or style for the dancer, it can restrict the movement and the placement of the dancer. It takes many years of training on pointe to feel comfortable dancing on pointe.

The lifespan of a pointe shoe depends on many variables. If a pointe shoe is properly fit, and the dancer is using proper technique when en pointe, the shoe should last 10-20 hours. A dancer's weight can affect the lifespan, but most importantly, a dancer must rise out of the shoe using her core muscles. If a dancer "sits" in the shoe or "kickstands" using the shoe's shank as support, then the shoe will have an early failure. A common misconception is that the harder the shank the longer the lifespan of the shoe. This is incorrect. Only in certain cases is it advisable to get a harder shank to increase lifespan. If you increase the shank hardness, you also decrease the flexibility of the articulation in the shoe. Every dancer has a unique set of needs, and it is hard to make generalizations.

Every person's foot is different: the length of the toes, the flexibility of the arch and over the foot, the strength in the metatarsal straps, etc. There are thousands of pointe shoes so that any dancer can find the perfect fit. The type of pointe shoe you use is almost part of your personality.

About the Author

Himfr is a scholar, focusing his research on Chinese cultures. If you are interested in purchasing China goods, please visit www.himfr.com

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