| Few fans of ballet appreciate the fact that the | | | | shoes in months, and professionals can wear out |
| French Revolution was as much a turning point for | | | | a pair in a single performance. Because of this, |
| modern dance as it was for history. From this | | | | some professionals receive shoe allowances in |
| point forward, ballet dancers abandoned heeled | | | | their contracts. Freed of London, Gaynor Minden, |
| shoes and heavy costumes in favor of lighter, | | | | and Bloch are the major distributors for the |
| flat-soled slippers, pointe shoes, and flesh-colored | | | | world’s leading ballet companies and |
| tights that allowed performers more freedom. | | | | academies. |
| French artists enjoyed some success in spreading | | | | A proper fit is essential for maximum support, |
| a new level of theatrical performance to a wider | | | | and the process of breaking pointe shoes in is |
| audience in other countries. | | | | intricate. The simplest way to do this is during the |
| Charles Didelot, a Swedish second-generation | | | | initial fitting, by locating the point on the foot |
| dancer who studied and performed in France and | | | | where the heel ends and the arch begins. This |
| Russia around 1800, was the impetus for | | | | section is then gently worked by hand on both |
| ballet’s evolution toward dancing ‘en | | | | sides to establish a breaking point for the |
| pointe’ – meaning “on the toes.” | | | | shoe’s sole and shank, affording the dancer a |
| The en pointe technique requires great stability | | | | better fit and more support. |
| and strength, since the entire weight of the body | | | | As the performer uses the shoe, the sole and the |
| is precariously balanced on the rigid points of one | | | | heel will break down here first, rather than further |
| or both feet. | | | | down the shank toward the toes. If this is not |
| Didelot’s performances as a dancer and | | | | done, the gap between shoe and foot in that |
| choreographer were unique and expressive. He is | | | | critical area will create an unstable environment in |
| credited with advancing the art form with | | | | use that increases the risk for injury and |
| innovations and developments in style and | | | | premature wear. |
| costume. He created a “flying machine” of | | | | Even the best fitting shoes sometimes need |
| rigged wires that carried dancers into the air to | | | | extra support to address specific problems with |
| make them appear weightless. Audiences were | | | | individual toes or to prevent blisters, corns, and |
| delighted, and came to expect these graceful but | | | | calluses that are a result of the tremendous |
| challenging movements in dance. | | | | pressure placed on a dancer’s feet. Ballet |
| The invention of pointe shoes would give dancers | | | | dancers suffer from many foot ailments as an |
| the support they required to perform. This new | | | | occupational hazard, even with well-fitting pointe |
| type of footwear would become a most | | | | shoes that have been broken in. |
| significant innovation, as the difficulty associated | | | | Manufacturers of pointe shoes manufacturers are |
| with en pointe ballet maneuvers like pirouettes, | | | | conscious of these issues. They design a wide |
| arabesques, and attitudes required skill, strength, | | | | variety of accessories used by students and |
| agility, and grace. The shoes evolved with a flat | | | | advocated by teachers and trainers. Toe pillows |
| toe box as a platform to develop calf and leg | | | | and pads, tape, bunheads, “ouch pouches,” |
| muscles as they progressed with dance. | | | | and spacers are made for the purpose of |
| Pointe shoes are a necessary evil in modern ballet, | | | | increasing foot support and reducing skin irritations |
| though not durable, for students will wear through | | | | and soreness around the toes. |