Ballet Pointe Shoes

In the world of ballet, a good pair of pointe shoes can make all the difference in your performance. Having a good pair that are comfortable and of good quality can not only help ensure that your performance is good, it can also help protect you from potential career ending injury.

Pointe shoes, known to most folks as toe shoes, were developed during the Renaissance to help dancers affect a weightless, sylph-like air, and later evolved into a tool that allowed them to dance on the tips of their toes. Dancing on the tips of ones toes is very difficult, and takes years of practice to learn, but ballet pointe shoes makes it a lot easier.

Pointe shoes have three basic components:

– Ribbons. Ribbons are connected to the shoe and help hold the shoe on the dancer’s foot. These ribbons are made of cloth and are tied by a ballet-specific knot. Some dancers cross the ribbons over their ankles for added support.

– Shanks. The shanks are the main component of a pointe shoe. These shanks are made of heavy-duty leather and function as the stiff inner sole of the pointe shoe, helping dancers adjust their body weight from their toes to the arch, which is the strongest part of your foot.

– Box. The box is composed of multiple layers of cloth that have been stiffened with glue. The box creates a firm shell that helps provide protection to the dancer’s toes, working to lighten the impact of steps and jumps when the dancer lands on his or her feet.

Because every dancer’s feet are different, it’s important to buy shoes that best fit the feet of the individual. Even after careful selection, most dancers will need to break in their shoes to make them fit comfortably. A few techinques for doing this include bending them against hard surfaces, soaking the toe boxes with water before wearing them and repeatedly hitting the shoes with blunt objects to increase the amount of “give” the shoes provide.

The average pair of pointe shoes can provide up to 20 hours of wear, which translates into weeks or months of use for most dancers. Professional dancers usually wear their shoes out more quickly. Dancers can extend the life of their shoes by replacing the fabric covering. Once the shank of the shoe weakens substantially, however, the shoe is no longer servicable.

Choosing affordable, quality shoes is important for dancers to help improve their performance and to keep their costs low. Here are a few sites that sell pointe shoes: www.all4dance.com/Pointe%20Shoes.htm

Tags: ballet pointe training shoes, pointe shoe fitting

A pointe shoe, also known as a toe shoe, is a type of shoe worn by ballet dancers which enable them to dance en pointe (on their toes) for long periods of time. They are normally worn by female dancers although male dancers playing female roles may also wear them.

The two most important features of a pointe shoe are the box and the shank. The box is a hard enclosure at the front end of the shoe which supports the dancer’s toes; its front end is usually flattened which allows the dancer to balance. Read More

Tags: Demi Ballet Shoes