Ballet Shoes

The pointe shoes that are needed by ballet dancers are commonly known as ballerina shoes. Always light, they can be produced from satin or leather. Leather offers superior durability. Canvas shoes are cheaper but they also wear out much faster. The ones made of satin are normally used exclusively for ballet performances as they are very flimsy. In the 1600s ballet shoes came with heels but two centuries later flat soled shoes took over.

This occurred in the mid sixteenth century when King Louis XIV of France ordered the founding of  the Royal Academy of Dance. During that period, it was customary for ballet shoes to have heels. A new fashion trend emerged in the mid 18th century when Marie Camargo, the legendary dancer of the Opera Ballet, wore flat soled shoes instead of the usual heeled shoes. Soon after the French Revolution this style became increasingly popular and not long after, it was accepted and worn by dancers.

It is customary for female dancers to wear pink ballet shoes and for male dancers to don black or white shoes. When barefoot dancing is required in a performance, all the dancers normally wear tan colored shoes so that it appears as though they are dancing in their bare feet. These shoes are painstakingly selected and conditioned to ensure maximum flexibility while dancing. These shoes must also be very tight fitting so as to ensure maximum suppleness as well as safety. Most beginners wear soft ballet shoes for their classes. However, professional dancers prefer to wear pointe shoes when performing on stage.

Pointe shoes are named such because they are boxed shaped in front to allow dancers to do their 'en pointe', which is a pose held on tip toes. Professional dancers can choose between two types of shoes, that is the split sole or the full ballet shoes. Ballet shoes are normally made of leather and have two ribbons for tying them to the legs and a strap across the front to hold the foot to the shoes. The box shaped front of the shoes, which holds the toes tightly in place, takes the full brunt of the dancer's weight. In the early days, ballerina shoes were not designed with safety in mind and many injuries were sustained by dancers.

However, the rate of injuries has been reduced with modern training methods and better shoes. You should always go to a professional to get a correct fitting for your pointe shoes. It is important to get the right fit as not all feet are identical. Your feet may become swollen and painful if your shoes are too small. However, a shoe that is too large for your feet will hamper your practice and may even fly off while you are in the midst of dancing. Most ballerina shoes need to be 'broken in', so you will have to wear them as though you are walking in high heels.

Simply wearing them for a while will increase the rate of them wearing down. Listen to the instructor and apply what they say for best results. Getting the right fit is of supreme concern at the end of the day.

Additional articles about Ballet Shoes

About the author

We have ballerina shoes and pretty ballerina shoes in store for you.

Please Rate This Article

Select Rating Excellent Very Good Interesting Fair Could Use Improvement

Number of ratings: 0
Rating: 0