Pointe Shoes

Pointe shoes, or en pointe shoes, are a form of ballet shoe designed to be worn when dancing en pointe, or toe dancing. When ballet dancing evolved from the early 1800's to today's elaborate dance form, observers were delighted when dancers danced even briefly on their toes. Pointe shoes were a necessary development to permit prolonged toe dancing, and pointe shoes slowly evolved to present day pointe shoes worn by professional ballet dancers.

The pointe shoe slowly evolved as dancers sought ways of supporting their feet to permit more prolonged toe dancing. The early pointe shoes were experimental, and ballet dancers developed various ways to create pointe shoes with padding and heavily darned toe area for stiffness and support. Early pointe shoes were definitely homemade objects, and women (and men, though not as often) relied on foot strength during toe dancing. Many damaged feet resulted.

The famous ballet dancer Pavlova is credited with developing what was the best pointe shoe up to that time. One can imagine that perhaps near-desperation prompted inventiveness in developing a pointe shoe that would enable the great dancer to perform as she wished. It is said that she had very slender feet and truly needed adequate support to perform en pointe for any length of time. Pavlova designed and made, or had made, a hard shank to support the arch when en pointe, and a box for the toes in her pointe shoes. The pointe shoe box was made of a combination of canvas, paper and glue. Pointe shoes today have a similar combination of materials in the toe box, which is quite hard. Actually, today's dancers often seek to soften the pointe shoe box when the pointe shoe is new. Today's pointe shoes also have a supporting shank, though more sophisticated in design than was first developed.

Though the pointe shoe is designed for use in the performing arts, it might be compared to athletic shoes which are designed to protect and support the feet of the user when involved in various sporting activities. In the case of both pointe shoes and many athletic shoes, the shoe design has evolved in ways that enable the user to perfect and advance his or her sport and art. Advances in human capabilities are accompanied by advances in technology. Although it may seem that the pointe shoe has achieved maximum design advantages, who can say what the next generation of dancers may use. In decades to come pointe shoes may evolve even further to support the art of en pointe dancing.

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