Pointe Shoes

Each dancer has their own set of steps to personalize their pointe shoe to them. They breakdown the material of the show until it is the perfect mix between sturdy and flexible. some things dancers will do to brake in their shoes is taking nails out of the shank, breaking or cutting away the shank underneath the heel, cutting slits over the ball of the foot to relieve pressure on bunions and even closing the shoes in doors. Some dancers will add extra layers of shellac inside the box of the shoe so that their sweat won’t break down the glue as quickly, while others purposely wet the fabric to help it soften and conform to their feet right away. In this video about the New York city Ballet they talk about how important these changes are for their dancing and how often they need to get new ones. Point shoes are still made by hand because every single dancer needs something different done for their shoes. “Sometimes it seems like the shoes have a personality of their own,” Wehner another dancer says to CPR news as she explains the way she breaks in her shoes. This last video is about Australian dancers and how they brake in their shoes. A women talks about the fact that dancers feet are not exactly beautiful but its just like someone who works with their hands.