By Katie Radovanic

Pointe shoes are made to be worn while a dancer is dancing on pointe.

Today, they are made with support from a box and platform and arch.

The measurements while making a pointe shoe must be exact, or the shoe will not fit properly

or will make the dancer topple over.

Ballet as we know it today originated in France in the mid-1600’s. Nobody really knows who “invented” pointe shoes, because they evolved over time. In 1795, Charles Didelot invented a machine that lifted dancers onto the tops of their

toes before leaving the ground, a “flying machine.” Choreographers wanted to put more of this pointe work into their dances, but didn’t want the dancers to rely on wires to lift them. In the early 1800’s, Marie Taglioni danced an entire ballet with just regular ballet slippers with the toe and sides slightly hardened.

She couldn’t stay up for very long, but other dancers began to try this new technique as well.

Italian shoemakers took advantage of this desire and created a stronger ballet shoe that could withstand more weight. The materials used over time ranged

from steel and wood to leather and glue. This evolved into today’s pointe shoe.

Some pointe shoe companies make more scientifically engineered pointe shoes. Because of the different selections in materials, the shoes require no

time to “break in” and don’t wear out for a long time. It takes less strength to rise up en pointe and is not as painful as traditional shoes. This is

controversial-many people believe that dancers should rely on their own strength and not rely on their shoes to do the work for them.

• Satin covers the outside of the shoe for appearance

• Cotton lining on the inside helps prevent irritation (to an extent). It also absorbs some sweat.

• The bottom is made of suede, which is doesn’t slip uncontrollably but still can glide smoothly.

• Elastics are flexible but strong so that the dancer doesn’t fall out of the shoe

• Ribbons are satin to be strong and hold the shoe in the general place it should be

Box• Fabric and paste holds strong shape, like paper mache

•Burlap and hard paste- The paste is made out of materials that make it solid enough to support a dancer’s weight but just flexible enough for less restricted movement.

• Cotton is placed over the burlap and so when the satin wears, there is a soft lining underneath

Shank Depending on the different needs of each individual foot, different styles have different shank stiffness. In general, the shanks are made of stiff cardboard and glue. Some may even be made of leather board or fiberglass. These materials allow thickness and stiffness to be controlled in the process of making the shoe. Some dancers have stronger arches than others and therefore need a stronger shank so that it doesn’t break when they rise up on pointe.

Major Materials

Visible Areas

How It’s Made

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzB1yY2397E

Kaminsky, A. “What are Pointe Shoes?” http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-pointe-shoes.htm 10-23-2010

Parke, Janet. “A Brief History of the Pointe Shoe.” http://www.parkenet.org/jp/ttp04.htm 10-22-10

acsweb.ucsd.edu/~liw013/CSE3/Lab2/MyInterest..pdf (google doc.) 10-22-10

How It’s Made – Science Channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzB1yY2397E