Pointe shoes – ballet shoes

The content of the article

• What are pointe shoes
• Story
• What are they made of?
• How do pointe shoes
• Using pointe shoes
• How much pointe shoes cost

It is difficult to imagine a ballerina without pointes on stage. These special shoes help to achieve excellence in the finger technique – the main section of the study of classical female dance. Ballet shoes have become an integral attribute that allows the viewer to perceive the action on the stage as something unearthly, sublime, unusual for a simple person.

What are pointe shoes

Professional highly specialized shoes, which by its appearance greatly facilitated the life of ballerinas – pointe shoes. Translated from French, this term means “point”, “fingertips.” Other product names – spikes, helmets, toe shoes. Ballet slippers should ideally sit on the foot, since the dancers in them spend most of their professional life. Novice prims can use Czechs or ballet flats made of cotton with a reinforced insole and backdrop. These are inexpensive daily workout options..

Story

The French expression sur les pointes means dance at your fingertips. At one time, ballerinas went on stage barefoot or performed a dance, standing on top of their fingers. As a result, the foot was subjected to excessive stress, which led to injuries, sprains, dislocations. This method was replaced by the idea of ​​creating special supportive shoes..

The first ballerina to enter the stage in pointe shoes was Maria Taglioni. Trial copies of products were invented by her father Philippe Taglioni at the beginning of the nineteenth century in Italy. Then the dance shoes began to be modified, modified, experimenting with the material. For stiffness, a cork was placed in the toe of ordinary shoes, but this method injured his legs even more. Then they began to use embedded soft fabric or wool, which reduced the load on the foot. Such shoes did not keep their shape, quickly deteriorated, but helped the ballerina easier to get up on pointe shoes..

Manufacturers continued to come up with new designs, liners, extra insoles. They tried to use gypsum instead of glue, but it was difficult to stretch such shoes. Then leather sandals with straps fastened to the foot came into use. Now ballerinas pointe shoes are made manually or mechanically. Well-known manufacturers: Grishko (Russian company) and Gaynor Minden (American company).

What are they made of?

Making pointe shoes is a whole art. Ballet slippers consist of 54 elements connected and perfectly fitted to the foot. The top is made of calico or satin of flesh-colored color, which creates the illusion of the unity of the legs and shoes. The atlas does not form glare from the light of searchlights. Coarse calico preserves the health of the ballerina’s legs, absorbing moisture and preventing the formation of fungus: after performances and training, the dancers’ legs become completely wet.

The structure of shoes for ballet:

• box (glass) – a hard cover inside the shoe, consisting of 6 layers of textile and burlap glued according to the principle of papier-mâché;
• wings
• ribbon ties – an obligatory part of pointe shoes, which, according to tradition, the ballerina sews on her own;
• vamp – V-shaped upper part, to which two backs are sewn;
• folds;
• a sole made of genuine leather (suede), which helps the ballerina not slip;
• back and middle seam;
• five-copeck piece – a rigid front part of ballet slippers that helps the dancer to stand on pointe shoes;
• hard cardboard insoles with the addition of plastic of different degrees of hardness: S (soft), M (medium), H (hard), SS (super soft), SH (super hard).

How do pointe shoes

Making ballet shoes is the most complex technology in shoe production. Everything should be thought out here to the smallest detail and individually selected: the degree of openness, rigidity, completeness, lift. In Russia, ballerina shoes are made only by hand, in Europe – mechanically. Professionals per shift collect up to 12 pairs of pointe shoes. A plastic block is used in the work (it used to be wooden).

Technology for the production of ballet shoes:

1. The top consists of 3 layers of satin, cut with a mechanical stamp.
2. A natural lining is made for every detail that protects the ballerina’s legs from irritation..
3. Two satin backs are sewn to the upper part (vamp), reinforcing the seam with a ribbon of artificial material.
4. To get the edging, the tape is folded in half around the lace using a machine.
5. Sew it around the perimeter of the pointe, which helps to tighten the shoe tightly on the foot.
6. To check the size, a satin top is put on a pre-prepared block (made individually for each ballerina). Deviation of the height of the vamp is allowed no more than 3 mm, otherwise the shoes will crash into the foot.
7. Lining is glued to the insole.
8. A piece of resin coated fabric is soaked and placed on top of the “glass” to form a box.
9. The pieces of matting are glued and placed on a cotton layer. The glue is made on a rubber-plastic basis from water, flour, starch, resin. This composition provides the necessary flexibility.
10. Another layer of natural cotton is glued to the resulting box.
11. The structure is wrapped in cellophane, pressed to marble (so that the nickel becomes even and flat) and left to dry.
12. The lining is glued to the “glass”, the excess is cut off.
13. The satin is glued onto the lining, creating small creases.
14. The inner insole on the back and the sole are covered with vinyl glue, left to dry for a day.
15. The parts are heated in the oven to a certain temperature, as a result of which the dried glue is activated.
16. The sole is fixed and the shoe is placed under the press for 15 seconds (for strong gluing).

Using pointe shoes

The intensity of the load determines how long ballet slippers will be used. For one performance, the dancer can change several pairs, while for a certain performance technique, the use of different shoes is required. Before the performance, the ballerina does all kinds of manipulations to prepare her ballet shoes:

• kneads a hard box with a hammer;
• cuts a patch and wraps it with thread, crochets it or knocks out a piece of cloth;
• inside, on the heel side, makes a loop-hauling, which tightly presses the shoes to the foot;
• wears shoes;
• cuts the insole with a knife or grater;
• sews gum;
• rubs a patch and the sole of pointe shoes with rosin.

How much pointe shoes cost

Ballerina shoes are selected individually. At the same time, the beauty and originality of the design are not the most important parameters. First, pay attention to the stiffness of the insole, box, closure, completeness, heel size, neckline. The most popular models are produced by Sansha, Grishko, Russian Ballet, R-class, Bloch. If you are interested in where to buy pointe shoes, contact the official stores of manufacturers or order online from dealers. The cost of some models in Moscow: