Ballet Dancers, Pointe Shoes and Dancing on Toes
Preparing Toe Shoes for Ballet Performances is Hard Work.
Apr 10, 2009
Almost every ballet production requires that its female dancers wear pointe shoes, or toe shoes. These dancing shoes are a complicated mixture of pretty satin covering, glue, nails, canvas, cloth, and leather. Brand new pointe shoes are rock-hard and nearly impossible to dance in without causing the dancer much pain through sore feet and bleeding toes. In order to make the shoes usable, dancers soften the shoe through a variety of techniques that approach a pre-performance ritual.
Hammering Pointe Shoes
Many dancers swear by the hammer. After taking the pink satin shoe from its box, a dancer will hold the shoe against a hard surface such as a floor, and beging hammering the toe of the shoe until it begins to acquire the necessary flexibility for a dancer's foot. This process often requires that the dancer hammer, try the shoes on, hammer more, then test the shoes again, until all the stiffness is hammered out. Dancers test various hammers, and often carry a favorite hammer with them as they travel for performances.
Slamming Doors on Pointe Shoes
Another method is to slam doors on brand new pointe shoes. In this case, the dancer will hold the the toe of a pointe shoe in an open doorway, and then slam the door as if to close it. The momentum of the door hitting the pointe shoe is what begins to knock the stiffness from the toe section. As with hammering, dancers often laugh about slamming doors, as people in the vicinity tend to complain about the noise of doors hitting pointe shoes.
Watering Pointe Shoes
A third, and less noisy way of dealing with stiff pointe shoes is to water them. In this method, a dancer will simply turn on a faucet and place the hard toe shoe under the running water. A variation is for the dancer to put on the shoes, and then place her foot under the running water. Some dancers prefer warm water that also helps to warm up their feet. Others prefer cold water, to help take pain from their toes.
Softening Will Lessen the Life of a Pointe Shoe
No matter which method is used, softening does tend to make the life of a pointe shoe short. This aspect often is immaterial for the professional dancer who is wearing a shoe designed only for one performance. In addtion, professional dancers are often provided with pointe shoes by the dance company. However for new dancers, especially those worried about the high cost of pointe shoes, the expense of buying new ones often leads dancers to avoid the softening process, or else reverse it by painting a stiffening glue inside the toe box after dance classes or performances.
The Ritual of Wearing Pointe Shoes
Whichever method a dancer selects, softening pointe shoes remains an interesting topic of discussion among dancers. The ritual of preparing for a soft, floating effect will always include hammering, slamming doors, or the sound of running water.
References
- Rouse, Bess. “The Hidden Tribulations Behind Ballet Shoes. The Tech. Online Edition. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Volume 121, Issue 49. 5 Oct. 2001
- Zanda, Brett. “The Modern Twist on an Ancient Shoe.” Popular Science.
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