Pointe shoes
Pointe shoes can only be worn after the dancer's foot has been developed. If the dancer starts wearing pointe shoes too early her feet can become deformed. There are many different brands of pointe shoes, here are just a few. During her career a ballerina may use many different brands but there will eventually be a pointe shoe that she likes best.
What are they made of?
Pointe shoes are made of layers of fabric and glue covered with satin. Pointe shoes do not have a heel like normal street shoes but have a sole, which is made of hard leather. Dancers sew satin ribbons and elastics around the ankle to keep the shoes on securely. The price of pointe shoes varies between $50.00 and $80.00 depending on the make and style of the shoe. Many professional dancers have shoes custom made to their feet, which costs quite a bit more than a standard pair of pointe shoes.
What are they made of?
Pointe shoes are made of layers of fabric and glue covered with satin. Pointe shoes do not have a heel like normal street shoes but have a sole, which is made of hard leather. Dancers sew satin ribbons and elastics around the ankle to keep the shoes on securely. The price of pointe shoes varies between $50.00 and $80.00 depending on the make and style of the shoe. Many professional dancers have shoes custom made to their feet, which costs quite a bit more than a standard pair of pointe shoes.
Bloch
A shoemaker by trade, Jacob Bloch immigrated to Australia from Eastern Europe in 1931. Because of his love of music and dancing, he often visited local ballet schools. He noticed a young dancer having a hard time staying en pointe at one of the local dance schools. He promised the young dancer that he would make a better pair of pointe shoes for her to dance in. He did. In 1932 the first Bloch ballet shoes were made in a candle lit workshop in Paddington, Sydney. His good reputation spread and in the late 1930s many overseas ballet companies toured Australia. Since then, Bloch's extensive line of pointe shoes gives dancers around 30 different choices.
Capezio
Capezio has covered the feet of some of the greatest performers in history: Anna Pavlova, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly. Capezio's popular Glisse pointe shoe debuted in Spring 2003. The Glisse has become the company's best-selling pointe shoe ever. It features a streamlined, rounded sole; a flattering, high U-shaped vamp; extended platform for maximum support; shaved shank for enhanced in-step; and attractive elastic drawstring.
Freed of London
Founded in London, England in 1929 by shoemaker Frederick Freed, Freed of London supplies pointe shoes to many of the leading ballet companies throughout the world. The company is one of few that boasts handmade pointe shoes, but they don't last very long. There are six varieties of Freed Pointe shoes, but its "Classics" are the most popular and most easily recognized.
Gaynor Minden
Gaynor Minden pointe shoes are preferred by many dancers because they are designed with high-tech impact reduction and shock absorbers. Many new dancers tend to prefer Gaynor Minden pointe shoes because they don't have to be broken in and they last much longer than other brands.
Grishko
Grishko pointe shoes are handmade in Russia and are available in eight different styles. The Grishko Company claims that their pointe shoes have extreme durability, the secret lying in the glue used in making the toe box. Seven layers of different fabrics are glued with a special glue to create each pointe shoe.
A shoemaker by trade, Jacob Bloch immigrated to Australia from Eastern Europe in 1931. Because of his love of music and dancing, he often visited local ballet schools. He noticed a young dancer having a hard time staying en pointe at one of the local dance schools. He promised the young dancer that he would make a better pair of pointe shoes for her to dance in. He did. In 1932 the first Bloch ballet shoes were made in a candle lit workshop in Paddington, Sydney. His good reputation spread and in the late 1930s many overseas ballet companies toured Australia. Since then, Bloch's extensive line of pointe shoes gives dancers around 30 different choices.
Capezio
Capezio has covered the feet of some of the greatest performers in history: Anna Pavlova, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly. Capezio's popular Glisse pointe shoe debuted in Spring 2003. The Glisse has become the company's best-selling pointe shoe ever. It features a streamlined, rounded sole; a flattering, high U-shaped vamp; extended platform for maximum support; shaved shank for enhanced in-step; and attractive elastic drawstring.
Freed of London
Founded in London, England in 1929 by shoemaker Frederick Freed, Freed of London supplies pointe shoes to many of the leading ballet companies throughout the world. The company is one of few that boasts handmade pointe shoes, but they don't last very long. There are six varieties of Freed Pointe shoes, but its "Classics" are the most popular and most easily recognized.
Gaynor Minden
Gaynor Minden pointe shoes are preferred by many dancers because they are designed with high-tech impact reduction and shock absorbers. Many new dancers tend to prefer Gaynor Minden pointe shoes because they don't have to be broken in and they last much longer than other brands.
Grishko
Grishko pointe shoes are handmade in Russia and are available in eight different styles. The Grishko Company claims that their pointe shoes have extreme durability, the secret lying in the glue used in making the toe box. Seven layers of different fabrics are glued with a special glue to create each pointe shoe.