Pointe shoes

Pointe shoes (also known as toe shoes) are a special type of shoe used by ballet dancers. They allow a ballerina to dance on the tips of her toes (en pointe). Pointe shoes are normally worn only by female dancers, though male dancers may wear them for certain roles, such as the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella or Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Pointe shoes are usually satin and have a somewhat blocky look about them. The shoes have two important structural features that allow the dancer to dance on the tips of her toes:

• the box is a section of stiffened satin (traditionally supported by burlap and glue) that encases and supports the dancer's toes. The end of the box is flattened into a platform, upon which the dancer can balance.
• the shank is a strengthened piece of material running the length of the dancer's sole. It provides support to the arch of her foot as she stands on pointe.

Pointe shoes are usually made in a peach-pink color. White and black pointe shoes are also very common, but pointe shoes can be specially ordered in almost any color. At dance supply stores, pointe shoes retail for anywhere between $45.00 and $80.00 Non-professional students usually pay about $60.00 for one pair of shoes, which will last for about four months. Professional dancers wear their pointe shoes much more often and order shoes in bulk directly from manufacturers - one pair can last for as little time as one performance.

Young girls usually start dancing en pointe between the ages of eleven and thirteen. Before this, their bones have not stopped growing; serious foot deformities can result from starting pointe too early. Girls must not go up en pointe until the bones of their feet are fully developed and the muscles in the arches, legs, pelvic area and abdominals are strong enough to bear the stress. They should also have had several years at least, of proper training. All of this requires careful evaluation on the part of the teacher. Note that we have three requirements here: bones, muscles, and training.

Once a dancer is ready, preparation for pointe work is a slow and gradual process. At first, it is just strengthening exercises at the barre - for example, simply going up on pointe and coming back down, and then introducing variations in speed and position whilst doing this - for perhaps no more than five or ten minutes. It is only after six months to a year of this that one can start dancing on pointe in the center. The entire process takes time and close supervision by the teacher.

Dancing en pointe can place severe stress on the dancer's feet, common injuries related to dancing en pointe are:

• blisters - caused by repeated rubbing of skin against the rough hardened inside of the shoe's box. Blisters can be prevented by carefully putting medical tape or bandaids on the dancer's toes before she puts on her pointe shoes.
• bunions - a bone deformity usually in the dancer's big toe, caused by cramping of the toes within the shoe's box. Dancers can prevent bunions by putting a spacer (often gel) between her big toe and the next toe.

Cuts can also occur between toes as a result of the pressure of a dancer's toenails digging into the toes next to them. Cuts are also common on the big toe and baby toe from skin being rubbed away due to friction between the toes and pointe shoe.

To help minimize pain and injuries from dancing en pointe, dancers use lamb's wool "toe pads" or gel pads like the "ouch pouch" to cover their toes in the box area. Wads of lamb's wool and small gel pads are also used in certain areas where a dancer feels the most pain.