So, whats the Pointe?

So, whats the Pointe?

A pointe shoe is a complex piece of equipment. It may not seem so at first, because on the surface, you see everything we want you to see: effortlessness, elegance, grace, all wrapped up in the light pink satin of the shoe. But if you look closer, you'll see there's much more to it than just a pretty shoe. The inside of the shoe is lined with layers of plaster and netting as well as hard plastic, suede and canvas. It is built this way to support the weight of the dancer. Pointe shoes are one of the most important aspects of the female dancer’s life. I know this from experience. I may not be a principal dancer at New York City Ballet, but I know what it’s like to depend on a pair of pointe shoes, so that is what I am here to talk about today: Pointe shoes, and what I’ve learned from them so far.

There are only a few things about ballet that really get on my nerves, some of which make some aspects of dancing difficult for me. I try to ignore the unattainable body image so highly prized in this world, and the backstabbing bunheads I have come in contact with over the years. What especially annoys me is when dancers are considered otherworldly or alien to any other human being. When people rave and question our ability to spend long hours on our toes, gawking at us, calling us inhuman. Quite frankly, I like being praised for my dancing abilities, but I never like it when people treat me differently because I’m a dancer. Sure, we injure ourselves aspiring to attain perfection, bend like flexible human pretzels, and pound on our metatarsals and phalanges until we can no longer take it, in those pink satin “coffins” we call our shoes. It’s true, dancers are crazy, because people are crazy, and believe it or not, dancers just so happen to be people.

Aurora variation: Done "sur la pointe" 

Pointe work is a love/hate relationship. For most people, love dominates it, but for me, it hasn’t been that easy. Learning to dance on pointe is a struggle for all who try. Not only just learning to get over your box or pirouette, but picking out the right shoes, tailoring them to your liking, and learning how to deal with injuries. When your teacher tells you that you are ready for pointe, nothing feels better. Practically every young dancer who is not on pointe covets pointe shoes. Being put on pointe is a step in the direction of other more advanced things, like Pas de deux (Partnering) and more important roles in ballet performances that are danced “sur la pointe” (on pointe). I got my first pair of pointe shoes when I had just turned 12. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was sitting in the waiting area of my ballet studio with a couple of my friends. Over the past couple of weeks we had noticed our teachers acting strangely about our dancing. Our artistic director had asked us if our other teacher had put us on pointe yet. We giddily shook our heads, aware that it was a positive sign that he had been thinking about it. Our other teacher had asked us our ages. That was another sign, because age and development are important for keeping a dancer safe in such a dangerous craft.

Pas de deux

Finally, we skurried into the studio, unaware that on that day our lives would change forever. We were all warming up at the bar when our artistic director came in. It was Wednesday, one of our only days to have class with him, and as he walked in, a bright smile parted on his face as he slipped a CD into the audio player. Suddenly, he turned to us. He asked for our attention and we all turned to face him. I don’t remember what he said at first, but an electrifying energy passed over the room just as he said in his thick South African accent “We are putting you on pointe.” He spoke little about it that day, but my friend Hannah and I grinned at each other, for this was the day where everything changed for us.

Grishko 2007

Suffolk Spotlight

After that, it was all about finding the perfect pair for me. One week later, my friend Esperanza showed up to class with a pair of stunning Bloch European Balance pointe shoes. I remember being dazzled by the glistening peach-colored satin. I instantly had to get a pair fitted. My first pointe-shoe fitting wasn’t what I thought it would be at all. It was just hours before a middle-school dance at a local athletic club. My blood was boiling with anticipation as I tried on shoe after shoe, brand after brand, maker after maker, until the fitter had decided on one pair. Technically speaking, I never really wore my “first pair”. They were a size 6, 5X pair of Grishko 2007 pointe shoes. I showed them to my teacher and we both instantly hated them. None of the shoes from that brand suited my strange feet. I was bummed that I wouldn’t be fit in a Grishko, but looked forward to other brands that I could try, like Mirella or Suffolk. It took 6 more pairs to find one pair that would remotely work on my feet. My first official pair of pointe shoes were a pair of lovely Suffolk Spotlights, size 6, 3X N. My teacher taught me and my fellow dancers how to sew them properly and tailor them to our feet. The Spotlights worked for a while, but over time the already-soft shoe broke down on my feet and the shank twisted in a way that could be detrimental to the rest of my pointe work. After seven months in that pair, I picked up a new one. They were the same size and kind, just new and easier for me to work with. That pair saved me until early January when they died as well. A dead pair of pointe shoes are so broken down they are unusable. I am currently dancing in a pair of Suffolk spotlights size 6, 3X, which are different and wider than the others. I’m not sure that I like them, and am still looking for the perfect pair, although for some reason, I feel that I am getting pretty close.

Pointe can be difficult at times. Are you sickling in your shoes? Is your shank twisting? Are you not over on the shoe? Are you too over on the shoe? There are many things that can go wrong with pointe shoes, but pointe work is usually more love than hate, and if you work hard enough, you’ll get right where you want to be in your shoes.