What are Pointe Shoes?
What Are Pointe Shoes?Answer: Pointe shoes, sometimes called toe shoes, are a special kind of ballet shoe used by advanced dancers for pointework. Pointe shoes were developed from the desire of ballerinas to appear weightless. The shoes allow a dancer to literally dance on the tips of the toes (en pointe.) Some people are amazed when they see a dancer on pointes for the first time, as hopping around on the tips of the toes appears to be painful for the dancer. But pointe shoes support a dancer’s feet from underneath the arch by a stiff insole, or shank. The front portion of the shoe, known as the toe box, encases the toes tightly allowing the weight of the body to rest on an oval-shaped platform. The outside material of a pointe shoe is usually made of pink satin that can be dyed to match costumes for performances. Although pointe shoes enable a dancer to stand directly on her toes, she must use her own strength and technique to achieve a ful
