At the point in a young dance trainee's life when pointe ballet shoes are the next step, dancers should consult with a good, professional dance shoe expert.
Ballet shoes are not pointe shoes.
Generally, ballet shoes are soft leather with an elk sole pleated at the front underside of the shoe.
Pointe ballet shoes are far different.
These shoes have a blocked toe and narrow wood "bridge" that connect the satin exterior material to the inner sole made from sturdy fabric.
Not every ballet dancer can or should graduate to pointe ballet shoes.
This is usually at the discretion of the dance teacher.
The reason for this is that not all dancers have adequate strength in their ankles to allow for sole support of the body's weight on the blocked toe of the shoes.
The other reason is often personal body weight.
Remember, it's the ankles and feet that will support the entire weight of the body while wearing ballet pointe shoes.
That's really what "en pointe" means: balancing on the points of the feet.
Pointe Shoes Accessories Unlike a ballet shoe, a pointe shoe is secured with two ribbons sewn on either side of the instep at the base of the heel.
To keep the shoe from slipping off, a small elastic loop is attached at the sides and center back of the shoe through which the ribbons are drawn and tied at the back.
Some ballet dancers wear a "bunny" inside the pointe shoe to protect their toes from blistering.
The bunny is a crescent-shaped covering with fur on the inside and brushed hide for the outer covering.
Other dancers prefer "lamb's wool".
This is sold in boxes and is made from a synthetic type of "wool" that fits into the toes of pointe shoes.
Pointe Shoes And Ballet Shoes Pointe shoes are mainly worn by female dancers whereas a ballet shoe can be worn by male or female dancers.
A dancer graduates to ballet en pointe when her ankles have sufficiently developed.
The first dancer to dance en pointe was Marie Taglioni who wore these shoes without heels for her entire role in the ballet work "La Sylphide".
Marie Camargo, Taglioni's predecessor was first to wear a shoe without heels for dance.
The purpose on dancing on pointe was to create the illusion of drifting on air.
Removing heels from ballet dance shoes helped dancers accomplish many of the ballet turns, spins and jumps required in choreographed ballets.
The Best Brands For Ballet Dance Shoes There are a number of high quality brands of ballet dance shoes from Bloch, Freeds, Capezio, Gamba and Sansha.
It's proper fit that is the most important factor.