To The Pointe

Pointe work has been around for sever hundred years, beginning with the work of Marie Taglioni. Her father designed the shoe to create the illusion Marie was floating and fairy-like. 

Early pointe shoe did not give the feet any support and dancers used shoes as soft as ballet slippers that were heavily darned at the toe.  However, today pointe shoes have several different parts and are very carefully constructed. e

The shank, or sole of the shoe, is made from leather on the two outside shanks and thick cardboard in the middle. The box is the area of the shoe that surrounds the toes and ball of the foot. The vamp is the top of the box between the tip of the shoe and the drawstring.

Below is a link to a video, from the Maple Conservatory website, demonstrating some basic pointe work and the requirements to begin.

Demonstration Video