Breaking In the Shoes

     When they are new, the shoes are very hard. There are many methods to “breaking in” pointe shoes, including slamming them in a door and bending the shoe with your hands. Other dancers prefer to break in their shoes by wearing them and bending them with their feet. It is important that the shoes are broken in because broken in shoes form to the dancer’s arch. This helps to support the dancer. However, once they are broken in, the shoes quickly deteriorate. When they are too soft to properly support the dancer, the shoes are referred to as “dead”.

Pointe-Related Injuries

         Though beautiful, pointe work is very painful. Many injuries result from the force being put on the feet and toes. These injuries can be minor, such as blisters, or major, such as a broken ankle. Other injuries caused by pointe shoes are bunions, ingrown toenails, tendonitis (commonly in the Achilles tendon) , os trigonum syndrome (associated with flexing the foot), osteoarthritis, and stress fractures. Although nonspecific to pointe shoes, knee and hip injuries may result from forcing turnout and repeated bending of the knees (known as plié).

"Dead" Shoes

As you can tell from the information I am gathering, pointe shoes withstand a lot of force. Eventually, the shoes are too soft to dance in. Dancer's call these shoes "dead". Pointe shoes last anywhere from one performance (such as those of a professional dancer) to a year, depending on the frequency of use and materials.
*Note: I did not take this video*

Who was the First to Dance En Pointe?

It is said that Marie Taglioni was the first to dance en pointe. In 1832, she performed La Sylphide entirely en pointe. However, there may have been others who danced en pointe before her. Her shoes were nothing more than tightly-fitting slippers with a leather sole and some darning on the sides. Her fans loved her so much that they cooked her shoes and ate them with a sauce!

How It's Made- Pointe Shoes

Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzB1yY2397E

Parts of a Pointe Shoe

Pointe shoes are made of many different parts. Some of the main parts are the box, platform, shank, and vamp.

Box-

The box is the hard area around the dancer's toes. It supports the sides of the foot. The box is made of canvas, linen, and glue. The stiffness may vary in different shoes.

Platform-

The platform is the part of the shoe that the dancer stands on. It provides a flat surface to balance on.

Vamp-

The vamp is the front of the box. The depth of the vamp varies in different types of shoes.

Shank-

The shank is what supports the dancer's arch. It is made of hard leather, plastic, cardboard, or burlap. Shanks come in many different strengths. Different strengths are used depending on the strength of the dancer's foot.

Did You Know: Every pointe shoe is handmade. Because of this, every shoe is unique.

Inside a Pointe Shoe:


Image from http://www.dancer.com/peekinside.php

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how ballerinas stand on the tips of their toes? Pointe shoes, a special kind of ballet shoe, enable a dancer to stand up "en pointe." In this project, I will examine the physics behind a ballerina's pointe shoes.

Problem:

How much force (in Newtons) per square centimeter is on a dancer’s toes in pointe shoes? How does this change when a dancer is standing flat, standing on the ball of their foot, and standing en pointe? How does this change when a dancer is standing on one foot?

Hypothesis:

There will be the most force (in Newtons) on a dancer’s foot when they are standing on one foot en pointe. The force will be the least per square centimeter when a dancer is standing flat on two feet.