Comments
KatKat333 t1_j28aw07 wrote
That was fascinating- thank you!
imaginary-cat-lady t1_j28tzem wrote
Enjoyed this explanation thoroughly, as a big fan of watching ballet! Thank you!!
epic1107 t1_j28v40r wrote
Yep, exactly the same as climbing shoes (although in a seemingly much more extreme way)
Thanks for the insight.
EvenSpoonier t1_j26qtn2 wrote
Nowadays it's thought that these methods are ineffective, but there is a need for pointe shoes to mold precisely to the feet of each individual dancer. It has until now been prohibitively expensive to custom-manufacture shoes for each individual dancer (except for major stars), so instead they manufacture shoes in such a way that a dancer can break them in by doing special exercises that not only strengthen the feet and legs, but also bring the shoe into shape. The older methods of "mutilating" pointe shoes were thought to be a shortcut for this.
Nowadays, some companies have been experimenting with 3D-printing pointe shoes, which would allow for a very close custom fit. This shows some promise.
Alert_Aide4915 t1_j27dzy4 wrote
As the other comment says, there is experimentation, however there's a really fine line when it comes to pointe shoe safety and comfort, and it's hard to replicate in any way that makes them sustainable.
A dancer needs to have complete confidence and control over their feet (think of all the spinning and leaping), if they aren't molded perfectly to the dancer's liking it can cause hesitation, discomfort or bad fitting, which can cause injuries.
Source: Did ballet up to a professional standard and tried many different pointe shoe styles to find the one that worked for me
Johnny-infinity t1_j28b1ix wrote
Pointe shoes are basically paper and ribbon.
Dancers go through a pair every few days.
Having a shoe that you can modify for an exact fit is far cheaper than getting a new custom pair every week.
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RingGiver t1_j295lu4 wrote
A dancer's shoes will likely not last more than a few weeks. The dancer's feet will change over time, and each new pair of shoes will need to be a perfect fit.
Getting new shoes custom-measured and custom-made would be insanely expensive (especially considering how many dancers would have to have shoes), so mass-production of shoes which get modified by the end user is the most viable way of doing it.
leebeemi t1_j29d1b7 wrote
Adding to the expense and time it takes to get custom made pointe shoes, there are fewer & fewer custom makers.
Firefrorefiddle t1_j27lerp wrote
To add to the comments that are already here, professional dancers go through pointe shoes extremely quickly (often in a matter of days or weeks depending on things like their role, the rehearsal schedule, and the performance season). Pointe shoes have to be easily manufactured on a wider scale so that they can be available for any dancer to pick up a new pair at a moment's notice (with caveats for things like vamp style (think "toe cleavage"), box length, etc.). It's much faster to make several copies of a "standard" style than for a ballet dancer or their company to order, say, 10 pairs of their custom-made shoe and risk running out before opening night - or risk a shipment being delayed and not having any shoes at all.
(Some dancers definitely do that, though, depending on their status and sponsorship opportunities.)
Since pointe shoes are mostly paste, cardboard, and satin, it also allows for the shoe to evolve around the foot as the dancer's body changes. Imagine if you had a bunion, and your custom shoe no longer fit around it: you'd likely have to get your foot re-measured, with no guarantee that the bunion would stay the same size. Or what if one of your feet is arched a bit lower than the other, and needs a thinner shank (the hard part that supports the arch of the foot)? It would be easier to modify the shank of a standard pair of pointe shoes than to go through several iterations with a maker.
Some dancers prefer "soft" shoes, which is where you'll see the B-roll of dancers banging their shoes on concrete. ("Soft" makes it easer to feel the floor against your toes and makes the foot look more sleek, but often comes at the cost of foot support for sustained, slow movements.) Hot tip: you can microwave your shoe to achieve the same effect on a less localized level! Some dancers who have low arches often also want to break the shank so that the arch of the foot is more pronounced. (You can do this by applying water to the shank in a thin line and bending it. It's very contentious on which way to bend it, though.) Scraping the point / top of the shoe box with a razor or sandpaper is just a way to reduce slippage by adding friction (either by taking the satin off of the tip entirely or just by roughing it up). That depends on what kind of floor you're dancing on - for instance, wood is really slippery, but vinyl Marley floors offer a lot more traction.
tl;dr: pointe shoes are an extremely specialized tool that depend heavily on a person's body and situation, which are always in flux, and any custom-made item is going to be "frozen" at a point(e) in time that may not be compatible with a dancer's body or situation on any given day. Also, standardized shoes cost way less!
Source: semi-professional ballet dancer (18 years)