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Writing About Pointe Shoes – Janice Barringer

January 18, 2013 by 4dancers

Janice Barringer knows more than most people about a subject that is near and dear to the heart of ballet dancers — pointe shoes. She is the author of the most comprehensive book I have ever seen on the subject, The Pointe Book, and since one of our themes this quarter is footwear and foot care, it seemed only natural that she should be the person to talk about pointe shoes…

I’m sure readers will find some interesting tidbits in the interview below!

the pointe shoe bookWhere did the idea come from to write this book?

A dear friend of mine, Sarah Schlesinger, was a writer, a lyricist and the owner of a Capezio Dance Store.  Her mother was a ballet teacher and her godparents were part owners of Capezio.  She knew I had contacts in the ballet world, and also felt strongly that a book about pointe shoes needed to be written.  Several customers were furious that the shoes they had bought from her store were wearing out.  The father of one ballet student actually struck an employee in anger because he thought they had been cheated—–given defective shoes.  Sarah said, “if only there was a book that I could pull out to prove that pointe shoes are built to wear out.  This was before some of the new types of long-lasting shoes were on the market.

She repeatedly asked if I would take on this project.  At the time I was dancing professionally and teaching a guest class now and then.  The idea of writing a book did not interest me even though Sarah said she would write the proposal, and guide me if I provided the information.  (The Second and Third Editions I wrote by myself).  One day I was in my chiropractor’s waiting room.  Dr. Nathan Novick was a kindly, older man that took care of many professional dancers as well as his normal clientele.  There sat Martine Van Hamel right across from me.  I have no idea why, but suddenly I decided, “today I’m starting the book about pointe shoes.”  I grabbed some scratch paper and asked Martine if she would tell me what shoes she wore, what size, how did she prepare the ribbons, elastics, what did she do to break them in, what kind of padding did she use etc.  She answered graciously, and the book began.  I couldn’t wait to call Sarah to tell her that the inspiration had struck!

From there it was easy.  David Howard was my teacher and his classes were and still are filled with some of the greatest dancers in the world.  I saw them everyday.  In the dressing room at the end of class I would ask dancers all about their shoes.  Alessandra Ferri had just finished the movie, “Dancers”, and she told me in detail all about her shoe issues, and also about something that was new to me at the time—-vamp elastic.  After talking to many wonderful dancers, I decided I needed to go to the leading schools to find out how they set up their pointe programs.  Since I was in New York, I started with The School of American Ballet.

It snow-balled from there.  I kept getting ideas of knowledgeable people to interview and no one ever turned me down.  The two years that followed were the most exciting years of my life.  I went all over the country and to Europe twice.  As I interviewed leading dancers, teachers, directors of schools, owners of pointe shoe companies, and medical professionals, I also attended performances, rehearsals, classes, meetings of the greatest people in the ballet world.

What are the main topics that this book covers?

It begins with a short history of pointe work.  There are some humorous moments in this chapter.  It then moves to the structure of the foot and the pointe shoemaking process, fitting, preparing and caring for the shoes.  Top teachers like David Howard, Suki Schorer, Peff Modelski and others have contributed to The Basics of  Teaching Pointe chapter.  There’s a chapter with interviews of the men in charge of pointe shoes for both American Ballet Theatre and The Birmingham Royal Ballet where they tell us all kinds of amazing facts about securing, dying, and caring for shoes for their dancers. I have put in a chapter that is 44 pages long that is called Pointe Shoe Characteristics.  This is a cross-reference which helps a dancer find the shoe that will best meet her requirements.  It has categories in it such as very narrow shoes, very wide shoes, shoes for high insteps, shoes for a longer second toe, very light shoes, unusual shoes, long-lasting shoes and on and on.  There is a chapter about the pointe programs in many major ballet schools.  Included in this is The Paris Opera Ballet School, the Royal Ballet School, The School of  American Ballet, Canada’s National Ballet School, The Goh Ballet Academy in Canada, The Kirov Ballet Academy in Washington D.C., and many others.  I have notated classes I observed at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, The San Diego Ballet School, Ballet School, NY,  and others.  In this chapter there is a very informative interview of Franco De Vita, Principal of the JKO School.  Other chapters include pointe shoe accessories, a pointe shoe sizing chart, pointe related injuries and their remedies and conversations with leading ballet dancers about their shoes, their feet and how they solved their pointe shoe issues.

What was the most surprising thing you learned while writing the book? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Pointe Shoes Tagged With: ballet dancers, capezio, janice barringer, pointe shoes, the pointe shoe book, toe shoes

On Dancing Barefoot…

January 4, 2013 by 4dancers

by Lucy Vurucic Riner

dancers on floor

There are not many things, about dance, that I am “old school” about.  I don’t have the old school teacher mentality when it comes to many things in my classroom.  Although we require our students to wear leotards, I have not put one on in about five years.  And when it comes to instruction I am 90% positive feedback and 10% mean in the “old school” sense.  The one old school thing about me is that I love my bare feet.  I don’t understand how, or really why, anyone would want to dance any other way?  How else can you be completely connected to the ground if you can’t truly feel it?

Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of modern dance friends that don’t love that skin to floor contact as much as I do.  And with contemporary dance becoming increasingly more popular (I’m still not really sure how to define it myself) it seems that the minute we realized that people like Petronio and Naharin were letting their dancers wear socks, many of us modern dancers jumped at the chance of creating pieces where socks were the obvious choice as part of the costume.  And while Ruth St. Denis and Doris Humphrey roll over in their graves every time one of us modern dancers puts on her socks or toe thongs (what an ingenious invention) we continue to find new ways to adorn our feet while we dance. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Editorial, Other Footwear Tagged With: Ballet, dancing barefoot, modern dance, naharin, petronio

If The Shoe Fits…Pointe Shoe Preparation

May 7, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

Pointe shoes have become an integral part of ballet as an art form and, just as each dancer has a unique pair of feet, every ballerina has their own way of preparing these shoes for class or performance. Some slam them in doors to soften them up, while others work on them with little hammers to get the feel “just right”. The break-in method can vary depending on factors such as the brand of shoe and the type of role that is being performed.

We talked a bit at the beginning of the year about these special slippers, and today we’re going in for a closer look…

Rebecca King, corps de ballet dancer with Mimi City Ballet and author of the dance blog Tendus Under A Palm Tree wears Freed pointe shoes. We asked her to share her “secret formula” for getting them ready to wear, and this is what she had to say…

Rebecca King

“Preparing a pair of pointe shoes is as much a ritual to a ballerina as it is a necessity. Even though, as professionals, our shoes are shipped to us straight from London, made by hand with love by our chosen “makers” to our exact specifications, many dancers find it necessary to make some extra alterations. It can take dancers years to get their shoes exactly as they want them and some dancers go their entire career in search of the elusive perfect shoe.

A maker hand-builds about 30-40 pairs of shoes at Freed of London every day, each shoe costing around $100. About two-thirds of the shoes produced are created for individual dancer’s specifications. (Find out more about these fascinating pieces of art on Freed’s website.)

I wear a size four, with a double X width, made by my beloved “U” maker. On the bottom of my shoe underneath the width, he stamps his symbol, “U”, as a kind of signature; laying claim to his craftsmanship. The thing I love most about Mr. U is how aesthetically beautiful his shoes are. Something about the way the toe of the shoe is built compliments every wearer’s foot. He is a very important person in my life.

The first thing I do is remove the pesky nail from the heel of the shoe. This nail is meant to secure the paper “shank”, or the inner sole of the shoe, to the outer sole of the shoe. Once it is removed, I cut the paper shank to the shoe’s middle seam, essentially cutting it in half. Because my feet are not very good, this allows the sole of my shoe to bend and lets me point my feet to their full potential. I then glue the end of the shank to the outer sole so it does not move around as I dance.

Photo by Rebecca King

Next, I put super glue in the tips of the shoes. When the tip of the shoe gets soft, it no longer functions like I need it to; this is my ultimate pointe shoe pet peeve. Mr. U even puts an extra piece of burlap in the tip with extra glue upon my request, but I always apply more glue for good measure.

Then I cut the satin off the top of the shoe and quickly darn around the edges. This gives me a little extra support when my shoes start to die, and also ensures that the freshly cut satin stays in place.

Finally, the ribbon process begins. I use pink ribbons secured over crisscrossed thin pink elastic. I prefer the thin elastic, as I don’t feel a lot of pressure on my ankles, while the crisscross restricts my movement laterally, helping to prevent ankle sprains.

Though this is my current process, if you check back with me in two years, I am fairly certain I will have a new procedure, as my system is constantly evolving. But as for now, I feel I can dance my best with a half shank, extra super glue, and Mr. U on my side.”

As Ms. King clearly illustrates, ballerinas have a special relationship with their pointe shoes. However, for ballet companies, the costs associated with keeping the ladies on their toes can be astronomical. According to Miami City Ballet’s website, the average pair of pointe shoes typically only last for one performance.

Photo by Rebecca King

Here is a closer look at what ballet companies across the nation pay to keep the ladies on their toes:

Last year the dancers at Oregon Ballet Theatre used about 1,500 pairs of pointe shoes which added up to $120,000.

Texas Ballet Theatre will spend $80,000 on pointe shoes this year.

Miami City Ballet dancers wear 3,000 pairs of pointe shoes each season for a total cost of $200,000.

Last season Cincinnati Ballet spent $82,000 on pointe shoes for the company.

And New York City Ballet? Their dancers can go through 40 to 50 pairs each performance. This means a staggering total of  8,500+ pairs of pointe shoes each year. I don’t even want to do the math on that one. (But according to this article on The Huffington Post, it adds up to $500,000!)

Filed Under: 4dancers, Breaking In Shoes, Freed, Pointe Shoes Tagged With: breaking in pointe shoes, cincinnati ballet, dancer, freed, freed of london, freed pointe shoes, Miami City Ballet, new york city ballet, oregon ballet theatre, pointe shoes, rebecca king, texas ballet theatre

Toenail Injuries in the Dancer by Dr. Sinkoe – Ingrown Nail/Infection

February 23, 2012 by 4dancers

An ingrown nail is usually referred to any condition whereby inflammation of the surrounding skin of the toenail is present.  A “true” ingrown nail occurs when the nail does ingrow into the surrounding nail fold.  This may result after the individual has lost the nail and the nail regrows abnormal.  A chronically bruised and lost nail may result in an ingrown nail.  This occurs because the nail root, nail matrix, has been injured and the nail is now “programmed” to ingrow abnormally.

However, the majority of the time, the “ingrown nail” results after the nail is cut too short within the nail grooves.  Bleeding will occur resulting in a granuloma.  A granuloma appears as reddish tissue within the nail groove.  Granulomas attract bacteria and thus a bacterial infection can develop.  The granuloma grows and covers the nail border, thus appearing as an “ingrown nail”.

Signs and symptoms: [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Wellness, Foot Care, Pointe Shoes Tagged With: Ballet, dr. sinkoe, ingrown nail, ingrown toenails, ingrown toenails in dancers, pointe shoes

Toenail Injuries in the Dancer by Dr. Sinkoe – Bruised Nail

February 16, 2012 by 4dancers

Toenail problems become a source of concern and agony for the dancer, particularly the ballerina on pointe.  Toenails function to improve our tactile (pressure) sensation and to act as a support structure for the toe.  This can be helpful for the dancer on pointe.   However, because there is a lot of pressure on the nail while on pointe, bruising of the nail can result.

The underlying nail bed is highly vascularized.  The nail plate is adhered to the nail bed via small ligaments.  Repetitive microtrauma to the nail plate can injure the ligaments resulting in shear stress to the nail bed.  A small amount of bleeding occurs under the nail.   As the bleeding continues, the nail plate can elevate, producing calloused tissue and making the nail appear thick.  A portion of or the entire nail plate can be lost.

This cycle usually repeats itself over a period of time.  Many ballerinas accept the fact that they have chronically bruised nails.  Long term consequences of a chronically bruised nail can be chronic ingrown nail borders, a deformed nail or a fungal infection of the nail.

Causes of a bruised nail: [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Wellness, Foot Care, Pointe Shoes Tagged With: bruised toenails, bruised toenails in the dancer, dr. sinkoe, treating bruised toenails

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