Points

Protection of the feet

Nevertheless, there exist solutions to minimize the “damage” caused with the feet or, at least, with their principal symptom, the Douleur. Each Dancer or almost has her easy way or its technique to minimize this pain. With the cinema, in bloody stories, but also often in reality, the dancers wrapped their fresh escalope toes or sprinkled them alcohol with 90 vol. - what “anaesthetized” the pain. More usually, they used wadding, replaced today by ends in fabric or Silicone (thus reducing the friction of the toes on the “box” of the point); some use devices aiming at spacing the toes, others still wrap their toes in adhesive plaster…

Various means of protection

Ends out of silicone : the major disadvantage of the made silicone ends is their sealing, retaining all moisture and preventing the foot from breathing. Often rather expensive (~20 € in 2006), they have the one excellent lifespan advantage. It is important to maintain them very regularly in order to avoid the proliferation of Bactérie S.
Embouts out of fabric : the major disadvantage of the made fabric ends is their brittleness. By absorbing the Perspiration, the fabric which composes them like is corroded by the Acidité of perspiration. Their low costs (~10 € in 2005) are an undeniable advantage.
Spacers of toes : mainly used to prevent the bulbs and ignitions between the toes, these spacers have like major disadvantage to increase the width of the foot artificially, thus destabilizing the balance of the foot and moving dangeureusement the center of gravity of the dancer. A priori , and without preliminary medical opinion, their use is thus to proscribe.
Cotton carded : often Coton carded is laid out in the content of the points, in the only intention reducing the pressure on before toes. Its effect is in fact more psychological than real because cotton, offering a very low density, only resists little at the height work of the foot inside the point. It is important to absolutely use cotton of good quality by banishing the absorbent cotton which absorbs moisture and is likely to generate serious burns with the skin.

N.B. : the dancer is confronted with a difficult choice as for the protection of her feet. Indeed, the practice of the points requires “to feel the ground”, which can sometimes be prevented by the port of too thick protections. In the same way, a too thick protection can mask certain major damage with feet (microphone-fractures, etc). Lastly, it can prove to be difficult to carry out some not requiring an important catch of dash by decreasing the feeling of the toes. Thus, often, the dancers beginning the points see themselves prohibiting the port of such protections by their professor of danse.

Accessories of the point

Seldom the slippers of point are worn such as asset. Most of the time, it is necessary there to sew ribbons in Satin in order to maintain them fitted suitably with the feet and to prevent the washing away, in particular at the time of the passage on the Demi-pointes.

It arrives sometimes, in particular for the dancers having a strong neck of foot, which one bends a rubber band recovering the top of the foot.

Formerly, with an aim of saving the slipper, the dancer it “pricked”, i.e. it recovered of it the end of a very tight embroidery which formed a unit with satin and had a “touch” with the ground quite higher than a leather end. More rarely, certain dancers bend a leather or fabric part on the point, in order to minimize wear of it.

Many dancers rub the end of the point or the sole of the slipper in a vat powdered with Colophane, in order to reduce the slip on the ground.

Does the point adapt to the foot or the foot adapts to the point?

Certain dancers feel the need to break their slippers. This practice, very discussed, makes it possible the dancer to better feel in its points. The controversy around this practice is born owing to the fact that it is considered that a pair of points must, without being broken, to be “comfortable” (all things considered). In addition, certain methods employed to break the points can, misused, to destroy them irremediably.

To break or break its points also makes it possible “to better go up” above. By “going up well on his points”, one understands that only the platform of the slipper in contact with the ground at the time of is released and that the instep (commonly called the instep) is developed gracefully.

The choice to break or not its points belongs to each dancer, but it is important to keep in mind the relative brittleness of the ballet shoes which, comparison with their high costs, can be connected, when badly realized, with a pure and simple destruction of those.

The question thus arises of knowing if the point must adapt to the foot or the opposite. Certain manufacturers of ballet shoes (Gaynor Minden) propose “malleable” ballet shoes by heating them with a hair drier. This method tends to prove that is with the slipper at adapt to the foot but the risk to mask a bad choice of slippers. Indeed, if the slipper must conform to the foot, it should never be with the detriment of this one. Nature created various types of feet, the manufacturers of ballet shoes propose various types of points.

In short, the choice of a pair of points must be done while considering:

the type of foot (“Egyptian” foot, “Greek” foot, etc)
dimensions of foot (width, length, etc)
capacity of the slipper to become deformed sufficiently to marry the foot, but to remain solid sufficiently little and supporting
capacities of the dancer (many years of experiment on points, flexibility or not of the foot, state of the nails, hardness of foot etc)
the fact that the dancer carries or not protections. It is commonly allowed that a protection requires a half-size inside the point, but it remains to determine with precision where to take this half-size (in length, dispatcher, height of box?)
the port or not of one sticking at the time of the fitting.

It seems that it remains little of manufacturers of slippers to measure. In Brussels, in the years 1960, Mr Poloukine was so exceptional that the dancers called it “Master”.

Future of the slipper of points

Asymmetrical, composed of composite materials, with laces, points Bi-soles,…

The innovations do not miss these last years, so much so that the current ballet shoes do not resemble any more or almost more - at least in term of design - with the slippers which existed there is hardly ten years.

In the chapter of the “outstanding” innovations, one counts:

Sansha which marketed, in 2005, the first points Bi-soles
Gaynor Minden which now proposes slippers out of polymeric resins, guaranteed “to life”
Bloch has, a time, suggested the Ultraflex jazz with reinforced end making it possible to go up on the point
Repetto marketed the Carmen points, announced like the first asymmetrical points (i.e. proposing a right foot and a left foot).

It is to be taken into account that the market of the dance, and in particular of the ballet dancing, will explode during the next years, helped in that by the development of the activities of leisures, and that many innovations will be done day quickly in the field of the ballet shoe.

Some generally accepted ideas

the points are manufactured of wood : never the slippers of point did not comprise of wood. Although necessarily hard , the ballet shoes must nevertheless preserve a certain flexibility and make it possible the dancer to feel the ground.
One can buy points a little too large : one never should buy slippers of point larger than necessary, even by preoccupation with an economy. The whole of the load supported by the ballet shoes is equitably distributed between its various parts and, if they are too large, is found deferred on the only platform, moving thus dangerously their center of gravity.
All the ballet dancers carry points : although forming integral part, in the popular imagery, of the ballet dancing, the points are used only by the dancers having acquired sufficient technique to carry them. It is in general towards the 12 years age that the dancers can start to carry points, and only for a few minutes at the time of each course.

Did you know?

During a lesson of dance, the slippers of points support a weight total of more than 5 tons, that is to say close to the weight of 5 cars.
80% of these 5 tons is distributed on the platform, which measures approximately 4 cm ² and represents the only contact point between the ground and the dancer when this one is on points.
During this same lesson, the ballet shoes will have absorbed about 2 liters of perspiration.
a traction of approximately 100 kg is exerted on the slippers at the time of the passage on the point.
the sure average lifespan (period during which the slippers offer the maximum of support and safety), based on a weekly use of one to 3 a.m., is only from 3 to 6 months.

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