History of the Pointe Shoe

The Romantic era, which evolved in the 19th century, marked a significant shift in the art of ballet, where dancers moved away from the rigid formalism of the Baroque period to express more fluid, emotional movements. The White Act became a popular convention, used to explore supernatural themes, and ballerinas wore long, flowing tutus and an early design of the pointe shoe - ideal for characters such as fairies and spirits.

For the first time since King Louis XIV created the origins of ballet movement in 17th century France, the popularity of male dancers declined and the cult of the ballerina emerged.

By the late 19th century, Italian shoemakers had created reinforced pointe shoes with stiffened boxes made from newspaper, flour, and pasteboard, strengthened with leather, and dancers were able to perform sustained balances and multiple pirouettes. In the early 20th century, a young ballerina by the name of Anna Pavlova progressed the design by adding leather soles to the insides and hardening the box for more support.

Today, the pointe shoe is still mostly made by hand and requires a high level of skill and craftmanship to create. With an improved design to meet the physical demands of ballet, most are still constructed with simple materials such as leather, cardboard, satin, and glue. But to dancers, the pointe shoe is not just a piece of equipment, rather an extension of their bodies, allowing them to express the beauty of their art.

Steeped in history, designed for storytelling, they remain the ultimate symbol of the ballerina.