Get A Grip: The Latest Pointe Shoe Innovation

Is it time your pointe shoes had a makeover? Gordon Waddington thinks so. A professor of physiotherapy at Australia’s University of Canberra, Waddington is developing an insole that will give dancers extra “grip” in their pointe shoes. It’s made from textured PVC material that has a lined pattern so that it locks onto the skin. The hope is that giving dancers more control in their pointe shoes will help prevent ankle and leg injuries. Students at the Australian Ballet School are currently testing it out during their barrework over the course of an 11-week trial. Read more in The Sydney Morning Herald.