by Sierra Hitchcock | Aug 28, 2024 | Career, Company Life, Pointe+
Whether it’s pointe shoes, character shoes, or sneakers, a dancer’s footwear is crucial to their performance. Behind the scenes, shoe managers work to outfit artists with the shoes that will allow them to dance their best in the studio and onstage. Read on to learn...
by Haley Hilton For Dance Magazine | Mar 22, 2024 | News, The Latest
Pacific Northwest Ballet goes through roughly 2,000 pairs of pointe shoes per year. New York City Ballet uses 500 pairs per month during Nutcracker season. Some pros exhaust multiple pairs of shoes in a single performance day. Stats like those raise a big question:...
by Amy Brandt | Feb 15, 2024 | Ask Amy, Pointe+, Training
I just learned that I’ll be starting pointe this year. But I’m nervous—does it hurt? —Sariah First of all, congratulations on advancing to pointe class! It’s a testament to your hard work and technical strength as a dancer. Pointework can feel uncomfortable at...
by Cory Stieg | Mar 28, 2023 | Health & Body, Pointe+
Most ballet dancers can correctly point to a bunion—the painful, bony bump that typically sticks out at the big toe joint—but what they are and why they develop is more complicated. “Some people think bunions are just a growth on the bone, but it’s really an angular...
by Monica Stephenson | Jan 24, 2023 | Career, Company Life, Pointe+
In 1974, Dance Theatre of Harlem women began wearing tights and shoes in customized shades of brown, presenting a beautiful continuity of line. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Houston Ballet principal Lauren Anderson became an iconic example of a classical...
by Hannah Chang Foster | Mar 9, 2022 | News, Top Stories
If I had a dollar for every time I heard the phrase “global supply-chain delays” in the news, I’d be able to purchase a year’s supply of pointe shoes. But in reality, these international delays have had a big impact on pointe shoe manufacturers, too, causing a backup...
by Alexandra Martin | Dec 6, 2021 | Training
As dancers return to long rehearsal days and performances, pointe shoe demand is on the rise. And yet, a reduction in manufacturing caused by supply-chain delays means professionals and students alike may face long wait times for back-ordered pointe shoes. That means...
by Kyra Laubacher | Sep 20, 2021 | Health & Body
Ballet seasons are starting up again. But returning to long rehearsal days on pointe can be really challenging, especially after past seasons’ spotty schedules and pandemic-related modifications. With the shift back to full-time work, dancers once again face the...