What is Ballet?
Ballet is a type of theatrical dance in which a formal academic dance technique is combined with other elements like music, costumes, and scenery on a stage.
What are Pointe Shoes?
Pointe shoes are a type of shoes used in ballet by expierienced and advanced dancers. A ballet dancer has to have had many years of expierience before they are able to dance in a pair of pointe shoes. This higher difficulty in the ballet expierience also has to be approved by a teacher or instructor of the student. Pointe shoes are normally made of a pink satin *shades may vary but it will always be somewhat pink* with a small block of hard paper mache at the tip of the shoe called the "box" of the shoes. The bottom or sole of a pointe shoe is called a "shank." When pointe shoes are bought they come with no ribbons or elastic on them. This is done so dancers can have full customization of their shoes. Pointe shoes must also fit the dancer's foot perfectly to ensure that they don't injure themselves. This is also one of the reasons why pointe sheos come without ribbons or elastic sewn onto them. A pair of pointe shoes are good for dancing for about 16 dance hours before they are dead and it is no longer safe to dance in them. Pointe shoes usually cost about $100 and like I mentioned before, the ribbons and elastic on the shoe is not yet sewn on. This is even less fun when younger dancers who are still growing are on pointe because they grow out of their shoes and need to get new ones to make sure they don't injure themselves.
What Can it Feel Like to Wear Pointe Shoes?
When an expierienced dancer buys their first pair of pointe shoes and does their first class in them they usually hurt. A lot. This is normal. Your body is not used to putting all your weight on the top of your toes and after a few months of pointe classes it will hurt significantly less. If your shoes still hurt after a long time of having them there may be something wrong with the size of the shoe or, if you are still growing, your feet may have grown. As you get more and more used to dancing in pointe shoes you start to not think about the pain that might be happening at all unless there is something actually wrong with your shoes. Dancers have to have many years of expierience to be able to dance on pointe because if someone does not have enough ankle strength they will inevitably badly injure themselves or even possibly die. However, this is the reason why pointe shoes need to fit perfectly, dancers need to have many years of expierience to dance in pointe shoes, pointe shoes come without elastics and ribbons sewn on, and small children are not allowed to wear them, all to keep people safe.
Ballet Performances
Ballet performances are when one or more dancers perform a choreographed ballet dance on a stage, performing for an audience or judges.
Other Dance Styles
Ballet is considered to be the most difficult dance style to master and it's not for everyone. So here are some other dance styles that you might enjoy if ballet seems too intimidating!
- Lyrical - Similar to ballet in and jazz dance. Lyrical is when a dancer acts out the lyrics of a song with dance.
- Jazz - A style of dance that is kind of like a combination of many other dance styles. This style of dance is usually performed with pop music.
- Tap - A dance style where the dancer wears special shoes with metal on the ball and the bottom of the heel to make a tapping sound while dancing.