Feet And Pointe Shoes

The foot is a complex structure made of 26 bones & ligaments, muscles, tendons and nerves.

This photograph shows a pair of pointe shoes worn for rehearsals.  You can see some of the customization carried out by the dancer – especially the vamp which has been cut into a v (often to make the shoe appear longer and to accommodate bunions) and then sewn to hold the shoe together.  Toe pads of all shapes, sizes and materials are used inside the shoe to cushion the toes and elastics, which are sewn in to give security around the heel area, are used to stop the shoe from slipping off the heel (often a percieved fear rather than an actual one).

There are three types of foot – Greek, Egyptian and Peasant.  A Greek (or Morton’s) foot has a longer second toe and narrow width foot, an Egyptian foot has a long first toe and then the others taper with a narrow width foot, and finally the Peasant (or Giselle) foot has three toes the same length and is a medium width foot.

It’s worth mentioning here that it’s the dancers foot that makes the ‘pointe’, not the shoe.  Essentially, the pointe shoe is a covering for the delicate bones of the feet, to allow the dancer to extend their line and to jump and turn as the choreography demands.

Photograph by Bex Singleton.

(via)