FIRST EXPERIENCE ON POINTE
-- How It Should Feel

Pointe shoes will feel very different from ballet slippers or street shoes. The snug fit allows little, if any, room to wiggle the toes. They will feel very constricted at first, less so as the shoes break in. A little numbness in the toes is also normal. Dancers soon become accustomed to these discomforts, which are experienced to some degree with each new pair of shoes they wear.

At first, there is the uncomfortable sensation of feeling the end of the shank which stops in the middle of the heel of the foot. Balance is also somewhat difficult at first because the shank is narrower than the sole of the foot. Strong ankles are needed to keep the feet from rolling side to side.

Another different feeling is a lessening of depth in demi-plié. This happens because the ribbons constrict the ankle joint and the snug shoe prevents the foot from spreading out as it does in ballet slippers or barefoot.

When standing on pointe, the foot should be placed so that the instep is fully stretched and the toes form a perpendicular angle with the floor. A straight line can be drawn through the center of the hip, knee, ankle and big toe joints (when viewed from the side). From the front, a straight line can be drawn through the hip, knee, and ankle joints through the box of the shoe, on or between the second and third toes. The entire flat surface of the tip of the box should touch the floor.

The dancer's weight should be lifted out of the shoes and evenly distributed throughout the body. At no time should the dancer be allowed to "sink down" into the shoe. This inhibits her dancing, creates undue stress and pain in the joints of the foot, and causes shoes to wear out faster.

For proper placement on pointe, a dancer with a high instep and/or very flexible metatarsal joints may be required to actually flex her toes a bit while still fully stretching her insteps.