SHOE LIFE

The life of a pointe shoe can vary from one hour (for a professional dancer dancing an extremely demanding role in rehearsal or performance ) to one year (for a beginning student). The beginning student may outgrow her first pointe shoes before they wear out because the first 6-12 months of pointe work is done very slowly and carefully and does not put much strain on the pointe shoe. As the pointe technique becomes more demanding, the shoes will usually wear out before they are outgrown.

The initial wear and tear on shoes can include:

• the satin gets dirty (it doesn't stay shiny pink forever)
• the satin on the shoe tip tears and must be cut off (this is really an advantage since the rougher canvas underneath provides better traction that the slippery satin)
• the canvas insole, which covers the inside shank, comes unglued and bunches up, causing discomfort (when loose, just pull it out)
• the side seams of the shoe pull apart slightly
• the nails in the shank loosen and fall out

None of these things will prevent or hinder dancing.

A more serious concern is that the box and tip of the shoe will get progressively softer until they do not adequately support and protect the toes. While this is a natural result of perspiration dissolving the glue that makes the box stiff, the dancer can delay this softening by stuffing the boxes with tissue or newspaper each time she takes them off. This also helps the shoes retain their shape. Because pointe shoes should be allowed to dry out thoroughly between wearings, a mesh, drawstring bag which allows good air flow is ideal for carrying them.

Young pointe students should replace their shoes before they become too soft. Advanced dancers sometimes wear their shoes a few times after they are really too soft for pointe work, in order to strengthen their feet.

Once the shoes have become too soft to wear on pointe, the whole inside shank and its nails can be removed (de-shanked), and the shoes can be worn in place of ballet slippers for classes or rehearsals.