There are no stupid questions. While some things are obvious to us oldtimers, there are always plenty of new dancers eager to learn the basics. A popular question online is "What is the difference between ballet technique shoes or flat shoes and pointe shoes?"
The picture on the top shows technique shoes or flat shoes. These ones are made of canvas (other technique shoes may be made of leather) and are relatively thin like socks, with no support built into them. The picture on the bottom shows pointe shoes. They are made of satin on the outside, and the front part of the shoe is reinforced with a papier-mache like material to allow the dancer to rise up on her toes.
Young dancers and beginning dancers of all ages begin their ballet training in flat shoes. It is necessary for the dancer to have a good technical base and enough strength in her legs and feet to move into pointe shoes.
In order for a dancer to go en pointe, her feet must have developed enough to support the weight of her body on her toes. Most studios like to put dancers up en pointe around age 11 or 12 after the growth plates in the foot have fused together. Some studios will put dancers up younger (as young as 7 or 8) for a long term "pre-pointe" program involving short duration and low intensity exercises done in pointe shoes. Still other studios require dancers to wait until they are done growing (around age 14) to begin pointe work.
It is a complicated process to determine when a dancer is ready for pointe work, and it involves her physical and mental maturity as well as her level of ballet training. It is best to discuss going on pointe with a teacher or studio director. Never purchase pointe shoes for a dancer who has never danced on pointe before without the express permission of her ballet teacher. Dancing en pointe without proper instruction can result in serious injury.
Why do I keep saying "she" when referring to pointe dancers? The vast majority of pointe dancers are female. Most male ballet dancers do not do pointework. A few male dancers will do pointe as a method of strengthening exercise. A couple of character roles in certain ballets call for a male dancer en pointe, like Bottom in a Midsummer Night's Dream. There is also the concept of the drag ballet, like Les Ballets Trockederos de Monte Carlo, where male dancers play the parts of both male and female characters.
When dancers begin pointe training, they will wear pointe shoes for only a small portion of the class (usually 15 minutes or so). The rest of the class will be done in technique shoes. As dancers progress to a higher level of pointework, they will take whole classes (1 hour or more) en pointe. They will also continue taking classes "on flat" during which they wear technique shoes. At no point does a dancer completely graduate from flat shoes, they are always a part of the training process.
I hope this post was helpful in answering any questions on the difference between pointe shoes and technique shoes. I plan to have additional posts in the future that will provide more specific information about pointe shoes.
Have a question or comment about pointe shoes? Leave a comment!
The picture on the top shows technique shoes or flat shoes. These ones are made of canvas (other technique shoes may be made of leather) and are relatively thin like socks, with no support built into them. The picture on the bottom shows pointe shoes. They are made of satin on the outside, and the front part of the shoe is reinforced with a papier-mache like material to allow the dancer to rise up on her toes.
Young dancers and beginning dancers of all ages begin their ballet training in flat shoes. It is necessary for the dancer to have a good technical base and enough strength in her legs and feet to move into pointe shoes.
In order for a dancer to go en pointe, her feet must have developed enough to support the weight of her body on her toes. Most studios like to put dancers up en pointe around age 11 or 12 after the growth plates in the foot have fused together. Some studios will put dancers up younger (as young as 7 or 8) for a long term "pre-pointe" program involving short duration and low intensity exercises done in pointe shoes. Still other studios require dancers to wait until they are done growing (around age 14) to begin pointe work.
It is a complicated process to determine when a dancer is ready for pointe work, and it involves her physical and mental maturity as well as her level of ballet training. It is best to discuss going on pointe with a teacher or studio director. Never purchase pointe shoes for a dancer who has never danced on pointe before without the express permission of her ballet teacher. Dancing en pointe without proper instruction can result in serious injury.
Why do I keep saying "she" when referring to pointe dancers? The vast majority of pointe dancers are female. Most male ballet dancers do not do pointework. A few male dancers will do pointe as a method of strengthening exercise. A couple of character roles in certain ballets call for a male dancer en pointe, like Bottom in a Midsummer Night's Dream. There is also the concept of the drag ballet, like Les Ballets Trockederos de Monte Carlo, where male dancers play the parts of both male and female characters.
When dancers begin pointe training, they will wear pointe shoes for only a small portion of the class (usually 15 minutes or so). The rest of the class will be done in technique shoes. As dancers progress to a higher level of pointework, they will take whole classes (1 hour or more) en pointe. They will also continue taking classes "on flat" during which they wear technique shoes. At no point does a dancer completely graduate from flat shoes, they are always a part of the training process.
I hope this post was helpful in answering any questions on the difference between pointe shoes and technique shoes. I plan to have additional posts in the future that will provide more specific information about pointe shoes.
Have a question or comment about pointe shoes? Leave a comment!
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