How to color ballet shoes (and pointe shoes)

Ballet technique shoes can usually be found at the dance store and on discountdance.com in pink, tan, black, and white.  Pointe shoes can usually only be found in light pink.  For some recitals and performances, dancers are required to have ballet or pointe shoes that are a different color than what is normally sold in stores.  Professional dancers usually have a company costumer to take care of colored shoes for them, but students have to provide their colored shoes themselves.  

In this post, I will go through basic techniques to change the color of canvas and leather technique shoes, as well as pointe shoes.  

The most common "specialty" colors used in performance are white, red, and black, but sometimes more colors like purple and green are needed.  If white shoes are required, your best bet is to go buy some.  There is really no way to make a shoe lighter in color.  Most dying and coloring methods make shoes a darker color.  Below, I will be talking about making shoes black and red.  If you have any specific questions about making shoes another color, leave a comment and I will get back to you.

If you need black ballet shoes, you can just buy some.  However, if you have a pair of old ballet technique shoes that are still wearable, you can change their color with polish, markers, or dye.  

If your technique shoes are leather, you can use a large black sharpie to color the entire shoe.  Make sure you use neat strokes, and don't forget the binding, drawstring, and elastic if you director says that all these areas must be black as well.  You can also use black shoe polish to turn the leather part of a technique shoe black.  This does not work on the elastic, binding, or drawstring, so if these parts must be black too, you will need to use a marker.  If you are comfortable using leather dye, this works too (just on the leather parts of the shoe).  Use the dye according to the package directions, then use a marker on the binding, elastic, and drawstring.

If your shoes are canvas, use a fabric marker to color the fabric black.  You may need multiple markers for one pair of shoes, since you will be using a lot of the markers' ink.  Again, remember to get the elastic, casing, drawstring, and sole if you need to.  For a canvas shoe, you can also use fabric dye.  This is a quicker method to get all parts of the shoe the same color at the same time.  Dye it just like you would dye any other fabric items according to the package directions.  Just make sure you rinse the shoe well after dying it, and put it on to shape it before you let it dry.  Don't put canvas ballet shoes in the dryer; it will make them shrink.

Don't use a sharpie (unless it is a specific sharpie fabric marker) on canvas shoes; it bleeds like crazy and will stain tights and feet when the shoes are worn.

Red technique shoes are available from some online retailers, but they are usually available from "off" brands that are shipped from Asia.  For a sure fit and no shipping, you're better off coloring your shoes yourself.  

If you need red technique shoes, it's best to start with a canvas pair of shoes in a white or light pink color and use one of the methods for canvas shoes described above (just use a red fabric marker or red dye).  If you try to use a sharpie on a leather shoe, it will come out a dark shiny orange color, which will look wrong on stage.  If you are comfortable with leather dye, this will give a better result on a leather shoe.  Just don't forget to marker the drawstring, binding, and elastic.

For pointe shoes, some brands carry colored pointe shoes and allow customers to special order them.  However, not all brands offer colored shoes, and they often cost more and take longer to ship.  

If you need a white pointe shoe, try pancaking it with bright white face makeup.  Put some makeup in a small container like a paper cup, then dip in a makeup sponge or painting sponge and dab it all over the shoe.  This usually works ok, but can result in a streaky appearance.  If you can get white ribbon and elastic, do that and sew it on either before or after you color the shoe.  

For some performances, you will be required to have a matte pink shoe.  To do this, use the same pancaking method using pink calamine lotion.  You will probably have to do your ribbon and elastic as well, especially if the ribbon is shiny or doesn't match the color of your shoe.

If you need a red or black pointe shoe, you have a few options.  To color the satin of the shoe, you can use a sharpie or a fabric marker.  Both work well, but I prefer fabric markers because they smell less toxic, and you can color the binding and drawstring without having to worry about it rubbing off and staining tights and feet.  If you need red or black ribbon and elastic too, either purchase them in red or black, or color them with your marker (before you sew them on) and wash them (to make sure the color doesn't bleed). You can hand wash the ribbon and elastic in the sink using dish soap or mild laundry soap.  Don't put them in the washing machine; they will get lost. 

Here is a video of how I like to color my pointe shoes using a fabric marker:

You can also use fabric dye to color pointe shoes, but this seems like a long and messy process.  Make a solution of dye according to the package directions, then use a painting sponge to dab dye onto the shoe.  You will have to rinse the shoe so the dye does not bleed, but be careful.  Wetting the shoe too much will alter the way the box feels on the foot.  If you need colored ribbon and elastic, dye it by dipping in the dye solution, then rinse well and let it dry before sewing it onto the shoe (make sure the shoe is dry before it's sewn).

Do you have a favorite method for coloring flat shoes or pointe shoes?  Do you have a question about shoes of a specific color?  Leave a comment!