Talk:Pointe shoes

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this page needs editing, these images could be used here

Parts of a pointe shoe by ohka- cc-by
Parts of a pointe shoe by ohka- cc-by
cut away of a pointe shoe by ohka- cc-by
cut away of a pointe shoe by ohka- cc-by

the source files have been used with permissson

Ohka- 14:46, 3 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Removing citation needed tag

"The first dancers to rise up on their toes during this period did so the with help of an invention by Charles Didelot in 1795[citation needed]."

This fact is from the book shown at the bottom of the page, as are most of the facts in the history section. Inline citations every few sentences to the same resource would be unnecessary clutter, so I'm going to remove the {{fact}}. --Keitei (talk) 07:41, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

The following external links were all to shopping sites: I deleted them.

[edit] NPOV

The sections advising dancers not to modify their pointe shoes seems NPOV to me and non-encyclopedic, and really, as someone vaguely interested in the shoes - I came here wanting to know what they are made of, how long they last, that sort of thing, it seemed odd to get a lengthy lecture from an unknown person nagging me not to ruin my non-existent dance shoes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.30.91.171 (talk) 16:58, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] pointe shoe modifications

Though not a professional dancer by any means I take ballet class three to six times a week and have seen dancers from New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre "modify" (I would say customize) their shoes extensively. These are, of course, working professionals and presumably know what they're doing (there are a few lucky individuals who just pull on their shoes, but these are few and far between.) It is probably best for ballet students to have a competent pointe shoe fitter help them find the right shoe and make only such modifications as the fitter recommends. I have, however, no opinion as to whether this sort of advice belongs in the article or not. Robert Greer (talk) 19:10, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] please cite reference

On second thought, please cite reference(s) for the following from the article: This variety of shoes allows dancers to find a perfect pair. There are many incorrect ways of breaking in pointe shoes, such as pounding the shoes against cement, hitting them with blunt objects, wetting the box then wearing them to class and bending them on door frames. Even ten years ago, the selection of shoes was limited, and many dancers were forced to independently "customize" their pointe shoes to avoid injury. Now it is not necessary. Dancers should NOT do the above mentioned techniques, nor any other technique. If a dancer is fit by a professional, the shoes should mold to the fit and have the correct shank without any manipulation. If, in a special case, a shoe needs to be "shanked," it is advisable to let a professional cobbler or a pointe shoe fitter handle any changes to the shoe. Wetting the shoe or bending it in a door frame simply ruins the shoes and shortens the life span. In short, a dancer should be properly trained so that she knows how to dance correctly en pointe. If the dancer is using the correct technique and muscle support, the shoes should last ten to twenty hours en pointe. If the dancer is breaking the shank too far down, or the box is going soft, it is often the sign of either a weak dancer or a poorly fitted shoe. Please do not try to do pointe if you are not properly trained to do so, as it can leave permanent damage to your feet and ancles! [sic] In the absence of a citation this really is editorialization and however well-intended (and however true) it may be probably doesn't belong on Wikipedia. Robert Greer (talk) 15:55, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] thank you

Thank you for providing references! Robert Greer (talk) 15:14, 20 March 2008 (UTC)