The new short film "Pointe Shoes" documents the New York City Ballet and its relationship with the thousands of pointe shoes that outfit its dancers. Oftentimes custom-made and tailored specifically to each ballerina's tastes, needs, and shape, the perfect pointe shoe is imperative to a dancer's success, and includes a whole slew of rituals. Says principal dancer Megan Fairchild, "I always sew (on) a new pair of shoes for each performance. First, I step on the box, and I break the shank a little bit each way. And then, I like to put a little rosin on the tops and the bottoms and on the heel of the shoe."
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Most interesting: All that breaking-in makes the shoes unwearable for more than a day, for top-level ballerinas, which means the company needs to supply a new pair of $67.50 pointes every single day. That adds up to nearly half-a-million dollars spent on pointe shoes each year. Now, we're no prima ballerinas here by any means, but with all our advancements in modern technologies, what's holding us back from creating a pointe shoe that lasts just as long as a pair of soccer cleats or running shoes? Watch the five-minute-long video, below, and imagine what your life would be like, if you could talk your boss into buying you a new pair of shoes every day. (Huffington Post)
Photo: Via Pointe Shoes
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