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Ballet Dance Shoes

Possitives and Negatives of Ballet Shoes

Over time Ballet  shoes have become detrimental for ballerina performance as they help execute and help deliver an outstanding performance that could not be possible without them. According to the article, “Preventing Dance Injuries: Current perspectives,” most genres of dance require a specific type of shoe and for ballerinas ballet shoes are a must. Pointe shoes in ballet are, “supportive of the foot, having been shown to provide stiffness with compromise of the midfoot ligaments” (Russel 6). The article explains that Pointee Shoes are a necessity for “en pointe technique,” and appear to be better than ballet slippers. Further evidence has been discovered that a soft pointee is preliminary to reducing leg, ankle and foot injuries in adolescent dancers if used before initiating pointe training. However, dancing en pointe can increase the likelihood of injuries in young dancers if proper care is not exercised.

Dancing en pointe

Dancing en pointe is a specific type of ballet that can give rise to numerous injuries in young dancers if proper care is not exercised in deciding when a dancer is ready to begin pointe training.155,156 It requires an extreme amount of plantar flexion157–159 that includes motion among the bones of the feet160 in order to stand on the toe tips in pointe shoes (Figure 1). The physical test – among several evaluated – found to be most associated with appropriate readiness for pointe work is the “Airplane test,”161 an assessment substantially related to core stability. The dancer stands on one leg while bending over at the waist and extending the other leg backward such that it and the trunk are parallel to the floor. In this position, then, the dancer is facing downward at the floor. The upper extremities are extended outward from the shoulders, also parallel to the floor. The dancer then lowers herself by flexing the knee of the support leg, simultaneously keeping the trunk and nonsupport leg parallel to the floor and bringing the fingertips of both hands downward, while maintaining extended elbows, to touch the floor in front of the face. The dancer then extends the knee and upper extremities to return to the starting position. Four out of five consecutive trials performed with good balance and without valgus or varus motion of the support knee are required to pass the test.161

[1]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3871955/bin/oajsm-4-199Fig1.jpg

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A ballet dancer standing en pointe. Note the extreme talocrural plantar flexion and the architecture of the midfoot, the combination of which is required for the dancer to attain this position.

Other factors related to success in moving to ballet en pointe include foot strength, ankle range of motion, stability and control during rising to the toes and lowering, and seriousness of ballet training as evidenced by the number of days and hours per week the student attends ballet classes.155,156 Implementing solely an age-based criterion for advancement to pointe is not appropriate.88,156 Health care providers who have occasion to consult with young dancers and their parents about dancing en pointe should become conversant with the demands of this activity.