Jill's World: Pointe shoe quiz

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Pointe shoe quiz

This quiz is a bit different. Tell me what modification the dancer in this image has made to her shoes and why. This is a high resolution image so enlarging it should give you a good view of the changes she has made.

4 comments:

UnknownSeptember 20, 2009 at 2:53 AM
It looks like she may have sanded down the satin on her platforms for increased traction.
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JillSeptember 20, 2009 at 5:12 AM
That’s a good guess! However, that’s not it. She may have trimmed the satin off the platforms, but ground up like they are its impossible to tell. The change is obvious and something she used a needle and thread for. What is it and why did she do it?
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AnonymousSeptember 21, 2009 at 3:16 AM
Well I am usealy horrifided to see a good pair of beutiful shoes . Mamed, Still there are at least two modifactions done here . The first is at the throat ( the top of the vamp) This is done with a needle and some darning thread . It is done to change the width of the vamp . To fit the dancers foot more sucurely . A dancer foot tends to swell so this mod. a dancer can vary the instep to meet the size of the varence. The second is the pointe base . When a ballerina feel a shoe is standing crooked due to wear .She can darn the base by swewing back and forth several times . To build up the surface . This is also,done when the dancer can't stay up securelyor fall off pointe quickly. Can't see the back . So that about all I can see . Did I miss anything Jill?
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JillSeptember 21, 2009 at 3:43 AM
Hi Paul, I agree. She has sewn in vamp extensions – on a pair of shoes with a Russian style V-shaped vamp throat - which provide additional support allowing her to work further over the front of her platforms in comfort, or, if the vamp wasn’t long enough for her toes the vamp extensions will allow her to work centered over her platforms w/o her toes popping out of the boxes.
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