En pointe

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Image:Cutaway-of-a-pointe-shoe.png Dancing en pointe is the action of rising to 'tips of the toes' while performing steps from ballet technique. Also known as pointe work, it is performed using hard toed pointe shoes. Dancing en pointe requires considerable strength and skill and is central part of a ballerina's training and repertory. Although this is one of the most graceful forms of dance, it can also be very painful and cause damage to the feet.

In 1832 the ballerina Marie Taglioni danced the full length of the romantic ballet La Sylphide en pointe and is credited as the developer and pioneer of pointe work technique. Marie Taglioni first rose onto pointe with soft ballet slippers that had a reinforced toe area. The area was reinforced by stitching around the front part of the slipper. Although a development of romantic ballet and a central element of ballet dancing in general, other dance forms such as jazz dance, street dance and tap dance also have short steps that are performed on the toes. In tap dance this is called "toe stand".

In the 1920s and 1930s Harriet Hoctor, a burlesque and vaudeville dancer, wore pointe shoes fitted with steel shanks and platforms to allow tapping en pointe and backwards bends whilst en pointe. Other dancers fitted ball bearings inside between the platform to allow for faster turns but the dangers of the steel shanks snapping meant that such practices quickly ceased.

Dancers now use satin pointe shoes with a hard but bendable shank and a box made up of layers of canvas, hessian, paper and glue. Because the shoes are very hard when new, dancers develop idiosyncratic methods to break in their pointe shoes, including pounding the shoes against cement, hitting them with blunt hammers, bending them on a door frame, or simply massaging the shoe with their hands. Professional dancers select new pairs of pointe shoes carefully, checking that they are even and balanced, and usually have a favorite brand, model, and even maker. Recently, the Gaynor Minden company has developed a pointe shoe made from synthetics. The box and shank are made from a material called elastomeric, and do not require breaking in. They are not as widely used as the traditional paper and glue pointe shoes.

Because pointe work can be painful, dancers also find methods to prevent chafing and blisters. Although beginning students often use lamb's wool or "toepads" made out of soft material or gel, professionals often use only a small amount of tape, paper towelling, or nothing at all. Less padding is advantageous because it enables more freedom of movement.

Before beginning pointe work, some dancers use a demi-pointe shoe. This shoe, also called a pre-pointe shoe or a soft-block, has characteristics of both a soft ballet shoe and a regular pointe shoe. Its outer appearance resembles that of a pointe shoe. It has a toe box similar to the one in a pointe shoe, but it is much softer and the wings (sides of the toe box) often cover a smaller portion of the toes. The most important difference between demi-pointe shoes and pointe shoes is that demi-pointe shoes have no shank. Therefore, they do not give the necessary support for a dancer to actually stand on her toes in them, and to do so would be extremely dangerous. Rather, their purpose is to accustom the dancer to the feel of wearing a pointe shoe, so she is already used to it by the time she is ready to dance fully en pointe. Demi-pointe shoes are by no means necessary for learning pointe, but they can be a useful learning tool.

A dancer must wait for her body to be strong enough before she starts to dance en pointe, as it can cause serious damage to the feet, ankles and knees if she has not yet built up the strength. In addition, girls should not start to dance en pointe before they are about 11 because, before that, the bones of their feet are not completely ossified (developed) and can be permanently damaged. Dancers often prepare for pointe work by practicing strengthening exercises such as releves. Dancing en pointe requires one to use the entire body for support, including the legs and abdominal muscles.de:Spitzentanz fr:Pointes id:Pointe work ja:ポワント fi:En pointe