Toe Shoes: A Special Report

The following is a report that I just completed for school. I hope you'll enjoy it.

The graceful music carries a pretty dancer out on to the stage. She is wearing a pink tutu, and floats in on toe shoes, balancing on the tip of her toe. It seems impossible. But what are those pointy shoes? Where did they come from? How do they make them?

Toe shoes are ballet shoes with a hard piece so you can stand on pointed toe. They are made of satin and look delicate, but they are actually really sturdy. When a dancer first starts on toe shoes, usually around age 11, she feels like there is a rock in her shoe, but she'll get used to it with practice.

I used to think that toe shoes were made like regular ballet shoes with bricks at the bottom. Actually, they are like regular ballet shoes, but there is a hard piece of cardboard in the toe. Toe shoes have been the made the same way for about 150 years. The method hasn't changed much since the Middle Ages.

Ballet did not start out with toe shoes. In the 1500's, ballet was the dance of the court. At first, only men were allowed to be in the performances. No fair! Soon women began to surprise audiences by putting on tights and joining in. Maria Taglioni was the first known dancer to put on toe shoes. People were amazed that she seemed to float in on the tips of her toes. That's when ballet really began to take off.

I've been especially interested in toe shoes, since I'm practicing for a part in the Nutcracker. I'm only seven, so for now I'm in regular pink ballet shoes. When I see the older ballerinas standing on point, I can't wait for my turn to float onto the stage on tippy toe, too.