Pointe shoes are a vital part of Nutcracker season, a ballet company’s budget, and little girls’ dreams. CBS’s “Sunday Morning” program pointed out yesterday that Nutcracker season is high demand season for pointe shoes. New York City Ballet goes through 500 pairs per month at this time of year, principal dancer Tiler Peck might use 10 pairs a week, and the company spends almost $780,000 a year on shoes.
Watch the segment or read the story at:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-your-toes-the-making-of-ballet-pointe-shoes/
Pointe shoes are still made by hand, and many dancers prefer a certain “maker” whose stamp is on each pair of shoes. Although they are hard enough to help girls stand on the very tips of their toes, they break down quickly and then a new pair is needed. Though students may start with one or two hours a week “en pointe,” professionals often spend many hours each day in their shoes.
Students at the Greenville Ballet School must be at least 11 years old and have had several years of serious training before they are ready for dancing “en pointe.” At this point they are learning to sew ribbons and elastics on their pointe shoes, learning how to break them in, and eventually they hope to find the perfect pair for their grown up ballerina feet.
Enroll today so that pointe shoes can be part of your future!