The Grace of Ballet Slippers
The grace of ballet is not something which happens overnight. The grace of the dance and the presentation is a product of hard work in practice. It is a passion and a vocation. And to ballet dancers, ballet slipper shoes are the most important part of their being.
It is not easy to dance on one’s toes, but years of practice have developed ballerinas to do so. In some schools, to dance en pointe is not taught until after five years of study and hard work. Though the slippers look flimsy, these are the only equipment a ballet dancer wears on stage, everything else is a accessory.
Designed to be light, the shoes allow the dancers to soar and jump unhindered. However the very same design which allows the dancers to fly may not last too long due to their slight soles and the heavy amount of damage.
Ballet shoes are usually made from soft leather, canvas or satin. Leather shoes are sturdy and last long. These also keep the feet warm. Not as durable as leather, canvas shoes are are usually worn by men. Satin ballet shoes are are typically worn by women and can be easily dyed to change the shoe color.
Ballet shoes have elastic bands to strap the shoes to the feet. Ballet shoes may be secured with a single band across the foot, or with two crossing bands in an “x” shape.
Very pretty and elegant looking, wedding ballet slippers mirror ballet dancers. Looking like flimsy things when dancing, dancers are some of the most nimble artists, spending hours daily to keep nimble and in shape. Which is also true of their shoes. These may look like small and thin objects but have to be very durable to keep up with the ballerinas wearing them.
