Pointe Shoes and Elite Ballet Dancers Christine Shevchenko on Brands Customization Hacks

#balletdancer
#ChristineShevchenko

Think of classical ballet, and a ballerina dancing in pointe shoes comes to mind. These specialized shoes were originally designed to allow dancers to appear weightless, with an ethereal quality in Romantic era supernatural, otherworldly roles as sylphs, willys, nymphs, and fairies that permeate Giselle, Swan Lake, and La Sylphide. Technique and shoes advanced, allowing dancers to do much more than portray mythical creatures in a forest, expanding opportunities for innovations and athleticism in choreography.

This video series provides an overview of pointe shoes from the perspective of an elite professional dancer. This video provides commentary from American Ballet Theatre’s Christine Shevchenko on topics ranging from brands, sizing, usage, preparation, and pain management.

Many thanks to Christine for discussing her pointe shoe experiences.

Intro: 00:00
Pointe Shoe Basics: 1:58
Brands: 3:00
Customization 4:42
Breaking In: 7:29
Performance: 10:00
Number of Shoes: 12:56
Pain Management: 13:36
Final Thoughts: 15:35

Sources
Giselle - Myrtha Queen of the Willis Variation (Marianela Nuñez, The Royal Ballet), @RoyalOperaHouse

Extracts from the second act of the Swan Lake with Christine Shevchenko & Calvin Royal, @VICTORIYA-THEATER-FAN

ROMEO AND JULIET | Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III, @AmericanBalletTheatre

Don Quixote Pas De Deux - Christine Shevchenko and Julian Mackay, @JulianMacKayOfficial

How Royal Ballet dancers prepare their pointe shoes, @RoyalOperaHouse

What's in a Ballet Shoe, @lookinvideo