2 3 Throwback Thursday and Pointe Shoe Design | Ballet Webb

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Throwback Thursday and Pointe Shoe Design



Throwback Thursday and Pointe Shoe Design

Bill Nye, best known as The Science Guy for his television persona, attempted to improve upon the design of the pointe shoe: 
“Nye improved on pointe shoes by including more support inside the toe. Specifically, it includes a 'toe box,' which would encase and protect the toes and provide support along the sole:
The toe shoe preferably includes a toe box in the toe of the toe shoe, an upper and an outer sole. Support structure within the toe shoe includes a longitudinal support member, a foot encirculating tubular sleeve, and/or a toe ridge.”

The boxed pointe shoe we are all familiar came about through an evolutionary process: from darned tips of ballet shoes to insertions of leather pieces to strengthen the ends of the shoes to a boxing in of the tip. Here is a bit about the boxed shoe, according to http://historycooperative.org/the-pointe-shoe-a-history/

“The next substantially different form of pointe shoe appeared in Italy in the late 18th century with a modified toe area which was the beginning stages of what we now call the toe box.  Dancers like Pierina Legnani wore shoes with a sturdy, flat platform at the front end of the shoe, rather than the more sharply pointed toe of earlier models.”


Although his design was patented, to my knowledge it was never produced. If anyone knows more about this, and/or whether any company manufactures shoes with his design, I’d love to hear from you.


From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #137:
“Bill Nye ‘The Science Guy’ attempted to improve pointe shoe design.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
― Thomas A. Edison

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