Shoes where the pointe is painless

A new design in ballet shoes is winning over dancers tired of chronic pain and injuries
BY ANNE McILROY, THE GLOBE AND MAIL, TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2004

For many young ballet dancers, going en pointe is a rite of passage and the start of a long and painful relationship with shoes that allow them to perform gracefully on the very tips of their toes.

"Advil is the drug of choice," says Marisa Ortega, 21, of Toronto. Like most dancers she began dancing en pointe early in her teens. She used to cringe when people used the term "ballet slippers," because it implied the shoes were comfortable. In fact, they hurt her feet so much that at first she didn't want to dance. Like most serious dancers, she continued to work through the pain, accepting it as the cost of doing something she loved. Injuries are also a regular part of a dancer's life.

National Ballet principal dancer Chan Hon Goh had danced through the pain for years, and suffered stress fractures as a young dancer. Seven-and-a-half years ago, she and her husband, Chun Che, a ballet teacher and choreographer, decided they should design a better shoe.

They consulted their fellow dancers on their first three models. For their latest pointe shoe, the Diamond Pointe, they went to sports medicine experts for help in a new design that would reduce the pain and injuries experienced by both young dancers and professional ballerinas.

These injuries include stress fractures and tendonitis, says Julia Alleyne, a sports medicine doctor who went to the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics to look after Canada's athletes and advises the National Ballet. She was happy to offer Ms. Goh suggestions on how to make pointe shoes more feet-friendly.

The new shoes will make a difference for young women in their early teens who are practicing three or four times a week and considering a career in ballet, says Dr. Alleyne.

Many dancers become so accustomed to foot pain that they don't notice the difference between chronic suffering and new pain that is the sign of a serious injury. These shoes are more comfortable, and may help dancers detect injuries early, Dr. Alleyne says.

They are winning rave reviews from more experienced dancers like Ms. Ortega, who is studying to be a professional.

"My body is so grateful," she says. She recently rehearsed the same piece twice, once in old shoes, the second time in her new Diamond Pointe shoes. "It felt like two different pieces."

She said it was so much easier for her to roll up on her toes, which weren't scrunched against the toe box. All the muscles in her feet and legs felt aligned as she danced.

Point shoes look pretty, but they don't feel it. The tips are hard, and so are the sides. The toe block is made of layers of canvass, burlap and glue.

Ms. Goh was limited in that she couldn't depart too much from the traditional look of pointe shoes or change the materials that have been used for years to make them.

"I didn't want to put anything in that was totally high-tech. Dancers won't accept it." Dr. Alleyne says Ms. Goh's shoes are different from the others in several ways. The arch, for example, has more support and cushioning, which helps when dancers go up on their toes and come down. The sole, or shank is different and designed to reduce injuries.

At first, Ms. Goh and her husband thought they would only make a few pairs of shoes for their fellow professionals. In 1996, the couple set up a company, Principal Shoes, which now sells to stores across North America that help local dancers get a good fit.

"Girls who start with these shoes may not have to go through the injuries that I had," she says.

Dr. Alleyne says shoes are not the only key to helping young dancers stay healthy and injury-free. Learning good technique and how to warm up properly and stretch are also important, as is diet.

Young dancers worried about their weight may skimp on diary products, which they need for bone development.

The shoes aren't only for the younger students. They may also prolong the career of dancers like Ms. Goh, 35, who has been a professional for 16 years, dancing major roles in the Nutcracker, Madame Butterfly, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and other ballets.

"All our steps are done en pointe, and the way our feet feel is crucial, it affects our longevity."