What is Pointe shoes?
[[Image:PointeShoes.jpg|thumb|right|Modern pointe shoes. The edge of the toe pad, which is inserted between the foot and toe box for cushioning, can be seen on the right foot]] '''Pointe shoes''' are special [[shoe]]s worn by [[ballerina]]s. They are made with a wide, flat, reinforced front end. This lets the dancer stand on tip[[toe]]. In normal flat [[ballet]] shoes, the toe construction does not provide this support for the dancer's body weight. So they cannot stand or dance ''en pointe''. == History == Mid-18th century dancer [[Marie Camargo]] of the [[Paris Opéra]] Ballet was the first to wear a non-heeled shoe,<ref name=Debbie/> enabling her to perform leaps that would have been difficult, if not impossible, in the old shoes. The first dancers to rise up on their toes did so with the help of an invention by Charles Didelot in 1795. His 'flying machine' lifted dancers upward, allowing them to stand on their toes before leaving the ground. This lightness and ethereal quality was well received by audiences and, as a result, choreographers began put more pointework into their pieces. As dance progressed into the 1800s, the desire grew to dance en pointe without the aid of wires. When [[Marie Taglioni]] first danced ''[[La Sylphide]]'' en pointe,<ref name=Debbie/> her shoes were nothing more than modified satin slippers. Because the shoes of this period offered no support, dancers would pad their toes for comfort and rely on the strength of their feet and ankles for support. The birth of the modern pointe shoe may be due to the early 20th century Russian ballerina [[Anna Pavlova]], who was one of the most famous and influential dancers of her time. Pavlova's feet had particularly high [[instep|arch]]es, which left her vulnerable to injury when dancing en pointe. To help this problem, she would put tough leather soles into her shoes for extra support, and would flatten and harden the toe area to form a box. While this practice made dancing en pointe easier for her, it was regarded by her rivals as 'cheatin