Many attempts have been made to improve the classic dance shoe for dancing “en pointe”, i.e., ballet dancing such that the dancer appears to float gracefully through the air while dancing on her toes.
Classic pointe shoes are very uncomfortable new out of the box, and require extensive breaking in before they can be worn. However, such shoes are so fragile, that after being broken in, they do not last more than an hour during a performance. This is partly due to deterioration of the internal structural materials of the toe box and the shank caused by perspiration from the foot during the exertions of dancing. Deterioration of the toe box and the shank results in reduced support provide by the pointe shoe, causing fatigue and increased risk of injury.
Recently, pointe shoes have been introduced that incorporate materials designed to mimic the body's natural ability to protect against impact shock, such as Sorbothane® viscoelastic polymer. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,026 B1 includes a very thin layer (e.g., 1-2 mm) of viscoelastic polymer that directly contacts the skin of the toes, or contacts the toes via a layer of fabric bonded to the thin layer of viscoelastic polymeric material. In some embodiments, the viscoelastic polymer delivers mineral oil or medication to soften the skin of the toes of the dancer. In other embodiments, the layer of viscoelastic polymer is fenestrated, i.e., provided with many small holes so as to ventilate or otherwise reduce moisture build-up between the layer of viscoelastic polymer layer and the skin of the dancer's foot.
Nevertheless, perspiration from the foot produced during strenuous dancing eventually reaches the inner layers of structural materials of the toe box and the shank, which are vulnerable to degradation due to moisture, thereby causing deterioration of the structural materials. The resulting reduced support provided by the pointe shoe contributes to fatigue and increased risk of injury, and consequently limits the useful life of the pointe shoe.