Where did ballet and
pointe (dance) originate from?
Well, as many of us already know, the word “Ballet” has a
French origin, and many of ballet moves are in French, but what came before
that?
“The idea that a dancer could float angelically upon her toes, barely touching the earth, gave women newfound superiority over men. The role of men became that of porters whose purpose was to lift the ballerinas and make it look easy.”
https://www.tiptoedancewear.com/ballet-history/
Female dancers did not became popular until the late 1600's and early 1700's this was because, women had to overcome society's disapproval of female performers. Also around this time (The 1730's) dancers began to come up with technique, such as in leaping and turning, but his was hard because pointe shoe are made of Leather, burlap, paper, glue, and nails, and were often soft and bendable. In the 1800's in Denmark ballerinas wore soft Nineteenth Century shoes. If one choreographer’s choreography calls for balances on demi-pointe, the ballerinas had a real problem,how to get a shoe soft enough for the jumps but hard enough for the balances and turns. Some resorted to wearing a pointe shoe on one foot and a hard shoe one on the other. They would jump with the soft pointe shoe and use the other one on the supporting leg to do balances and pirouettes. Now pointe shoes have evolved over time and have become harder and boxier. This is good and bad, because many say that pointe shoes are now too stiff for modern dancers, but once they are broken down enough, dancers can easily roll through demi-pointe to full pointe. Many dancers made changes to their pointe shoes: for example, Pavlova reinforced her shoes with a leather shank (All of the names above are famous ballerinas)This is why Female ballet dancers suffered from foot and ankle injuries that modern dancers do not get any more they are a result of doing pointe
“Why has it taken so long for modern materials to be used in pointe shoes? Because ballet is an art for its athleticism is often overlooked. Our society glorifies the sweaty football player whose hard breathing is a sign of his prowess, but the ballerina must conceal her exertions under a serene and radiant smile. Unlike sports heroes, ballerinas make it look easy. We forget that they are athletes and that like other athletes they use equipment. As with any athletic equipment, improvements in design and materials have raised technical standards. Pointe shoes need to be brought up to date.”
“Pointe shoes and pointe technique have evolved together over the past century and a half; there is no reason for progress to stop.”
http://www.the-perfect-pointe.com/PointeHistory.html