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We all love items that are newly packaged. Receiving your shopping cart in a nice bag is also really, really nice.

We, at The Ballet Shop, value this immensely. We are also very sensitive to the amount of waste this generates. That has environmental implications.

The environment has always been close to our heart and since opening shop 24 years ago, we have always striven to be really careful with waste packaging.

Ballet shoes, sneakers, leotards, jazz pants – these all come in individual packaging. This protects them from the environmental elements, particularly temperature changes and humidity. You’d be surprised at the tonnes of waste that is generated by one single purchase. If you have three items, that’s three bags. There’s also the shopping bag that goes with it (or the packaging for the items to be posted).

We could order more, new packaging but that would harm the environment. We don’t want that.

If we ask you for your product packaging when leaving the shop, it’s because we repurpose it – we use it for some other item whose packaging has become dirty or damaged. If you don’t need your packaging, please leave it behind so that we can use it for another item that might need it.

For posted items: we use the packaging to insulate from the rain, but we might use a different bag if your product’s own bag has become damaged for any reason. You can also ask us to pack all your items in one single back. That way, we reduce the amount of plastic being sent to you and will dispose of it properly. Or, we might just find another product that badly needs a new bag.

If you find our products in a bag which looks a little strange or unusual, this is why. We will try to mark them as ‘Repackaged’, so that you will know. Polythene bags can become damaged with handling and with the humidity of storage, or dust over time. Therefore, we’ve often changed packaging or reused the shopping bag we give you when you shop. Simple: less waste and a happier mother earth.

We could buy more bags and replace them; but that would harm the environment more. We don’t want that.

We’ve recently decided to reduce prices of some things with damaged packaging, even if the products are – of course – brand new.

If you see products with a different kind of packaging, please know that we have reused someone else’s bag, in order to keep your product safe in storage.

Pointe shoes are a special type of footwear that allow ballet dancers to perform on the tips of their toes (‘pointes’). They have a long and fascinating history that spans over two centuries.

‘Pointe’ is a french word referring to the tip. In this case, tip of the toes!

Here are some of the key events and milestones in the evolution of pointe shoes:

• The first ballet shoes were heeled slippers that limited the dancers’ movements and jumps. In the 1730s, Marie Camargo of the Paris Opéra Ballet was the first to remove the heels from her shoes, creating the flat ballet slipper that is still used today for training and rehearsal¹.
• In 1795, Charles Didelot invented a flying machine that lifted dancers up on wires, enabling them to stand on their toes before leaving the ground. This gave the impression of weightlessness and inspired choreographers to incorporate more pointe work into their ballets².
• In 1823, Amalia Brugnoli was the first dancer to rise on her toes without any wires, using lightly stitched satin slippers with square toes. She performed in Armand Vestris’ La Fée et le Chevalier and amazed the audience with her technique¹.
• In 1832, Marie Taglioni became the first to dance a full-length ballet on pointe, in La Sylphide, choreographed by her father, Filippo Taglioni. She used tight-fitting, darned, leather-soled satin slippers tied with ribbons to convey her character’s ethereal and romantic qualities¹.
• Throughout the 19th century, pointe shoes underwent various modifications to improve their durability and support. Dancers added leather soles, hardened toe boxes, and insoles to their shoes, and experimented with different shapes and materials. Some of the famous dancers who influenced the development of pointe shoes were Fanny Elssler, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito, and Anna Pavlova¹³.
• In the 20th century, pointe shoes became more standardized and mass-produced, with different brands and models catering to different preferences and needs. Some of the innovations that were introduced were the use of synthetic materials, such as thermoplastic elastomers and urethane foams, to replace the traditional paper and glue; the addition of shanks, or stiffeners, to provide more arch support; and the creation of different toe box shapes, such as tapered, square, or round³.
• In the 21st century, pointe shoes continue to evolve and adapt to the demands of contemporary ballet. Some of the recent trends and developments are the availability of brown and bronze shades to match darker skin tones⁴; the use of 3D printing and scanning to create customized and personalized shoes; and the incorporation of technology, such as sensors and LEDs, to enhance the performance and aesthetics of pointe shoes³.

As you can see, pointe shoes have a rich and complex history that reflects the changes and innovations in ballet over time. They are not only a technical tool, but also a symbol of a dancer’s artistry and expression.

We at the Ballet Shop hope you enjoyed learning about the history of pointe shoes. ???? Do remember that we have some great pointe shoes in stock – notably Sansha and F.R. Duval.

The Recital are the most common beginner model, while the Legende is one of the more popular advanced models, featuring a split external sole.