On Point

THIS DANCE TECHNIQUE LOOKS EFFORTLESS, BUT APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING.

- Sonja Cole

How do ballerinas dance on the very tips of their toes? It’s called “en pointe,” a phrase from the French language. A professional dancing en pointe looks almost magical. How does she balance like that? Does it hurt? It may look dainty, but it is one of the most strenuous things anyone can do. It takes major strength, years of training, and special shoes called pointe shoes. And yes, it does hurt.

Otherworldly Origins Marie Taglioni was the first woman to popularize dancing en pointe. In 1832, she danced an entire ballet this way. Many classical ballets are full of magical creatures, like fairies in The Nutcracker and enchanted swans in Swan Lake. Rising en pointe makes the dancers seem to float weightlessly like the otherworldly beings they portray. But pointe shoes then were very different than today’s hard pointe shoes. Taglioni balanced on her toes wearing nothing more than soft, tightfitting satin slippers with leather soles, and some extra stitching under the tip.

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