Ballet footwear

NewsBot · Jun 14, 2012

Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.
Footwear in classical ballet: a study of pressure distribution and related foot injury in the adolescent dancer.
Pearson SJ, Whitaker AF.
J Dance Med Sci. 2012;16(2):51-6.

This study explores the relationship between dance shoe type and foot pressure characteristics. During adolescence, while the foot is still developing, limiting focal pressure on the feet may help reduce the risk of injury. In order to "condition" the feet for advanced dance, where pointe shoes are worn, it may be advisable to first utilize demi-pointe shoes. Eight female dancers were each tested in four footwear conditions (barefoot, soft, demi-pointe, and pointe shoes), and patterns of foot pressure were compared. A questionnaire was also distributed among sixty-five adolescent females currently training at vocational dance schools to examine shoe use and injury rate before and after the onset of pointe work. During ballet-specific dynamic movement, soft shoes and pointe shoes significantly vary in the plantar pressures they impose on the foot. Demi-pointe shoes provide an intermediate pressure condition, which may help the dancer adapt more gradually to the pressure demands of pointe shoes. Dancers who wore demi-pointe shoes prior to starting pointe were found to be less likely to sustain a ballet-related injury or a lower leg, ankle, or foot injury (22% compared to 30% in those who had not worn demi-pointe shoes). The dancers in this group were also older when they first reported an injury.
Click to expand...

Admin2 · Jun 14, 2012

Related threads:
The Effects of Dance Training on Children’s Foot Arch
Padding For Pointe Shoes
Ballet shoe Control
Limiting pronation in a dancing shoe!
Ballet
Dancers feet
Other threads tagged with dancing

NewsBot · Nov 27, 2014

Kinematic Analysis of Sautés in Barefoot and Shod Conditions
Yan, Alycia Fong; Hiller, Claire; Sinclair, Peter J.; Smith, Richard M.
Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Volume 18, Number 4, December 2014, pp. 149-158(10)

Dancers are exposed to many landings from jumps during class and performance, and repetitive loading has been linked with an increased risk of injury. Little is known about the effect of different dance shoe types on jump landings, and with so many dance shoe designs available to choose from, a thorough exploration is warranted. Dance technique dictates that jump landings be “rolled through the foot,” with a toe strike followed by controlled lowering of the ball of the foot and heel. For this study, 3D motion analysis was used to capture the movement of 16 female dancers performing sautés in second position. Lower limb joint kinematics were examined during the landings, both barefoot and in different jazz shoe designs. The results showed that all dancers executed the technique of “rolling through the foot.” All jazz shoe designs increased knee and ankle sagittal ROM (p < 0.05) but reduced ankle frontal plane ROM and midfoot ROM in all three planes (p < 0.05). Chorus shoes increased maximum knee flexion by more than 5° during the plié. Jazz shoes restricted midfoot sagittal and transverse plane motion and MPJ sagittal motion compared to barefoot throughout stance phase (p < 0.05). These changes may translate to a reduced capacity to absorb impact or decreased propulsion. Dance jump landings in the jazz shoe designs tested may appear to be heavier due to the greater reliance on knee flexion to absorb impact and less push-off for subsequent jumps.
Click to expand...

NewsBot · Sep 19, 2015

A Case in Pointe: Romance and Regimentation at the New York City Ballet.
Laemmli WE.
Technol Cult. 2015 Jan;56(1):1-27. doi: 10.1353/tech.2015.0011

This article analyzes the ballet dancer's pointe shoe as a technology of artistic production and bodily discipline. Drawing on oral histories, memoirs, dance journals, advertisements, and other archival materials, it demonstrates that the shoe utilized by dancers at George Balanchine's New York City Ballet was not the quintessentially Romantic entity it is so often presumed to be. Instead, it emerged from uniquely twentieth-century systems of labor and production, and it was used to alter dancers' bodies and professional lives in particularly modern ways. The article explores not only the substance of these changes but also the ways in which Balanchine's artistic oeuvre was inextricably intertwined with the material technologies he employed and, more broadly, how the history of technology and the history of dance can productively inform one another. Fundamentally, this article recasts Balanchine, seeing him not as a disconnected artist but as an eager participant in the twentieth-century national romance with American technology.
Click to expand...

NewsBot · May 26, 2018

The effect of pointe shoe deterioration on foot and ankle kinematics and kinetics in professional ballet dancers
Celeste Bickle et al
Human Movement Science; Volume 60, August 2018, Pages 72–77

Highlights
•We investigate pointe shoe deterioration in professional ballet dancers.
•A worn pointe shoe increases mid-foot flexion and ankle plantarflexion.
•There were no changes in peak force or centre of pressure with a worn pointe shoe.
•Reduced integrity of the pointe shoe may be a causal factor for kinematic changes.
Click to expand...

Dancing en pointe significantly increases the risk of lower limb injuries by placing the foot and ankle joint in unfavorable positions. The pointe shoe, worn predominantly by female ballet dancers may aid movement and acts as a major stabilizer of the foot. The deterioration in pointe shoe structure with excessive wear may increase a dancer’s risk of ankle and foot related injuries by placing excessive load on the joints when the foot is poorly aligned. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in foot and ankle kinetics and kinematics between new and worn pointe shoes. Fifteen professional ballet dancers completed a series of bourreés (walking en pointe) in both new and worn pointe shoes (>20 h wear). Force and pressure analyses determined peak ground reaction force and centre of pressure velocity. A 2D kinematic analysis determined the magnitude of mid-foot flexion and ankle plantarflexion. The worn pointe shoe caused significantly greater mid-foot flexion (P <  0.01) and ankle plantarflexion (P  <  0.01) en pointe compared to the new pointe shoe. No significant changes in peak force (P = 0.855) or centre of pressure velocity (P = 0.297) were observed between conditions. The reduced structural integrity of the worn pointe shoe may be a causal factor for kinematic changes and subsequent pain and lower limb injuries in professional dancers.
Click to expand...

NewsBot · Dec 28, 2018

Pro Pointe Shoe Hacks From Shelby Williams and Her Alter Ego, Biscuit Ballerina

NewsBot · May 17, 2019

A Kinematic, Kinetic, and Electromyographic
Comparison of “New” And “Dead” Pointe Shoes in
Professional Ballet Dancers
Tal Amasay, Jessica Aquino, Jatin Ambegaonkar
ACSM Mtg May 28 – June 1, 2019 – Orlando, Florida

Ballet dancers wear pointe shoes. As these pointe shoes gain more wear, the shoes
may lose structural integrity, potentially altering the normal biomechanics of dancers
while performing ballet movements. These alterations may negatively affect the ballet
dancer, possibly resulting in harmful compensations and overall decreasing dancers’
performance and increasing dancers’ injury risks. Even so, little research exists
examining pointe shoes.
PURPOSE: To compare lower body biomechanics and muscle activity between “new”
and “dead” pointe shoes in professional female ballet dancers. METHODS: Nine
professional female ballet dancers (age: 22±2 yrs; height: 163±6 cm; weight: 51±7
kg), with at least 10 years of pointe shoe training and no limiting pain or injuries,
performed three complete relevé and arabesques in “New” (3-36 training hours)
pointe shoes and “Dead” (108-144 training hours) pointe shoes. Data were collected
using force plate and 3D cameras. Separate ANOVAs compared (1) sway area during
quiet stance, (2) peak net ankle joint moments, and (3) the average root mean square
(RMS) muscle activity (%MVC) of the gastrocnemius and the tibialis anterior muscles
between the shoe conditions. RESULTS: Dancers showed significantly higher sway
area in the “dead” pointe shoes during both relevé (146±115 mm2 vs. 94±58 mm2,
p<0.05) and arabesque (191±159 mm2 vs. 112±48 mm2, p<0.05). Dancers showed
significantly higher tibialis anterior activation during arabesque in “dead” pointe shoes
(39±13% vs. 33±7%, p<0.05). No significant differences were observed in muscle
activation for tibialis anterior during relevé and for gastrocnemius during relevé and
arabesque (p>0.05). No significant differences were observed in plantarflexion and
dorsiflexion moments during relevé and arabesque (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Overall,
we found that the biomechanical profiles presented by the dancers when wearing
“dead” pointe shoes have been previously linked to increased risk for ankle instability,
lateral ankle sprains, and earlier onset of muscle fatigue. Understanding how pointe
shoe biomechanics changes over time may inform dancers, educator, researchers,
clinicians, and pointe shoe designers how extended training in “dead” pointe shoes
may potentially harm dancers’ health.
Click to expand...

NewsBot · May 19, 2019

Design Optimization of Ballet Shoes for Beginners Using Computer Simulation with Musculoskeletal Model.
Pyo, C.
Preprints 2019, 2019050159

The beautiful and stable posture is essential for ballet. Especially the pirouette which dancers balance themselves on their one leg is one of the most impressive postures. During the pirouette motion, loads from the rotation and the body weight are concentrated to the one leg. Proper ballet shoes can reduce the muscle burden and improve the stability. Four types of shoes; bare feet, running shoes, pointe shoes, and dance sneakers are analyzed. The motion capture system and SIMM are used for the analysis of muscle burden and stability during pirouette. The major 6 muscles in the leg (beceps femoris long head, beceps femoris short head, soleus, rectus femoris, gastrocnemius medialis, and gastrocnemius lateralis) are analyzed, and the effect of rotating velocity is considered. Dance sneakers are outstanding for improving the stability and lessening the muscle burdens in all conditions for beginners. That comes from the design feature of the divided shoe soles and protecting the ankle of the axis leg. With the results and analysis, the direction for design optimization of ballet shoes is suggested. Consequently, this research is about the verification of sports equipment using computer simulation with the musculoskeletal model from a scientific viewpoint of biomechanics.
Click to expand...

NewsBot · May 19, 2019

Acute Effect of Toe Cap Choice on Toe Deviation Angle and Perceived Pain in Female Professional Ballet Dancers.
Salzano A et al
Biomed Res Int. 2019 Apr 10

Several classical dance complex movements, such as pointe, require body weight to be supported properly to avoid risk of foot injury. Regarding the choice of toe cap for pointe shoes, it is unclear which type can better alleviate pain symptoms and toe deviation angle in dancers. The aim of the current crossover study was to investigate the acute effect of using different types of toe caps among well-trained professional dancers on pain perception and toe deviation angle. Ten young female professional dancers volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant was tested during two separate sessions with an interval of 72 h in between. Participants were tested in the two sessions with a standard commercial or a customized prototype toe cap, always with pointe shoes, and in randomized order. An anteroposterior X-ray examination was performed separately for each participant and a visual analogue scale for pain perception was administered following each situation (with a standard commercial or a customized prototype toe cap). Significant amelioration was obtained when a customized toe cap prototype was used both for toe deviation angle and for visual analogue scale. Use of a customized toe cap prototype compared to a standard one may acutely reduce both toe deviation angle and pain in elite female professional dancers.
Click to expand...

NewsBot · Oct 12, 2019

Analysis of Forefoot Pressure in the Ballet Pointe Shoe
Singh, Dinika.
Tulane University School of Science and Engineering, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2019. 13882611.

Pointe shoes designed for ballet practice have been proven to cause injury at
concentrated points of pressure, leading to misalignment within the shoe. This
misalignment leads to career-threatening injury and possible cessation of dance. This
study aims to identify regions of concentrated force on the forefoot and explore force
reduction of significant areas. This culminates in the exploration of a toe box
modification that aims to reduce areas of high force concentration, thereby promoting
“correct” alignment of the metatarsals within the toe box.
The beginning iterations of this study consisted of the development of a “foot
model”, utilizing Creaform’s 3D scanning technology and VXElements to create a 3D
rendering in two different materials, polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic
polyurethane (TPU). This print was used to produce feet for vertical loading simulation in
the ADMET. The pressure measurements taken in the ADMET contribute to the
characterization of areas on the forefoot that experience high force during loading.
This study offers an understanding of the pressure and subsequent alignment
factors that negatively impact dancers on pointe, affording how modifications of existing
technology can improve the alignment due to pressure in the toe box of the pointe shoe
Click to expand...

NewsBot · Jul 19, 2021

The History of Pointe Shoes: The Landmark Moments That Made Ballet's Signature Shoe What It Is Today

NewsBot · Jan 6, 2024

The Effects of Pointe Shoes on Ballet Dancers' Biomechanics, Muscle Activity, Movement and Symptoms: A Scoping Review
Kate Madden, Sue Mayes, Jill Cook, Katia Ferrar
J Dance Med Sci. 2024 Jan 4:

Introduction: Dancing en pointe requires ballet dancers to stand on the tips of their toes while wearing a structured pointe shoe. Understanding the effect of pointe shoes on ballet dancers' biomechanics, function, symptoms and skin health is essential to guide shoe development and ultimately improve dancer performance. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review was to map the evidence and identify knowledge gaps related to the effect of wearing pointe shoes on professional and recreational ballet dancers. Method: A scoping review was conducted by searching 6 electronic databases and the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science Bibliography. Results: Thirty-five studies were grouped into 5 categories: pointe shoe factors (eg, toe box and shank, pointe shoe status; 9 studies), shoe types (eg, flat shoes vs demi pointe vs pointe; 10 studies), ballet movements (11 studies), symptoms (5 studies), and intrinsic dancer factors (eg, foot type/toe length; 7 studies). Studies were published between 1979 and 2023, with 72% (n = 23) published between 2006 and 2020. Most (86%) of the studies were cross-sectional. Most studies explored biomechanical outcomes and the most common data collection device was force plates (19 studies). Overall, there was an insufficient volume of evidence for specific research aims. Significant gaps in knowledge exist regarding functional and performance-based outcomes, injury outcomes including exploration of factors such as shoe age/usage, and pointe shoe treatment factors. Conclusions: Currently the field of research suffers from threats to ecological validity, with many study methods not reflecting ballet-specific demands or environments. The impact of pointe shoes on ballet dancers is a developing research area, and this scoping review can help guide future research decisions. Studies need to target the knowledge gaps and employ rigorous ecologically valid study designs and ensure that findings inform shoe design and dancer education to minimize injury and maximize comfort and performance.
Click to expand...

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

Admin2 Administrator Staff Member

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

Connective Tissue Gene Variants in Professional Ballet

Height of the Medial Longitudinal Arch During Classical Ballet Steps

ballet Companies

Assessing Readiness for En Pointe in Young Ballet Dancers

The effect of textured ballet shoe insoles on ankle proprioception in dancers

Corticospinal excitability of the ankle extensor muscles is enhanced in ballet dancers

Podiatrist focused on ballet research New to Podiatry Arena

Share This Page