Pointe Shoe - Lifetime

Lifetime

In the course of normal use, there are three predominant types of wear on a pointe shoe that will determine its useful lifetime. The most important of these is shank wear. As the body of the shoe is repetitively flexed, the shank gradually weakens and loses its ability to provide support. A pointe shoe is no longer serviceable when the shank breaks or becomes too soft to provide support. The second is the softening of the box and especially the platform on which the dancer balances.

The other primary type of wear involves the exterior fabric. In pointework, the front face and bottom edge of the toe box are subjected to friction against the performance surface. This friction will eventually wear through the shoe's outer fabric covering, thereby exposing the toe box and creating loose, frayed fabric edges. Unlike a weakened shank, damaged outer fabric does not affect the performance of a shoe. Due to its unprofessional appearance, however, damaged fabric may render the shoe unfit to wear in situations other than informal practice or rehearsal.

Under moderate usage, a pair of pointe shoes will typically last through ten to twenty hours of wear. For dance students, this often translates into weeks or months of serviceable use from a pair of pointe shoes. Professional dancers typically wear out pointe shoes much more quickly; a new pair may wear out in a single performance. As a result, most professional ballet companies provide shoe allowances for their dancers to defray the cost of frequent shoe replacement.

The lifetime of a pointe shoe depends on many factors, including:

• Usage. More aggressive dance styles and more frequent, longer durations of use will hasten wear.
• Dance technique. Improper technique subjects shoes to unusual stresses that may lead to premature failure.
• Fit. Well fitting pointe shoes encourage proper technique, which in turn leads to longer shoe life.
• Weight. Greater dancer weight exerts proportionally greater stresses to the shoes, leading to faster wear.
• Construction. Varying qualities and types of construction will yield different life expectancies.
• Shank material. The stiffness and integrity of various shank materials will degrade at varying rates.
• Breaking-in. The breaking-in process simulates accelerated wear, and thus may shorten the life of a shoe.
• Performance surface. Rough surfaces cause rapid wear of the exterior fabric, in contrast to smooth surfaces such as Marley floors, which minimize the rate of fabric wear.