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Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change?

dancemagazine.com

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Re: Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change?

#21

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None of these things are true about the material. They're all true of poorly-made shoes.

Also that's a very broad category. "Leather shoes." That's like nearly every dress and athletic shoe that exists. IT's all traditional moccasins. IT's a lot of the best sandals, which certainly don't have any of the problems you've listed.

Re: Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change?

#22
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, even dancers who go on point later end up with injuries and issues like arthritis. It’s really that point is a bad idea, period. It’s an archaic holdover. For some reason people don’t view it negatively like foot binding.

[flagged]

Okay, now attack boxing.

Re: Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change?

#23

[flagged]

No shoes last longer than well fitting well made all leather shoes.

I feel like everyone is reading "leather shoe" and interpreting it as "dress shoe," but tennis shoes/trainers are usually leather, too. Sandals, moccasins, etc. Leather is a material. My ON running shoes are leather. My legit hiking shoes are leather. So are the kung fu shoes I used twenty years ago to fly through the fucking air with swords.

Re: Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change?

#24
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the raw material shoes are made of is that important. If their shape is correct and you size them right, they should be fine. Shoes with a narrow toebox (pretty much all of them, except the ones that specifically advertise as being wide) should be considered extreme body modification IMO. Fine if that's what you're into, but most of the population should not be subjected to that.

I agree. The US Army already recognized this problem and developed the Munson last before WWI. Some mid and high-end footwear brands produce boots with Munson or Munson-like lasts. It helps tremendously. I cannot go back to narrow toeboxes. Oddly, lots of sports footwear suffers from the same issue and wide toeboxes are not as popular as they should be.

Sports footwear is interesting.

Football (soccer) boots tend to be extremely narrow. Part of the reason is to keep the foot firm in it, but I suspect a lot of players would benefit from wider boxes.

Climbing boots are another interesting one. I can't wear most brands at all. I have settled on Scarpa as they tend to be wider. A lot of climbers have a tendency to downsize them massively though, and I honestly don't know how they do that. I have been purchasing them at least at my street size, and the next pair I get will be a whole number up. Not because they're just uncomfortable, but rather because they're nearly impossible to get in otherwise. I do wish I'd find wider toeboxes though, so I could get a pair that fits tight, but not torture tight.

Re: Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change?

#25
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, even dancers who go on point later end up with injuries and issues like arthritis. It’s really that point is a bad idea, period. It’s an archaic holdover. For some reason people don’t view it negatively like foot binding.

[flagged]

“This smacks of misogyny!” I say as I cross out “sports where players regularly sustain CTE-causing injuries” and write “boys”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/cte-concussion-wo...

Re: Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change?

#28
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, even dancers who go on point later end up with injuries and issues like arthritis. It’s really that point is a bad idea, period. It’s an archaic holdover. For some reason people don’t view it negatively like foot binding.

[flagged]

I think it's more that the male-dominant sports are billion dollar industries driven by deep-seated cultures of masculinity that view safety as weakness, and spectatorship that wants to see violence. No one watches ballet wanting to hear the sound of the dancers' skulls colliding.

Re: Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change?

#29

While we’re on the topic, on the last year, NPR interviewed an expert who warned of lifelong debilitating injury (pain walking) that dancers developed by going en pointe too young. The woman recommended waiting until 15. But searching for this to share with dancers, I cannot find the interview now. Did NPR retract this?

Yep, that’s what happened to my wife… she started rhythmic gymnastic and ballet at 4 in Eastern Europe in the 90s with a brutal coach, had to stop at 12 for an injury, and she has been having chronic pain and arthritis since she was 17. Anything taken to the extreme can have lifelong consequences.
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