History of the Pointe Shoe
Ballet, as the art form we know today, had its roots in 17th century France in the court of Louis XIV. At first, all the roles, both male and female, were danced by men. It wasn't until the 18th century that women began to figure more prominently in the ballet world.
The first ladies danced in heavy floor-length costumes and heeled shoes. In the middle 1700's, Marie Camargo caused a sensation by shortening her skirts (to just above the ankles!) and removing the heels from her shoes. This adjustment enabled Mlle. Camargo to jump higher and allowed the audience to see her footwork..
The one element most associated today with ballet, the pointe shoe, did not emerge until early in the nineteenth century.
We may never know which dancer was actually the first to dance en pointe. Current historians credit several dancers with being among the first. Pictures of Maria del Caro (1804) and Fanny Bias (1821) depict the ballerinas on the tips of their toes, or nearly so. Genevieve Gosselin and Amalia Brugnoli were among those receiving acclaim for their early development of what is now considered basic pointe technique.
It was perhaps Marie Taglioni who, at the height of the Romantic Era, developed the aesthetic beauty of pointe work, which enabled her to appear ethereal and weightless.
The first pointe shoes used by ballerinas of the early nineteenth century were little more than soft ballet slippers which were heavily darned at the tip. Dancers posed for barely a second on pointe. Today's pointe technique, which consists of relevés, pirouettes, hops and sustained poses, was not possible until the advent of the modern pointe shoe.
Modern pointe shoes differ greatly from ballet slippers. They are made of several layers of burlap and canvas, each formed and then dipped in glue. It is this hardened glue which give the shoe its stiffness. The final layer is satin.
For more information about the history, traditions and techniques of ballet theater, visit the Guide to Ballet Theater.