One of the most important parts in ballet dancers’ work is to make the performance look smooth and flowing, despite the fact that standing en pointe in toe shoes appears to defy the scientific laws of physics.
Besides the knowledge of the toe shoes’ design, understanding pointework’s magic requires familiarity with some basic physics principles. Because the dancer standing en pointe is not holding onto anything, the only forces acting on the body are the downward force of gravity and the opposite upward force of the floor. In static equilibrium, the dancer balances the entire body weight on the toe box. As toes push down into the floor, the en pointe dancer’s stabilizer is the upward great tension in the Achilles tendon.
After all, maintaining en pointe takes great physical strength and when getting the first pair of toe shoes, the use of a barre as a weight-bearing tool can help to avoid major injuries.
Photo: Ballet pointe shoes
