3-D Printing: Increasing the Durability of Pointe Shoes
A new and a well-used pair of pointe shoes. Photo by Mei Proetzel.
It’s Earth Day on April 22nd, 2024. Thinking about sustainability in our lives, dancers and those interested must consider the problem of pointe shoes. Each season, London’s Royal Ballet alone dances through over 6,000 pairs of pointe shoes. While ballet dancers are recognized for the universal look of pointe shoes, dancers differ widely in this highly individualized footwear. With the unique ability to balance on the mere tips of their toes, these shoes require extensive customization to ensure personal fit, comfort, and support. Unfortunately, the material qualities that make it possible to mold the fit of pointe shoes also give them a very short lifespan.
Complexity in Tradition
Traditional pointe shoes are handmade with a papier-mâché technique, layering fabric and glue within a satin casing. Despite the same creation process, various brands release a multitude of models. In addition to the length and width of the foot, dancers must find the most agreeable shoe for the specific contours of their feet, including the severity of their arch, the shape of their toes, and more. As no two dancers have the same feet, the pointe shoe market is necessarily vast.
The Need for Customization
Despite a general fit, pointe shoes are otherwise unusable in new condition. The hardened layers constitute the shoe’s overall stiffness. While the stiffness provides support for the immense pressure surrounding the toes, it hinders the natural flexibility of the foot until the shoe is softened in the remaining areas. As pointe shoes serve as an extension of the dancer’s feet, melding the shoe to the foot requires intentional, localized “break-in” before use. Dancers ensure a proper fit with a personalized regimen. From dabbing water to soften certain areas, cutting out segments of the internal leather sole, and banging the shoe against a hard surface to literally “break it in,” customization reflects a dancer’s preferences for optimal performance. Some dancers even keep a little hammer to help them soften the shoes.
The Question of Innovation
While traditional pointe shoes often have a short lifespan, the material’s ability to break down is precisely how the shoe uniquely molds to the foot. After the necessary break in before use, shoes achieve an optimized state that is both supportive and personalized. Then, the trapped heat and sweat continually soften the layers until the shoes no longer provide sufficient support. As technological innovations become increasingly popular, companies market 3-D printed materials with increased durability. However, eliminating this natural deterioration provides both benefits and limitations.
Introducing 3-D Printing: Só Dança’s “Elektra Tech”
In 2019, renowned dancewear company Só Dança released the “Elektra Tech” pointe shoes, introducing 3-D printing to the mainstream ballet world. Alternative to the papier-mâché layers, a 3-D printed polymer skeleton promised unceasing support due to the unique material. With the inability to break down, dancers faced neither the short lifespan nor the ability to customize their shoes. Plus, Só Dança only released one model of the shoe. Unfortunately, the unvarying hardness and one-model-fits-all concept appealed to a slim customer base. Eventually, Só Dança released more models, disproving the one-model-fits-all promise. Whether the longer-lasting thermoplastic used for the Elektra is more sustainable than traditional pointe shoe materials is another question. Accordings to Sò Dança’s website, Elektras are recyclable (program details to be announced).
New Competition: Act’Pointes by act’ble
As of early 2023, “Act’Pointes” by new company act’ble (able to act) further challenge the conventional pointe shoe with their deconstructed, “modular set” pointe shoe. In addition to the newfound external appearance, the 3-D printed soles make similar promises to the Elektras. Both companies advertise the material’s greater durability. Act’Pointes supposedly last five times longer than traditional pointe shoes. The shoes have a unique modular system: soles, skins, laces and a toe-box tape come as separate pieces assembled by the dancer. Dancers can replace worn out parts only, which can then be recycled. But the invariable internal strength and few shape options ultimately confine dancers. Without the ability for personalization, Act’Pointes and Elektras bravely assume themselves to be at the optimal state for all dancers.
Improvement or Impediment?
Molloy University Theatre Arts faculty member Eureka Nakano Grimes discusses the learning curve of Act’Pointes in an online review. After repeated use, she praises the lightness of the shoes likely due to the minimalist design. However, as the Act’Pointes are mainly composed of the 3-D printed frame, the localized and disproportionate support required more foot strength in comparison to the overall support of traditional shoes. Plus, the frame’s unlined texture caused blisters due to chafing. Interestingly, Grimes notes how she would have to “give in” and wear padding to prevent chafing and increase comfort. While dancers customize their shoes to accommodate their feet, Grimes phrases this alteration as making her feet comfortable in spite of the shoes. 3-D printed pointe shoes may last longer than traditional shoes but, can innovation replace individualization? Only time will show!
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