A thoroughly researched essay about the Pointe Shoe, showcasing it as a cultural artefact; an important addition to the worlds culture and how it helped shape that culture and the world, for the University of Cumbria (UOC) Year 1 Semester 1 Cultural Contexts module.
The Pointe Shoe (or The Power Shoe?)
The most famous composer for ballet, Tchaikovsky, wrote the most iconic ballet score in the
late 19th century. It is perhaps not too outlandish to consider this short period of five years
between 1871 & 1876 as a key moment in the history of dance that began to popularize ballet
and with it, the Pointe Shoes and what they had grown to symbolize in modern culture and
society. From a once symbol of being fragile and delicate, society has established a symbol
that is strong and dedicated more than anything else.
Culturally, the Pointe Shoe has long been associated
with ballet as a delicate dance expressing fragility and
feminine qualities, but has turned into a symbol of
power and strength as well as stamina and
determination and is no longer subjective to solely
female ballerinas. 2016 saw a rise in the number of
male ballet dancers and more widely, men make up
around 30% of all dancers. There's no doubt that the
Pointe Shoes naturally raise stereotypical opinions
and ideas when presented to someone; the original
pair is pink, satin and "feminine" but this only comes
from more stereotypes associated with these
elements.
Choreographer
George Balanchine
said: "Ballet is
woman." Yet, when
people think of
ballet, worldwide,
you're more likely to think of male personas attached to the
pointe shoe in one way or another: Vastimil Harapes, Pyotr
Ilyich Tchaikovsky, previously mentioned choreographer
George Balanchine etc. Unless you are a dancer yourself
you are less likely to be aware of any significant female
dancers, like Martha Graham who said the famous quote;
"A dancer dies twice – once when they stop dancing, and this
first death is the more painful."
As a former ballerina, I myself can attest to the fact that the numbers of male dancers are
significantly lacking, and certainly were when I danced ballet around 10 years ago. Solely for
reference, the proportion of boys to girls in my dance class which focused mainly on ballet
, was 1:24 (approx.) which shows the dramatic difference between the numbers of male and
female ballet dancers. I believe this difference was unfairly created by the cultural attributes
society associated with the pointe shoes ie. femininity, delicacy, fragility and even more
broadly, the satin fabric of the shoes as well as their color which is also often seen as
feminine. It is society and the cultural connections to the pointe shoes that often discourages
male dancers from following their dream.
I would like to point out something interesting, in terms of comparison between a male and
female perspective. Notice in the quotes forementioned, the difference between the quote
from a female ballet dancer however, as opposed to a male choreographer. Balenchine
pointed out that ballet “is woman” only. Yet Graham used the much broader term 'a dancer'
regardless of their gender. Needless to say women still dominate in pointe shoes and on the
ballet scene in all areas, including inspiring movies, such as The Black Swan (2010), the number
of male ballet dancers are on the rise and the pointe shoe is slowly becoming a neutralized
symbol in society and our culture, breaking the once established feminine norm.
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