Turning pointe for ballet shoes
The most radical redesign of the ballet pointe shoe in over 350 years is set to transform the health and fitness of ballerinas… and the fortunes of London manufacturer Capulet World.
The new shoe was launched by Capulet World founder Michael Thoraval at the MOVE IT dance exhibition that was held in London in March. The revolutionary new pointe shoe combines his traditional manufacturing expertise and design with the latest intelligent polymer materials to produce a true innovation for the ballet world.
Prototypes of the shoe have already been tested by dancers at the Royal Ballet and the reaction has been extremely positive. The shoe is now entering full production to supply intense international demand. Michael said: ‘Current pointe shoes are manufactured from hessian, paper and paste to a design which goes back to 1650. These are notoriously uncomfortable and frequently cause long-lasting damage to dancers.’
Quoted from: http://www.pera.com/default.asp?id=602
Tags: ballet, dance, pointe shoe
I am a gifted support teacher in PA. I do a lesson on polymers and non-Newtonian fluids. The polymer you describe in the point shoes seems to have the properties of a non-Newtonian fluid. Am i correct? I would like to use this information to use as an example of a practical application of this property. Any information behind the science used to create/design this shoe would be helpful to me. Thank you, Susan Shanaman