Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009) For other uses, see Ballet shoes (disambiguation). Ballet shoes, with feet shown in fifth position. Ballet shoes, or ballet slippers, are lightweight shoes designed specifically for ballet dancing. They are made from soft leather, canvas, or satin, and have flexible, thin soles. Ballet shoes are typically available in pink, black, gray, or white. Traditionally, women wear pink shoes and men wear white, while flesh or tan colored shoeshich are unobtrusive and thus give the appearance of dancing barefootre worn by both men and women. Beginning ballet dancers, and ballet dancers younger than approximately twelve years old, wear ballet shoes exclusively while training and performing, whereas more advanced female dancers may wear ballet shoes or pointe shoes as circumstances require. Young dancers are typically restricted to ballet shoes until their bones are ossified and their muscles are sufficiently strong to dance en pointe. Male dancers almost always wear soft ballet shoes, as they rarely dance en pointe. Ballet schools typically conduct technique classes, in which dancers wear only ballet shoes, and pointe classes in which students first wear ballet shoes to warm up at the barre, and then change to pointe shoes for the center exercises. Many ballet schools require at least five years of training before allowing their dancers to go en pointe. Construction Like many other types of dance shoes, ballet shoes may have either split-sole (for enhanced flexibility) or full-sole construction. They are usually made from soft leather, canvas or satin: Leather shoes are long-lasting and help to keep the feet warm. High grain leather shoes are typically the most flexible and comfortable, and also the most expensive. Some dancers prefer these for use on slippery floors (e.g., wood floors) as they provide superior traction. Canvas shoes are typically worn by men. They cost less than leather ballet shoes and the canvas enables the foot to "breathe," but it wears faster than leather. Canvas shoes provide less traction than leather shoes and thus are sometimes preferred for use on marley floors. Satin shoes, which are typically worn by women, are easily dyed to customize the shoe color. Elastic bands are used to help to secure ballet shoes to the feet. Each shoe may be secured either with a single band across the arch of the foot, or with two bands that cross in an "X" shape at the top of the arch. In the case of double band shoes, some ballet slipper manufacturers will attach one end of each band to the shoe as part of the production process, and leave it to the purchaser to attach the free ends of the bands for optimal fit. See also Pointe shoes Footwear Ballet Ballet boots v d e Ballet General information History of ballet Ballet timeline Glossary of ballet List of ballets Ballet music Ballet company Ballet Portal Ballet by genre Classical ballet Contemporary ballet Neoclassical ballet Character dance Ballet by region British ballet French ballet Italian ballet Russian ballet Ballet technique Balanchine method Cecchetti method Vaganova method En pointe Royal Academy of Dance Ballet apparel Ballet shoes Pointe shoes Tutu v d e Footwear Men's dress shoes Brogues Derbies Loafers Court shoes Monks Oxfords Venetian style shoes Winklepickers Boat shoes Women's dress shoes Ballet flats Court shoes (Pumps) Loafers Slingbacks Mules Mary Janes Mojari Saddle shoes Venetian style shoes Winklepickers Other shoes Flip-flops Galoshes Geta Moccasins Platform shoes Sandals Slides Slippers Military footwear Ammunition boots Cold weather boots Combat boots Jackboots Jump boots Jungle boots Tanker boots Trench boots Sport-related footwear Athletic shoes Ballet shoes Boat shoes Climbing shoes Cycling shoes Football boots Hiking boots Ice skates Inline skates Mountaineering boots Riding boots Motorcycle boots Roller skates Ski boots Skate shoes Swimfins Fashion boots Beatle boots Chelsea boots Knee-high boots Go-go boots Platform boot Work boots/shoes Australian work boots Chukka boot Cowboy boot Hip boot Rigger boot Steel toe boots Waders Engineer boots Other boots Mukluk Valenki Wellington boots Historical Buskin Chopine Clog Galesh Hessian Hwa Opanak Poulaine Categories: Ballet Dancewear Sports footwearHidden categories: Articles lacking sources from December 2009 All articles lacking sources We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Butterfly Valve Manufacturer , Wafer Butterfly Valve for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Wafer Butterfly Valve.
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