Have you’ve ever seen ballet dancers wearing those cool shoes that allow them to stand on their toes? If you haven’t already, they are called pointe shoes. Most pointe shoes are handmade. You can see pointe shoes in shows like the Nutcracker.

Pointe shoes are really cool to watch people dance in, but they aren’t healthy for the human body. Women started dancing ballet in 1681. At that time, ballet shoes had heels. In the mid 18th century, Marie Camargo was the first person to wear non-heel ballet shoes.

The box is in the front of the shoe for supporting the dancer’s toes when they go up on them. The sole is at the bottom of the shoe. It overlaps and secures the edges of the exterior of the fabric. The shank is a hard material that stiffens or reinforces the shoe’s sole to support the foot while in a pointe. The ribbons and elastic secure the shoe to the foot.

https://aballeteducation.com/2016/03/28/anatomy-of-a-pointe-shoe/