Pointe shoe New York City Ballet orders about 8,500 pairs of pointe shoes each year for 180 dancers, while the Royal Ballet dancers use about 12,000 pairs of shoes for each season. Pointe shoe A pointe shoe is a type of shoe worn by ballet dancers when performing pointe work. Pointe shoes were conceived in response to the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and have evolved to enable dancers to dance "en pointe" (on the tips of their toes) for extended periods of time. They are manufactured in a variety of colors, most commonly in shades of light pink.
Shoe Bible. A common casual shoe in the Pyrenees during the Middle Ages was the espadrille. This is a sandal with braided jute soles and a fabric upper portion, and often includes fabric laces that tie around the ankle. The term is French and comes from the esparto grass. The shoe originated in the Catalonian region of Spain as early as the 13th century, and was commonly worn by peasants in the farming communities in the area. Many medieval shoes were made using the turnshoe method of construction, in which the upper was turned flesh side out, and was lasted onto