Pointe technique helped by the use of gel pad protectors on specific problem spots or using pads to surround the toes. Ingrown nails can result from ill-fitting shoes. Other common injuries: Pointe technique Pointe technique is the part of classical ballet technique that concerns "pointe work", in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. A dancer is said to be "en pointe" when the dancer's body is supported in this manner, and a fully extended vertical foot is said to be "en pointe" when touching the floor, even when not bearing
Pointe shoe custom-made lasts that replicate the shapes of their own feet; these may be supplied to a pointe shoe manufacturer for the purpose of manufacturing custom shoes. Dancers typically "break in" new pointe shoes to reduce or eliminate the discomfort they commonly cause, usually by performing releves and eleves that flex, and thus soften, the boxes and shanks in a natural manner. Various other methods have also been employed for breaking in pointe shoes, including deforming them with hands or against hard surfaces, striking them on hard surfaces, and moistening or heating the boxes to soften the glues, but these methods