En Pointe

Ah pointe shoes... they are the glamorous carrot held in front of every aspiring dancer's nose as she grows and gets stronger, yearning for the day when she can have her own pair of the shiny slippers.  While beautiful and elegant, these shoes have to serve a realistic purpose for their owners as well.  Here are some great videos on how dancers prepare their pointe shoes and some insight as to the traditions and work that's behind the effortlessness of pointe work.

http://www.torontostandard.com/video/national-ballet-of-canada-video-on-location
http://vimeo.com/32279917