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Xavier Levenfiche
Mountainbiking
United Kingdom
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d3o ballet shoes
Pointe shoes have not been redesigned for 400 years and are traditionally made of paper, hessian and paste before being dried to become very hard.
The effect is that dancers` feet become damaged over time, because their feet take the shape of the shoe.
The Capulet Juliet D3o pointe shoe has been created using material from D3o, which is flexible but becomes hard on impact.
D3o has been showcased in the past for its ability to withstand considerable force, such as being hit with an object.
Michael Thoraval, who originated the Capulet shoe, said the theory behind it was that "the shoe takes the shape of the foot".
He told Sky News Online: "It is very flexible when you want it to be but when you want it to be hard it is also hard.
"Everbody was complaining about the shoes and everybody accepted it. Nobody tried to look at the shoe and how we could make it better."
Mr Thoraval said that the shoe would not suit every dancer, but in international testing 199 out of 250 dancers had been delighted with it.
He said he had been keen to develop a more flexible shoe and approached D3o after reading about the company three years ago. It took two years to develop the product.
Sky News Online gave a pair of D3o`s ballet shoes to former Elizabeth Foster, for evaluation.
Ms Foster said: "They seem very comfortable, much more so than anything I used to wear.
"At certain times the block should be hard and at others it needs to be flexible. These shoes are built in a different way so it would appear they can do both.
"The issues of flexibility mean that professional dancers might change their shoes two or three times within a performance. A potential plus point of these ones is that maybe you would not have to do that.
Ms Foster explained the long standing and quirky tradition that exists with dancers and their shoes, which is based on the shoes fitting individuals` feet perfectly.
"Dancers do crazy things with their shoes, like sleeping in them, shutting them in doors and stamping on them, to soften them so that they are really your own. What D3o seem to be saying is that their shoes can be your own, without all of that palaver."
D3o said: "The shoe is a real innovation in the dance industry, and makes a real difference to the performer.
"The problems dancers face with the traditional pointe is exactly the kind of problem we want to overcome at d3o, so they can concentrate on their performance to their maximum potential without being restricted by their equipment.
"It`s all about allowing athletes to do what they do more effectively".
sounds awesome dunnit?
X
(2008-07-02 08:38:48)
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