Whether you are studying dance yourself or you are encouraging a son or a daughter to do so, learning about the equipment and clothing that is used is important. Ballet shoes are definitely an important part of the art of ballet, but can you recognize the difference between ballet shoes and pointe shoes? Understanding the difference between these two pieces of footwear can help you understand this school of dance a little bit better.

Ballet shoes, which are also know as ballet slippers, are soft cloth or canvas shoes that can be soled with thick cloth or light leather. At the beginning of a female dancer's career, ballet shoes are the only type of footwear worn until the muscles and bones are tough enough to handle going en pointe, that is, up on the very tip of the toe. Male ballet dancers, who seldom go en pointe always wear soft ballet shoes. Ballet shoes vary between having a full sole or a split sole, where the only part of the bottom of the foot that is covered are the toes and the heel. This unique split design makes it easier for the dancer to feel the floor underneath them and allows the dancer to evidence more flexibility in the foot and in the arch.

Pointe shoe, on the other hand, were developed solely to aid dancers who mean to go en pointe. Pointe shoes have a hard toe that allows the dancers to achieve a weightless, effortless appearance on stage that is anything but. The use of this type of footwear allows ballerinas to stay aloft a great deal longer than they would if they were merely wearing classic ballet shoes. As mentioned above, male dancers do not often wear pointe shoes, but there are certain roles that do call for it. Bottom, during "A Midsummer's Night Dream," wears pointe shoes, as do men performing women's parts.

When a young dancer starts learning ballet, she begins exclusively with soft ballet shoes. There are a variety of opinions about when it is appropriate to introduce a young dancer to pointe shoes, but it is agreed that this is not something that is encouraged until the dancer masters a certain level of the art. Many ballet classes are split between being flat, where soft ballet shoes are used, and pointe, where a certain level of expertise with pointe shoes are required.

As can be seen, there is a great deal to distinguish ballet shoes from pointe shoes, and whether dancers only use ballet shoes or can use both, it is important to learn about both types of ballet footwear!