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Monday, March 18, 2024
How Artists are Keeping Mountains of Dead Pointe Shoes Out of Landfills
Dance Magazine: Pacific Northwest Ballet goes through roughly 2,000 pairs of pointe shoes per year. New York City Ballet uses 500 pairs per month during Nutcracker season. Some pros exhaust multiple pairs of shoes in a single performance day.
Art can be wasteful; this is something I have seen time and time again when striking shows both in and out of the School of Drama. Although I have never been a part of a dance company I grew up with many close friends who were dancers and seen how many pointe shoes dancers go through at a time. In St.Louis there's a giant shoe built of smaller shoes. This piece is what I think of when I think of show art but I also love how inspiring the imagery of pointe shoes can be for young dancers. I think that giving away signed pointe shoes as gifts or to young dancers is a smart way to both reduce waste and give away a cheap and plentiful souvenir. The third point for pointe shoe reuse is to create something distinctly not shoe shaped or with the purpose of a shoe. This is new to me but I am so curious to learn more about this creative way to reuse shoes.
It's surprising to me how little people know about pointe shoes and, specifically, how vital they are to everything a dance company does. The pointe shoe industry is so confined, specifically in professional companies, to one or two shoemakers creating custom shoes for all of the company dancers in all major companies worldwide. Most people also do not know that dancers can go through multiple pointe shoes in a day. I had done some research into what happened with the dead pointe shoes when I was younger, but the only thing I really found at that time was the clear bin of pointe shoes from American Ballet Theatre dancers in one of the major performance centers almost as a trash bag art installation. I really like what petit pas did with their bracelet specifically. I can see so many young students being drawn to that. Sitting in my room at home, I have a decorated pointe shoe from a ballet I attended as a child that I actually forgot about, so this was a fun article to remind me of that.
I did a pointe shoe-centered Basic Design project last semester, so this article makes me so happy to read! Like most former ballet dancers, I’ve accumulated a hefty stock of pointe shoes over the years. While it took me two-three months to wear through a pair, it adds up. I love how art installations are marketed as a way to use old shoes, however, I don’t see this as viable in the long-term. Eventually, these shoes will still end up in a landfill, just a bit later. The Petit Pas company was exciting to me as the pointe shoes are turning into an entirely new product, limiting the amount of new products needed to be created. Recently in the dance world, there’s been a word of a new shoe called Act’ble that is much longer lasting. While not as elegant as a satin shoe, perhaps they’re a good option for rehearsals and classes. I’m curious as to how they will change the industry.
This article really reminded me of the idea that art can be wasteful and I think we get so caught up about the work we are doing we do not really realize or think about its sustainability or longevity. I had no idea that a principal dancer could go through multiple shoes in a show or multiple shows a day or week. And the artform is necessary and beautiful but it also does make you think of the waste being made. That is why I appreciate the ingenuity of the artists talked about in this article. How they repurpose the shoes or upcycle them is really interesting to me. I think the signed and redesigned shoes to be sold in companies giftshops is a really good idea. But I especially love how they are using thousands of pointe shows in art pieces, and what that reflects as well as not allowing all of those shoes to go through to the landfill.
I was really excited to see this article because I went to see this exhibit back in December. I went with my best friend and we are both going into artistic fields, so we really enjoyed it and had a great time. As someone who has grown up taking ballet lessons and grew up performing, I definitely had a personal connection with the exhibit. Beauty must suffer, is such a beautiful depiction of the life of African-American dancers in ballet, and it really shows how Eurocentric the style still is and the boundaries I have to break in order to succeed. We definitely wondered where all of these points came from, so I thought it was really cool to learn that these were all dead points shoes that she basically recycled to create such meaningful artwork. As someone who values sustainability I really appreciate this, and it made me love the exhibit even more.
I never know what to do with my old pointe shoes, but they always feel to sentimental to throw away. I’ve seen many articles about different art pieces made from old pointe shoes, and I’ve even seen one of my classmates make one. But seeing how the dead pointe shoes can be up cycled is so cool, as now I can still wear and use them, and it feels like I’m not wasting as much money and space if I don’t throw it away. Painting on them also feels like an option, as I could paint the theme of the show(s) that I did with that pair of shoes. I’ve always wanted to do something with old shoes of mine, and I’m always scared to, but I feel like if I don’t take that step, I never know what beautiful piece I can make with my old shoes, or even my new shoes!
6 comments:
Art can be wasteful; this is something I have seen time and time again when striking shows both in and out of the School of Drama. Although I have never been a part of a dance company I grew up with many close friends who were dancers and seen how many pointe shoes dancers go through at a time. In St.Louis there's a giant shoe built of smaller shoes. This piece is what I think of when I think of show art but I also love how inspiring the imagery of pointe shoes can be for young dancers. I think that giving away signed pointe shoes as gifts or to young dancers is a smart way to both reduce waste and give away a cheap and plentiful souvenir. The third point for pointe shoe reuse is to create something distinctly not shoe shaped or with the purpose of a shoe. This is new to me but I am so curious to learn more about this creative way to reuse shoes.
It's surprising to me how little people know about pointe shoes and, specifically, how vital they are to everything a dance company does. The pointe shoe industry is so confined, specifically in professional companies, to one or two shoemakers creating custom shoes for all of the company dancers in all major companies worldwide. Most people also do not know that dancers can go through multiple pointe shoes in a day. I had done some research into what happened with the dead pointe shoes when I was younger, but the only thing I really found at that time was the clear bin of pointe shoes from American Ballet Theatre dancers in one of the major performance centers almost as a trash bag art installation. I really like what petit pas did with their bracelet specifically. I can see so many young students being drawn to that. Sitting in my room at home, I have a decorated pointe shoe from a ballet I attended as a child that I actually forgot about, so this was a fun article to remind me of that.
I did a pointe shoe-centered Basic Design project last semester, so this article makes me so happy to read! Like most former ballet dancers, I’ve accumulated a hefty stock of pointe shoes over the years. While it took me two-three months to wear through a pair, it adds up. I love how art installations are marketed as a way to use old shoes, however, I don’t see this as viable in the long-term. Eventually, these shoes will still end up in a landfill, just a bit later. The Petit Pas company was exciting to me as the pointe shoes are turning into an entirely new product, limiting the amount of new products needed to be created. Recently in the dance world, there’s been a word of a new shoe called Act’ble that is much longer lasting. While not as elegant as a satin shoe, perhaps they’re a good option for rehearsals and classes. I’m curious as to how they will change the industry.
This article really reminded me of the idea that art can be wasteful and I think we get so caught up about the work we are doing we do not really realize or think about its sustainability or longevity. I had no idea that a principal dancer could go through multiple shoes in a show or multiple shows a day or week. And the artform is necessary and beautiful but it also does make you think of the waste being made. That is why I appreciate the ingenuity of the artists talked about in this article. How they repurpose the shoes or upcycle them is really interesting to me. I think the signed and redesigned shoes to be sold in companies giftshops is a really good idea. But I especially love how they are using thousands of pointe shows in art pieces, and what that reflects as well as not allowing all of those shoes to go through to the landfill.
I was really excited to see this article because I went to see this exhibit back in December. I went with my best friend and we are both going into artistic fields, so we really enjoyed it and had a great time. As someone who has grown up taking ballet lessons and grew up performing, I definitely had a personal connection with the exhibit. Beauty must suffer, is such a beautiful depiction of the life of African-American dancers in ballet, and it really shows how Eurocentric the style still is and the boundaries I have to break in order to succeed. We definitely wondered where all of these points came from, so I thought it was really cool to learn that these were all dead points shoes that she basically recycled to create such meaningful artwork. As someone who values sustainability I really appreciate this, and it made me love the exhibit even more.
I never know what to do with my old pointe shoes, but they always feel to sentimental to throw away. I’ve seen many articles about different art pieces made from old pointe shoes, and I’ve even seen one of my classmates make one. But seeing how the dead pointe shoes can be up cycled is so cool, as now I can still wear and use them, and it feels like I’m not wasting as much money and space if I don’t throw it away. Painting on them also feels like an option, as I could paint the theme of the show(s) that I did with that pair of shoes. I’ve always wanted to do something with old shoes of mine, and I’m always scared to, but I feel like if I don’t take that step, I never know what beautiful piece I can make with my old shoes, or even my new shoes!
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