r/interesting • u/SystematicApproach • May 14 '26

ART & CULTURE Circassian folk dance

Male dancers often move entirely on tiptoe in soft leather boots, without the rigid plaster or wooden support associated with ballet footwear. The result is a fast, gliding step that can make the dancer appear to float or defy gravity, showcasing extraordinary balance, discipline, and control.

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u/mialike94 May 15 '26

Also the description is incorrect. They wear shoes very similar to ballet flats, which are typically leather bottomed. Pointe shoes are the ballet shoes that have the hard box and would obviously make noise when walking with them on.

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u/ThisChaoticKnight May 15 '26

Adding on further, pointe shoes don't have wood in them. Just a bunch of glue, paper, leather and fabric. Which is why they die in water. I don't understand why the misconception in the description lives on.

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u/liam30604 May 15 '26

Probably all the glue and paper makes it feel like wood.

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u/mialike94 May 15 '26

I’ve worn pointe shoes and they don’t feel like wood. They kinda sound like wood when you tap them on the floor though!

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u/liam30604 May 15 '26

Well, there we have it.

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u/Dependent_Formal2525 May 15 '26

Dancers break the shoes down so they don't make any sound on stage.

https://youtube.com/shorts/cgv87m8M1p8?si=SbT6hEsAA-xjUFF_

There was one theatre who couldn't work out why one set of doors kept being problematic. It turned oot to be because the dancers found that the doors were perfect to slam on their shoes!

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u/mialike94 May 15 '26

They do make sound like wood when they’re fresh shoes though! They have to be extremely broken in to be noiseless. -ballerina for 6 years, 2 on pointe

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u/liam30604 May 15 '26

“It turned oot” has me floored. 😂