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We spoke with Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer, Hannah Martin about a ballet dancer's most important tool: Pointe shoes.
Hannah joined BRB in 2021 and is an Artist with the company, after completing a year as an Apprentice. Since then, Hannah has continued to make an impact both internally and externally; such as performing in many of BRB's ballets like The Nutcracker and Black Sabbath - The Ballet as well as managing an independent YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers.
1: Describe the feeling of being on pointe in a sentence?
I think it depends how long of a day you’ve had in them.
At times you can feel ethereal, like you are floating, but other times it is like trying to dance with bricks on your feet, lol.
2: If your current pointe shoes had a name, what that name be?
Probably would name them “A work in progress” as I’m still trying to find the perfect specifications for my shoes as I switched to Freeds from another brand earlier this year.
3: Could you share one piece of advice to someone wanting to get the most out of their pointe shoes?
Keep exploring your options to make sure you’ve definitely found the best shoe for your foot shape! It’s sometimes a bit of a journey, but definitely well worth it.
It can quite literally transform the way you dance and make you less injury prone.
4: You're packing a bag for a busy rehearsal week of pointe work, what's in that bag and why?
Definitely toe tape and second skin are essential! These help to work through blisters or sores that might come as a result of lots of pointe work.
Nail clippers are also a must have, in addition to your regular bits of kit like toe pads (to provide some protection between your metatarsals and the friction of the shoe on your skin), scissors, darning thread, a needle, ribbon, and elastic for sewing the next pair of shoes (as they can die pretty quickly during a busy rehearsal period).
5: A dancer has been asked by their teacher to get a pair of pointe shoes - it's their first pair, what would be your advice?
Make sure to go to a good shoe fitter! Try on lots of pairs and brands so you have a good idea of what your individual needs and preferences are.
Start with slow supervised rises at the barre to start getting more comfortable in them. Building strength in the basics is the most important thing for good technique in pointe work!
6: Do you have a favourite moment of pointe work in a ballet show?
So many beautiful moments but I especially love the long balance in arabesque by Odile (the black swan) during the pas de deux in Act 3 of Swan Lake.
I think it’s such a special moment where everything else on the stage seizes and all the focus goes to the female ballerina balancing so effortlessly on one leg. The orchestra is often held back from playing the next part of the composition until the ballerina comes off into her next movement.
