"When I was 11, I started to wear pointe shoes more regularly, and as soon as the following year I danced in a ballet competition in pointe shoes. It felt wonderful and weightless but also painful. I love dancing en pointe, though, and pointe shoes immediately became an integral part of me", 1st soloist dancer Violetta Keller tells about her relationship with pointe shoes.
ballet
"I like dancing barefoot, as I enjoy moving like that. In summer, too, I take my shoes off whenever I can. When I dance ballet, my aim is to have good traction with the floor. I wish that one day someone would still develop a ballet shoe that felt just like a sock", says 1st soloist dancer Tuukka Piitulainen.
"When I was at ballet school, I had one pair of shoes to wear for several months. Those shoes were totally destroyed. When I became a professional, I came to understand the importance of the shoes, which are a principal tool for me." Principal dancer Jun Xia tells about his thoughts on the importance of ballet shoes.
Pointe shoes lift the dancer above the ground, both literally and metaphorically. They are a symbol of the ballerina’s weightlessness and years of intense training. A young dance student is unlikely to forget the moment when she gets her first pair of pointe shoes. It’s a rite of passage that takes her to the next level as a dancer, on her way to a professional career.
"Pointe shoes are an extremely important tool for a ballerina. Just think about it, it’s quite amazing how you balance your entire body on just the toes", dancer Sara Saviola tells about her relationship with pointe shoes.
Swan Lake, which was the first ever ballet to be staged at the Finnish Opera in 1922 and seen at the opening celebration of the new Opera House in 1993, has been one of the most important works in the history of the Finnish National Ballet.
Are they worn out? Are they worn out enough or are they too new? Watch a touching mini document where our Lead Principal Dancer Tiina Myllymäki tells about the complex relationship between ballerina and pointe shoes.
18 new dancers have started at the Finnish National Ballet this autumn, with 11 in the dance company proper and 7 in the FNB Youth Company.
"I never consciously decided to become a dancer. I started dance classes almost by chance." Read FNOB's soloist dancer Antti Keinänen's interview!