How To Bang Your Pointe Shoes Properly

Pointe Shoes. They are every little ballerina's dream, but every foot's worst nightmare. Sometimes it seems like they were made just to torture those little piggies. Luckily, tricks of the trade have been passed down by generations of ballerinas to help us break them in, so they submit to our will. 

One trick that I learned when I joined the New York City Ballet was how to bang my shoes. THIS IS MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ANY BALLERINA CAN LEARN! I cannot stress that enough. Ballet is a silent art form, it should be seen and not heard. The audience should only hear the gorgeous music from the orchestra pit, not the clunky sound of pointe shoes. 

I believe that the sound of pointe shoes on the "Marley" floor, ruins a performance. It ruins the magic. Ballerinas should be weightless and without effort. Sounds  from their pointe shoes just makes them sound heavy. I mentioned this issue previously in my review of ABT's New Harlequinade. Sarah Lane's gorgeous performance was ruined for me, because of her loud shoes. This is something that can be easily prevented, and this post will help show you how. It may seem like a simple task, but there is some technique to it, so you can achieve the desired results. 

Step 1: 
Prepare your pointe shoes. Sew them, add extra glue to the tip (if needed), determine which one is left and which one is right, and try them on so you can hear the sound on the floor. If you add extra glue, make sure to add it in before you bang them. If added after banging, the box may feel warped when you put them back on. 

These are the pair I chose before my performance the other night, prepped and ready to bang. 

Step 2:

Choose desired wall or floor surface. This is an important step. In order to bang your shoes properly, you have to find a surface that is harder than the shoes. You would think that a normal wall would do the trick, but drywall (the material used for walls in a house or apartment) is actually pretty soft and the force of the shoe can end up ruining your walls. I like to use a cement wall or floor. I prefer a wall to a floor because you can get more power, but sometimes a cement floor is the only thing available (like a sidewalk for example). 

Helpful Hint: Make sure to ask for permission from the stage manager before you bang your shoes against the walls! 

I picked this lovely grey colored concrete brick wall in the Saratoga Performing Arts Center this past week before an evening performance. This type of wall is easy to find in a theater but not so easy to find in a studio or residence. 

Step 3:

Analyze the shoes. Look at the box and observe the sharp edges. The part of the shoe that hits the floor is the bottom edge and the bottom corners of the box. You want to make sure to bang only those parts. You can weaken the structure of the box if you hit the shoe closer to the front or on top. 

Using a photo of my shoe, I highlighted the areas of the box you want to focus on. Your goal is to soften those edges so they aren't as sharp, slippery and loud. 

Step 4:

Bang your shoes against that wall! Make sure to listen intermittently between hits so that you don't soften them too much. Also make sure to focus evenly on the parts of the shoe mentioned above. Brace yourself and really go at it. You have to really hit them against that wall.

Here is a video of me banging my shoes before a performance. Notice how I keep rotating the shoe in my hand to make sure I hit all of the bottom edges. Also notice that this is a strenuous task. You really have to hit that wall!

Step 5:

Check out the finished product. Look at the box and see if the edges are softened. Bang the shoes very lightly against the wall and listen to see if they are indeed quieter than before. Try them on and feel the difference. Use your senses here. 

The photo on the left is the finished product. Some of the grey paint ended up on my shoe which is great, because you can see where I banged them against the wall. 

The photo on the right illustrates the newly rounded edges. Now the box is softer and I am able to feel the floor better. 








Step 6:
Enjoy your sound free pointe shoes. Float on the surface of the "marley" without a sound!

I understand that this may seem like a simple task. However, you have to mold this process to suit you. For example, if you dance more on your front toe then maybe you should focus on only banging the pinky toe and bottom edge of the shoe and not the big toe side. If the shoe is warped than you can use the wall to shape the shoe better to your needs depending on fit. Once you have the basics down then you can personalize the process to suit you. 

WARNING: Many people do not like the sound of this process. It is very annoying and disruptive. Make sure to be conscious of those around you. Never ever bang your shoes during a performance. Stick to intermissions and pre-performance time. 

Now that you have all the tools comment below and share your process. Is there anything you do differently? Share some videos, I would love to see them. Let's make shoe banging go viral!