Shownotes Transcript
From Disney on March 21st, the magical tale. Snow White. Snow White. Snow White. That started it all. I believe you're looking for me. Arrives in theaters. Magic Mirror.
From the brains behind brains on, this is the Moment of Vom. Moment of Vom comes to you from APM Studios. I'm Ruby Guthrie.
Are you ready for the ballet? I'm so excited. I've loved dance ever since I was little. I used to choreograph my own solo routines for my school talent shows. True story. And the music. I mean, Tchaikovsky is an icon. He's a legend. He is the moment. It's starting. Isn't it amazing?
The beauty, the grace. A pirouette here, jeté there. It's like they're floating on air. How do they stand on their toes, though? I mean, do all ballet dancers have, like, bionic feet or something? Or maybe it's those shoes. What's in there? Tiny magical elves holding the dancers' feet up? Maybe not. I was thinking about this, too. I'm Annabelle from Louisville, Kentucky. My question is, how do ballerinas stand on their toes?
I'm Penelope Free, and I'm an independent contemporary ballet dancer and choreographer. I teach ballet and composition at the University of Minnesota, and I've been here since 2009. ♪
Pointe shoes are designed to help dancers go onto their toes so they don't go on their toes without these supportive shoes. In fact, it's dangerous to do that. And the idea is that their toes are straight and not curled under inside the shoe. Typically,
girls get the go-ahead to go on point around the age of 11, assuming they've built up appropriate muscles. They're at a place in terms of their development where their bodies can handle it. We look for strong ankles, a dancer's ability to fully have their knees straightened, and then strength of the foot as well.
Some bodies are lined up so well that when a person is on point, that's actually incredibly comfortable for them. And it's quite safe, actually, because of the support of the shoes. The shoes are created in a paper mache fashion. So it's layers of fabric and glue and fabric and glue to make them hard. What's interesting about that is those do then break down laterally.
So they sort of melt or die, as we say. But in that process, they conform to the foot really nicely. So there's this sweet spot in the middle of breaking in a shoe where the dancer feels completely supported because the shoe has softened around their foot and is very much supporting it. Um, uh,
Oh, so the shoes are doing all the work, not tiny magical elves. Still très cool. And you want to know something else cool? In 1795, before pointe shoes were created, dancer and choreographer Charles Didelot invented the flying machine, a contraption of wires, ropes, and pulleys that lifted dancers upwards so they could stand on their toes.
Audiences went nuts for this stuff, and that's when choreographers started to include more pointe work into their routines. But it wasn't until the early 20th century that Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova started to craft the modern pointe shoe. She cushioned her satin slippers with leather soles for extra support and flattened the toe area in the shape of a box, much like the pointe shoes of today.
If you like this episode, take a second to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you're like me, you like to dance, move and groove, and then maybe take a siesta, check out the Smash Boom Best podcast, where we have a whole episode about naps versus exercise. If you have a moment of um question, we'd love to help you answer it. Drop us a line by going to brainson.org slash contact.
See you next time, and the next day, and the next day, and every weekday. Until then, um... Hey friends, Molly, Sandin, and Mark here with some very big news. Drumroll, please. Drumroll.
We're hitting the road in search of adventure, fresh air, and you. That's right. We're going to be live at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday, April 27th. Our science-themed live stage show takes the audience on an adventure through the brain, complete with magic tricks, dance moves, out-of-body experiences, mystery sounds, and a game show. Molly, you almost left out the most important part.
Yeah, Molly, don't forget the big party. Oh, right. After the shows, we're throwing a brain-tastic bash. Join us afterward for a VIP party where we'll play games, guess mystery sounds, pose for photos, and give as many high fives as humanly possible. Snag a spot by purchasing a VIP pass when you buy your show ticket. Oh, that reminds me. I've got to start training. These hands aren't going to high five by themselves. Five and five. Good idea.
And remember, spots are limited, so grab your tickets today at brainson.org slash events.