A kettle, a hammer, an Ouch Pouch: the painful secrets of making a ballet shoe fit

Ballet Ireland’s Zoe Ashe Brown on ‘breaking in’ a pair of pointe slippers. We weren’t expecting that.

By Aoife Barry Sunday 24 Nov 2013, 5:30 PM

Nov 24th 2013, 5:30 PM 17,487 Views 8 Comments

https://jrnl.ie/1187896

WE LEARNED THIS week that a lot of hard work goes into making ballet dancing look effortless.

But not half as hard as knocking a pair of ballerina slippers into shape, it seems.

Watch one of Ballet Ireland’s lead dancers, Zoe Ashe Brown, explain how she uses a boiling kettle, hammer and bits of elastic to make the shoe fit. And yes, there are bunions involved.

It’s no Cinderella story.

via TheJournal.ie/Youtube

VIDEO: Behind the scenes at the ballet>
Photos: Dublin ballet dancers attempt a new world record>

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A kettle, a hammer, an Ouch Pouch: the painful secrets of making a ballet shoe fit

Ballet Ireland’s Zoe Ashe Brown on ‘breaking in’ a pair of pointe slippers. We weren’t expecting that.