Dancers at the New York City Ballet go through about 7,000 pairs of pointe shoes each year. That's because traditional pointe shoes break down after only a few wears. All of them come from Freed ...

Regular ballet flats are just, very soft. They're usually canvas, or leather. You can't go up en pointe with them. Pointe shoes are normally a bit harder so that you can get up on your toes.

Making pointe shoes for ballet dancers is a skill held by very few across the UK – and there is only one producer left in London. Freed of London, based in Hackney, has been making pointe shoes ...

A key plot point in the story of “Cinderella” seems incompatible with ballet. “The fairy godmother brings me a bedazzled pair of pointe shoes,” explains Izabella Tokev, who will be one of ...