A Few Pointes on Ballet

For most people, ballet automatically means toe shoes and tutus. But both came relatively late to dance, neither appearing until the early 19th century.

Before their arrival, the basic elements of the more than 400-year-old art form--exemplified by the Bolshoi Ballet appearing next week at the Performing Arts Center--had long been in place.

The five basic positions of the feet, with which ballet steps traditionally start and finish, had been codified by the early 17th century.

The principle of turnout--the outward, 90-degree rotation of each leg in its hip socket that allows dancers free movement in every direction--had been established by the early 18th century.

The seminal idea that dance should express significant meaning rather that be mere entertainment was advanced by dancer-choreographer Jean-Georges Noverre in 1760.

So how did toe shoes and tutus get into the act? It was a matter of evolution.

Ballet originated among the aristocracy of Italy and France in the 16th and 17th centuries. The dancers were nobles who wore heavier, more elaborate versions of what the court was wearing.

Women wore gowns with skirts that came down to the floor. Men wore jackets or doublets and baggy shorts over fitted tights. Both danced in heeled, leather shoes, and oddly, both also wore leather masks.

In time, the nobles were replaced by professionals, who advanced dance technique. They began to change their costuming so people could better see what they were doing.

Costumes became more delicate and refined. Women’s skirts got shorter. Heels came off shoes.

By the beginning of the 19th century, women began experimenting with dancing on the tips of their toes. With Marie Taglioni’s triumph in the title role of “La Sylphide” (1832), both dancing on toe or “on pointe” and the tutu--her new costume--became standard.

There’s more to both than meets the eye.

Made of layers of stiffened tarlatan or tulle, tutus actually come in two lengths. Taglioni wore the longer, softer, bell-shaped version, called the romantic tutu.

The shorter, stiffer tutus, which came later, are called classical tutus. You see these on music box figures and dancers in such ballets as “The Sleeping Beauty” and “Swan Lake.”

It takes five layers of tulle to make a romantic tutu. Each layer is cut to about a 36-inch width, so you need about 25 yards of fabric in all, according to Sandra Woodall, a freelance designer who has worked with San Francisco Ballet since 1970.

The classical tutu has even more layers--nine that are supportive (and are cut progressively wider)--and a tenth, top layer, which is decorative.

The classical tutu sticks out from the waist because of the way the layers are cut and because it’s made from slightly stiffer tulle.

Tutus cost between $300 and $2,000, but the average for a romantic tutu is about $1,200, according to Woodall. A fully decorated classical tutu and bodice typically runs between $1,500 and $2,000.

“Sewing the skirt is a lot of work,” the designer said recently from her studio in San Francisco.

“For the simplest, with no decoration, it takes maybe 36 to 40 hours. But that’s not the normal tutu you’d see on stage. That’s more like 100 to 150 hours.” Fortunately, both kinds can last as long as 20 years, depending on use and care.

But that’s not the case with toe shoes, which can wear out during a single performance.

The tip of a toe shoe, which is closer to a slipper than to daily footwear, is made of layers of cloth and glue or plaster. The tip of the shoe is flat. Inside is a stiff toe cup into which the dancer’s foot fits. The correct position for going on pointe is standing on the pad, not the tip, of the big toe.

The shoe acts as an extension of the dancer’s foot and must fit snugly so toes are straight.

“If you can wiggle your toes, that means there’s too much space and the dancer’s toes will crunch and she’ll dance on the knuckles. That’s not good,” said Alfredo Millan, a manager for Capezio Ballet Makers Inc. in New York.

There’s danger in a young girl going on pointe too early, because the bones of her toes are still very supple and can be damaged and deformed. Dancers must learn to distribute their weight and pull up their center of gravity in the abdominal area.

Incidentally, men also sometimes dance on pointe. In ballet it’s usually for comic or special effect, but in Georgian folk dance it’s a means of virile, virtuoso showing off.

Custom shoes, which can take four to six weeks to make, cost around $61, according to Millan. Beginners’ and ready-made shoes range from around $40 to $62. Professionals will order shoes by the dozens. “We make about 1,200 pairs per month,” Millan said.

Toe shoes have evolved. They used to be narrower and more tapered. The broader “platform” or tip of today’s toe shoe allows dancers to perform up to 10 unassisted pirouettes--many more than before.

And they’re still evolving.

“It’s become so much more of a science,” said Capezio’s Millan. “It’s an instrument you have to fine-tune.”

The tutu is changing too. Karinska designed many variants for Balanchine’s New York City Ballet. Recently choreographer William Forsythe used a new design for his “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude,” created in 1996 for the Frankfurt Ballet and danced in 1998 by San Francisco Ballet.

“These tutus are just flat circles that stay out,” designer Woodall said. “There’s no tulle at all. They’re made out of stretch material. But still, when you see them, you definitely know it’s a tutu.”

And while other companies are experimenting, the Bolshoi will offer lots of colorful, traditional toe shoes and tutus--both flavors--in its performances this week in Los Angeles and next week in Costa Mesa.

* The Bolshoi Ballet will dance “Don Quixote” and “Romeo and Juliet” Wednesday through Sunday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. $25 to $90. (213) 365-3500.

The company will repeat the two ballets June 27-July 2 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $20 to $85. (714) 556-2787.

Chris Pasles can be reached at (714) 966-5602 or by e-mail at chris.pasles@latimes.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

ROMANTIC TUTU

Has the soft, calf-length tulle skirt. Think Giselle.

Bodice: Has two layers: a strong, cotton underlayer for strength, and a

delicate silk top layer for display. Bodice is very fitted and made of 8 to 10 pieces, and often has intricate beading. Can have boning for support.

Skirt: Five layers of tulle, five yards per layer, 25 yards in all, up to 54” long

Cost: Between $300 and $2,000; average around $1,200 or $1,500.

Time: It takes 100 to 150 hours to make the kind of tutus worn on stage.

CLASSICAL TUTU

Has a short skirt that projects straight out from hips. Think Odette in Swan Lake.

Bodice: Same as romantic tutu.

Skirt: Layered in progression from 150” of 1-1/2 inch-wide tulle (underneath, near legs) to 300” of 14-inch wide tulle for top layer.

Cost: Same range as the romantic tutu, but they tend to be slightly higher. A fully-decorated tutu and bodice will be more in the range of $1,500 to $2,000.

Toe shoes are traditionally made of satin, and a shoe fits either foot so it can mold to the foot as the dancer breaks it in. Because of a shoe’s limited lifespan, a dancer may go through several pairs during a performance. Force on toes while en pointe can be 10 times the dancer’s body weight.

A LOOK AT THE SHOE

Outside of shoe is traditionally made of satin.

Shoe fits either foot, lasts only eight hours. Force on toes while on pointe can be 10 times the dancer’s body weight.

Insole:suede

Shank: A hard composition board attached to back of insole.

Box: Stiffened layers of fabric, such as burlap and glue

Source: Sandra Woodall, Capezio, Gaynor Minden