Constance Devernay, principal dancer, Scottish Ballet

I can remember the first time I went to Paris with my parents, to visit the ballet store. It was a special treat for me. I grew up in Amiens, in France, and I had been dancing since I was little. I must have been around 10 years old that day, and I can still recall the smell of wood and shellac, the feel of the satin beneath my fingers.

I was a few years older when I got my first pair of pointe shoes – dancers must be ready for them, and that takes years of conditioning and strengthening the legs and feet, so you don’t get them when you are very young.

It was painful! I remember it was not a nice feeling, to begin with, until the skin on your toes starts to harden. Pointe shoes create a beautiful optical illusion, but it is hard work at first.

My shoes are very precious to me – all ballet dancers feel the same. Preparing them to wear in a performance takes a long time.

First of all, a fitter measures us for the perfect shoe, which are then handmade from layers of fabric pasted together, creating the ‘box’ at the tip of the shoe, and satin, leather and cotton. The dancer’s own maker’s stamp is imprinted on the sole. Mine is a club, like the one you find in a pack of cards. I have never met the person who makes my shoes for me, but one day I would like to.

We do the preparation ourselves, hammering the platform to make it softer; glueing, adding shellac, which is the same substance used in nail varnish, to provide longevity; cutting and adding ribbons…there are many adjustments to make before they are ready.

The shoes are part of our equipment, like a racquet is for a tennis player. They feel like part of our costume, they make us glide along the stage, creating the illusion of magic for the audience.

I go through around 60 pairs of shoes a year. Dancing Cinderella means I will go through two pairs per show. Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella is a demanding role, as we follow her journey from her sadness at the death of her mother, to despair at the hands of her sisters, to her ultimate happiness. It is a magical role, and along with Odette/Odile from Swan Lake, my favourite to dance.

I joined Scottish Ballet 10 years ago, and it has been a wonderful 10 years. After training at Cannes Ballet School in my native France, I moved to London when I was 15 years old and joined English National Ballet.

Being promoted to principal dancer at Scottish Ballet two years ago was fantastic. It is lovely to be part of the 50th anniversary celebrations and to help support the pointe appeal, which raises money to help fund dancers’ shoes.

I give away my old shoes – the ones, at least, that have not been turned to mush by hard work and sweat! As dancers we all become very attached to our shoes – one of my friends even slept with them under her pillow.

I understand that – I keep a couple of special pairs, ones from performances which meant a lot to me, in a box at home. Those are my favourites, and I’ll always keep them close.

To donate to Scottish Ballet’s Pointe Appeal, visit scottishballet.co.uk. Cinderella runs from December 8 to 30 at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, and from January 4 to 12 at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow.

OUR DANCERS DEPEND ON THEIR SHOES AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO KEEP THEM EN POINTE DURING THIS WINTER SEASON PRODUCTION OF CINDERELLA.

Pointe shoes create a beautiful optical illusion but their journey from the factory to the stage is lengthy and arduous.

One pair of pointe shoes costs £40. By donating to our Pointe Shoe Appeal, you will help keep our dancers on their toes.

Each dancer has a special relationship with the fitter and maker that crafts her pointe shoes. They are measured by the fitter for the perfect shoe, which are then made by hand from layers of fabric pasted together creating the ‘box’ at the tip of the shoe and satin (from Scotland no less!), leather and cotton. Layers of glue seal everything together. The dancer’s own maker’s stamp is imprinted on the sole.

The shoes are still not quite ready to wear in the studio. Each dancer must sew on elastic and ribbons, and prepare her shoes ready for rehearsals and performances. This can include cutting off satin or stitching the tip of the shoe to prevent slipping, removing some of the sole and coating the inside with Shellac to give the shoe longevity (the same substance used in nail varnish!).

Most professional dancers don’t begin pointe work until they are around 14 years old, after years of conditioning and strengthening their feet. For a dancer to be strong at pointe work her lower back, lumbar, pelvis and calves must also be in optimum condition. With approximately 600 pairs of pointe shoes being used during the winter season tour, the dancers pack numerous pairs to last the duration. ‘Shoe skips’ travel with them to each theatre. When travelling, our dancers take five or six pairs in their hand luggage just in case their suitcase goes missing in transit!

Dancers often use more than one pair of shoes during a performance. For roles like Cinderella, each of the three Acts demands a different style of dancing and a different type of shoe. Cinderella usually begins the ballet with well-worn, softer pointe shoes but has a much harder pair waiting in the wings for the taxing pas de deux (duet) in Act II.

Perspiration and technical choreography mean the shoes’ fabric layers become too malleable to safely perform in. When the shoe becomes too soft, which can happen after just one vigorous performance, they can no longer be worn. But don’t worry – we don’t just discard the shoes, we often donate them to charity or use them for prizes, and our dancers re-use the ribbons on their new shoes.

Ann Fotheringham