Is it possible to remove a plank for a pointe ballet shoe?

I have already asked a question on pointe ballet shoes for prom and the answers were great. But now im wanting to know if you could remove the shank or plank(the board where the toes are) bc i found the shoes i want….here is the link…and it describes whats in it and everything…it even comes with gel toe pads..so please let me know..thanks

You have some very good answers here, please take them to heart.

Yes, you can remove the shank and many dancers do this as a way to practice in their shoes without going en pointe. Many dance schools will even require young dancers to start dancing in shoes like this before they actually go en pointe.
The shank is the leather and composite strip that goes along the bottom of the shoe, it’s the part you stand on when your feet are flat on the floor.

BUT with that being said it will NOT make the shoe more comfortable for you. The box of the shoe is the part that is around your toes, this is what will be very uncomfortable. This box is made to stay very stiff and rigid for quite sometime so that dancers can use the shoes for a long period of time before having to buy a new pair. A dancer who is dancing regularly in her pointe shoes will take anywhere from 4 to 6 months before that hard box is softened up so much she can’t dance in them any longer.

There is no magic way to make that stiff box soft enough for you to wear them to prom. And you can’t take the box out without permanently damaging the shoe, the shoe would look tattered and disfigured.

I answered your first question on this topic and the reality is if you want to be able to dance at prom and walk around the room without limping and being in pain, you need to stick to regular leather or satin ballet slippers.

Someone commented on the ribbon issue. She is right, many non-dancers do not know that the ribbons do not come sewn on the shoes, this itself takes most new dancers quite some time to get the hang of.

What you really want to do is buy the slippers, either leather or satin and buy ribbons and sew then on the slippers. This way you will get the look of the ribbons around the ankle, and you won’t end up with hurting, blistered feet at the end of the evening. The slippers are comfortable and you’ll enjoy dancing in them on prom night.

I don’t mean to sound so discouraging, and I understand the look you are trying to have with your prom dress (I debated wearing my pointe shoes for my wedding….I didn’t because of the comfort factor, and I had dance en pointe for years!!) But you will be happier going with the slippers.

Here’s an idea……go to a dance shop and have a pair of pointe shoes fitted to your feet. Then walk around the dance shop for a while and really focus in on how the shoes feel on your feet. They will not feel any different prom night for 3 or 4 hours. Perhaps you will understand after having them on your feet a few minutes.

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