IF THE SHOE FITS
The most famous shoe in ballet is Cinderella's glass slipper. But every pair of pointe shoes helps our dancers make magic, and at Ballet Des Moines, that’s a lot of shoes.
Ballet Des Moines pointe shoes dancers go through roughly 20 pairs of pointe shoes in a given season. With 15 pointe shoe dancers at Ballet Des Moines in the 25/26 season, that’s 300 pairs of pointe shoes. At an average cost of $150 per pair, that’s a pointe shoe budget of $45,000.
Ballet Des Moines’ dancers bring beauty, wonder, and inspiration to audiences of all ages across the state of Iowa. Help us provide the essential tools of their trade by giving to our “If the shoe fits” campaign.
After all, every fairy tale begins with the right pair of shoes.
donate to our pointe shoe CAMPAIGN
Now through June 30, help support our dancers by contributing a one-time gift to the 25/26 pointe shoe fundraiser campaign.
$25 - THE FIRST STEP
Your gift of $25 helps to support ballet slippers for youth scholarship dancers and our youngest community dancers in need of proper dance footwear.
$50 - THE FAIRY GODMOTHER
Your gift of $50 will go toward pointe shoe care required throughout the season, including ribbons, thread, elastic, and glue.
$150 - THE PERFECT FIT
Your gift of $150 will provide a pointe dancer with one pair of pointe shoes in the upcoming season. Ballet Des Moines pointe shoes dancers go through roughly 20 pairs of pointe shoes in a given season.
$300 - THE ROYAL dance
Your gift of $300 ensures a Ballet Des Moines pointe shoe dancer will begin their upcoming season with two pairs of pointe shoes.
THERMOMETER
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THERMOMETER ✳︎ GOES ✳︎ HERE ✳︎
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE POINTE SHOE
Enjoy a short video following the ongoing evolution of the pointe shoe, tracing its development from 18th-century origins through continual improvements in structure and support. It highlights how advances in design and materials have allowed the shoe to meet the ever-growing physical and artistic demands of ballet dancers.
en pointe en masse
Installation by Ballet Des Moines Creative Director and artist, Jami Milne
En pointe en masse presents 84 pairs of pointe shoes, less than half the number required during a season by Ballet Des Moines dancers, arranged to reveal the life cycle of a dancer’s journey. From the pristine satin of a student’s first pair to the battered remains of a professional’s "dead" shoes, each pair tells a story of discipline and transformation. Together, they reflect the dual nature of ballet: the elegance and poise that meet relentless training, raw athleticism, and unwavering precision.
Thank you to those individuals and dance studios that contributed to the installation, including dancers from Ballet Des Moines, Des Moines DanzArts Studio, Elite Dance Outfitters, and Robert Thomas Dancenter.