Prima ballerina assoluta is a title awarded to the most notable of female ballet dancers. To be recognised as a "prima ballerina assoluta" is a rare honour, traditionally reserved only for the most exceptional dancers of their generation.
 Originally inspired by the Italian ballet masters of the early Romantic ballet, and literally meaning "absolute first ballerina", the title was bestowed on a prima ballerina who was considered to be exceptionally talented, above the standard of other leading ballerinas.
 The title is very rarely used today and recent uses have typically been symbolic, either in recognition of a prestigious international career, or for exceptional service to a particular ballet company.
 There is no universal procedure for designating who may receive the title, which has led to dispute in the ballet community over who can legitimately claim it.
 It is usually a ballet company that bestows the title, however some dancers have had the title officially sanctioned by a government or head of state, sometimes for political rather than artistic reasons.
 Less common is for a dancer to become identified as a "prima ballerina assoluta" as a result of public and critical opinion.
A pointe shoe is a type of shoe worn by ballet dancers when performing pointe work.
 Pointe shoes were conceived in response to the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and have evolved to enable dancers to dance "en pointe" (on the tips of their toes) for extended periods of time.
 They are manufactured in a variety of colors, most commonly in shades of light pink.
In dance (particularly ballet), arabesque (] ; literally, "in Arabic fashion") is a body position in which a dancer stands on one leg (the "supporting" leg) with the other leg (the "working" leg) turned out and extended behind the body, with both legs held straight.
 In classical ballet, an arabesque can be executed with the supporting leg "en pointe" or "demi pointe" or with foot flat on the floor.
Marie Taglioni (23 April 1804 – 22 April 1884) was a ballet dancer of the Romantic ballet era, a central figure in the history of European dance.
 She was one of the most celebrated ballerinas of the romantic ballet, which was cultivated primarily at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, and at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique of the Paris Opera Ballet.
 She is credited with (though not confirmed) being the first ballerina to truly dance en pointe.
Vaslav Nijinsky (also Vatslav; Russian: Ва́цлав Фоми́ч Нижи́нский ; ] ; Polish: "Wacław Niżyński" ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century.
 He was celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations.
 He could dance "en pointe", a rare skill among male dancers at the time and was admired for his seemingly gravity-defying leaps.
The Romantic ballet is defined primarily by an era in ballet in which the ideas of Romanticism in art and literature influenced the creation of ballets.
 The era occurred during the early to mid 19th century primarily at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique of the Paris Opera Ballet and Her Majesty's Theatre in London.
 It is typically considered to have begun with the 1827 début in Paris of the ballerina Marie Taglioni in the ballet "La Sylphide", and to have reached its zenith with the premiere of the divertissement "Pas de Quatre" staged by the Ballet Master Jules Perrot in London in 1845.
 The Romantic ballet had no immediate end, but rather a slow decline.
 Arthur Saint-Léon's 1870 ballet "Coppélia" is considered to be the last work of the Romantic Ballet.
Emma Livry (born as Jeanne Emma Emarot or Emma Marie Emarot; 24 September 1842 – 26 July 1863) was one of the last ballerinas of the Romantic ballet era and a protégée of Marie Taglioni.
 She died from complications after burn injuries sustained when her costume caught fire during a rehearsal.
Pointe technique is the part of classical ballet technique that concerns "pointe work", in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes.
 A dancer is said to be "en pointe" when the dancer's body is supported in this manner, and a fully extended vertical foot is said to be "en pointe" when touching the floor, even when not bearing weight.
 Pointe work is performed while wearing pointe shoes, which employ structural reinforcing to distribute the dancer's weight load throughout the foot, thus reducing the load on the toes enough to enable the dancer to support all body weight on fully vertical feet.
Dori shoes are dance shoes that combine the toe box of a pointe shoe with a dance heel approximately 3 inches ( about 7.5 cm ) in length.
 These allow the dancer to combine steps from multiple dance styles with classical ballet, by switching balance from standing on the heel to standing en pointe, and vice versa.
 In 2007, Dorimar Bonilla, a Las Vegas choreographer and dancer originally from Puerto Rico, first created the shoes.
 They were first used for performance at a cabaret show by "The Coquettes" at CatHouse, inside the Luxor Hotel and casino in Las Vegas.
 They have also been seen in shows such as "Ran Can Can" in Puerto Rico, "Sin City Comedy" in Las Vegas, and "Broadway Bares- Las Vegas", produced by American theater choreographer and director, Jerry Mitchell.
David Howard (born David Charles Edwards) (14 June 1937 – 11 August 2013) was an English ballet dancer and teacher, who taught internationally at institutions such as the Royal Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada.
 Howard opened his popular eponymous dance studio in New York City, the David Howard School of Ballet (later the David Howard Dance Center) in 1977, before its closure in 1995.
 His dance center welcomed all students including children, adult beginners and professionals from the Broadway musicals and ballet.
 In addition to his teaching, Howard was an expert on the history of the pointe shoe worn by ballet dancers, and a pioneer in their design.

Question: Emma Livry was a protegee of what ballet dancer of the Romantic Ballet era, who is credited as being the first ballerina to truly dance en pointe?
Answer: Marie Taglioni