It is then baked in an oven to make it hard. Dancers take these hard toed shoes and gently mould them to their feet and sew ribbons on them for added support. The sole of the shoe is made of hard leather to provide more support. When ballerinas dance in pointe shoes, their body heat softens the shoes. The glue and canvas break down and by the end of a performance, the shoes often are so soft they can no longer support the dancer's footwork.
Some dancers wear through three pairs of pointe shoes in a single performance.
Male dancers usually wear ballet slippers made of leather or canvas which, like pointe shoes, are specially made to measure for each individual. The leather is pleated and soft under the toes but the rest of the sole is made of hard leather. The shoes are easily malleable, moulding to the foot like a second skin and assist the dancer in establishing a firm grip on the floor. Dancers also use a variety of other footwear including character boots and shoes. There are two different kinds of character boots, heeled and unheeled.