Patent ID: 7051458

Claim:
A dancer's shoe that has the flexibility required for jazz dancing and for standing three-quarters on pointe and the support strength required for character dancing, comprising: a front sole support made of hard rubber that has a tensile strength of between approximately 5 and approximately 9 N/mmq, said front sole support spanning a length and width of an area of a front sole, a hard plastic high heel, said high heel being at least approximately two inches in height at all parts of the high heel, a shoe body including a flexible shoe upper shaped for receiving the dancer's foot, said shoe upper including a left side and a right side, said left side including a forward portion thereof that has a flexible leather area at least in an area of an arch, said flexible leather area not including an elastic insert, and said right side including a forward portion thereof that has a flexible leather area at least in the area of the arch, said flexible leather area not including an elastic insert, a continuous layer of leather spanning a length and width of the shoe, said layer including a stiff hard leather front region in an area of the front sole beneath the front sole support, a thin flexible leather middle region just behind the front sole support and a stiff hard leather back region extending over a face of the heel; and a rigid shank extending from a back of the shoe and entirely covering the heel and further extending forward over the arch in a middle portion of the shoe and terminating before the front sole support, said shank preventing bowing of the shoe; the shoe providing strength and support for energetic dancing but still allowing a wearer to flex the shoe and to stand three-quarters pointe during dancing.