The first dancers to stand on their toes did so in 1796, according to an idea by Charles Didelot. His "flying machine" raised dancers into the air, allowing them to stand on their toes before taking off. The French government paid Didelot for his invention. Eighteen years later, Louis XIV decided he wanted to see this new dance called "the foxtrot". So, he had a special ballroom built at the Palace of Versailles where people could see how well dancers could walk on their toes. The king was so impressed that he ordered the construction of more ballrooms like this one in Paris and London. These were called "le parc d'attractions" (the attraction park). In America, the first such room was built in Coney Island in 1892. It was called the "Electricity Club". People could pay a penny to stand in the room and watch dancers perform for them! Today, you can go to many nightclubs in Europe where you can still see dancing en pointe on the toes. However, you won't find this dance style very popular anymore. There are only a few teachers who know how to do it correctly and they don't teach their students because there is no money in it anymore.