Check this out. I thought this was quite humourous.<BR> <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991118/aponline114259_002.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991118/aponline114259_002.htm</A>

I agree!<BR>I chuckled.<BR>Cygnet

I'm not sure how long the Washington Post URLs last, so here is the same news item in London's 'Guardian'<BR> <A HREF="http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,105274,00.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,105274,00.html</A>

note also that the australian authorities were under the impression that ballet shoes have wood in the tips...

Well, I think it's sad they couldn't resolve it before they cancelled the performance. Now, I hope this doesn't make the Aussies look "third worldish." Jennifer, do you want to defend your home country (even if you haven't performed in it in awhile)?

That article is funny!<BR>Some people used to think the shanks of pointe shoes were metal.<BR>I can't think the Aussie's would be third world, if you saw their Australian Ballet Company. I had this pleasure in Oct. while they were performing in NYC.<BR>Very fine company. <BR>But, I think the wood pointe shoe tips is pretty strange. Maybe the Russians actually are Dutch and wear clogs...or maybe the authorities got mixed up as to who was whom?<BR>Crates, sets yes, I can understand, but pointe shoes...obviously the person who wrote the article or the people who dealt with the shoes have not seen their own ballet company.<BR>But, what does the average person think pointe shoes are made from?<BR>It is sort of obscure information, no?<BR>I mean, how many people outside the field know that Gaynor Mindons are all plastic?<BR>Even some in the field.<BR>So, I suppose we can forgive the poor dudes who wanted to fumigate their shoes.<BR>(I wouldn't mind fumigating some running shoes that were taken off in my presence at times)<P>------------------<BR>bek

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I wouldn't mind fumigating some running shoes that were taken off in my presence at times<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Ha ha. But seriously, don't we also get the same problem with pointe shoes. Oh, I hope Jennifer posts a reply. Being a dancer, originally from Australia, she should be well qualified to respond to this issue.

I don't agree that Australia is a third world country. This just illustrates how much about ballet is not known. I propose you may be surprised at how many people in the US or Europe may not know if pointe shoes have wood in them.

Good point there, Albrecht. We dancer/dance fans keep forgetting how small and insulated danceworld can be.

That article's a scream, I had to laugh so hard. However, now it's time I spoke up, not to defend my homeland, but to clarify a few things. Albrecht is right, not everyone spends their lives delving into the whys and wherefores of dance like some of us, which is why I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who couldn't tell you what point shoes are made of. Then there is the matter of Perth. With all due respect to some nice, intelligent rounded people I know in Perth, the city is still comparatively small and not exactly thriving in cultural activities. Those poor immigration officers probably grew up miles away from any ballet performance, let alone the fact that if any of them owned up to knowing what point shoes are made of they might be finished off in the backyard for having feminine tendencies (if the larger percentage of immigration officers is male, of course). Don't get me wrong, Perth is moving forward and is a beautiful, civilized city, but dance is still for the minority to enjoy. As for "Third World"...more like "Lost in a Time Warp." But hey, change is in the air, what with the pending Sydney 2000 Olympics Australia might just be able to mend its reputation for being a little "primitive" in its attitudes. Maybe you could come and take a look at "OZ" for yourself

Jennifer, can you stop laughing, at least long enough to answer my question: as a well-traveled ballerina, which country/region/continent do you see as the most or least knowledgeable or appreciative of dance? I have relatives in some parts of the world very much like the residents of Perth you described who cannot understand my fascination with this art form. Or perhaps this is a question you'd rather not answer for fear of retribution by ignorant customs officers?

My grandmother kept asking me when I would get a 'REAL' job and quit this dance hobby thing? She was from Chicago.

I suppose it's all relative, isn't it?

For the benefit of those of us who have never actually cut open a pointe shoe to see what's inside, what's inside?<BR>

Also, another thing... having recently had to make an emergency shellac run for a ballerina in distress... will someone explain to me the connection between pointe shoes and shellac?