The Swans’ War

Once a week, as ballet dancers, fifteen soldiers of South Korea, just to relieve stress, take off their uniforms and boots to wear ballet shoes. The classes – which started last year – have already produced results: the group, in fact, danced Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” ballet. Furthermore, as well as relax, ballet requires considerable physical effort and is very useful for strengthening the muscles. Photos: Reuters/la Repubblica.it. Special thanks to Mrs. Francesca Ballerini for providing information on it.

The Leftovers

Freed of London, pointe shoes, Hackney Katie Treggiden: “A ballet dancer gets through 30 to 40 pairs of shoes a month, more than one a day. Freed makes most of the world’s pointe ballet shoes – they’ve been making them since 1929, and they made the ones Moira Shearer wears in The Red Shoes. They were the first people to tailor the shoes to the individual ballet dancer’s feet. They don’t make left or right feet – the shoes are the same, and the dancers will dance in them for a little bit and then decide which one’s which”. Photo: Charlotte Schreiber.

Freed of London Katie Treggiden: “The really important part is the block of the shoe, which is made of flour, dextrin and a few secret ingredients. There’s this amazing contrast: they’re all blokes, quite burly-looking, and they’re making these delicate shoes with big hammers and hand tools. There’s a similar contrast in ballet – it’s this beautiful, delicate dance but actually the dancers are incredibly strong”. Photo: Charlotte Schreiber.

• Kathryn Bromwich, The new makers of east London – in pictures, The Guardian, October 10, 2015