Ballet shoes

There are several different types of ballet shoes, here I'll go over the main differences.

Ballet shoes can be divided into soft shoes and pointe shoes.

Soft ballet shoes, or ballet slippers, are lightweight shoes made from leather, satin, or canvas.  Leather generally lasts the longest. Canvas are washable, but don't last as long as leather. Satin are rarely worn by recreational dancers because they don't last very long at all.

Ballet slippers have a leather sole, that is either a split sole or full sole. Full soles are commonly worn by beginning dancers because they work the foot harder and help develop strength, but some older starters begin with split soles.

There are several different brands and types of ballet shoes. When you get fitted, the person fitting you for ballet shoes will pick a good style based off of your foot shape and arch. Ballet slippers should feel snug around your feet, but they shouldn't be so tight that your toes curl under. Also, point your foot and make sure that the shoes show your arch nicely.

Pointe shoes are worn by experienced dancers. Pointe shoes were created so that women would look weightless while dancing ballet. Pointe shoes are sometimes called toe shoes. Here is a neat video showing how pointe shoes are made, and methods ballet dancers use to break them in and make them more comfortable.