Dance shoe and last for making a dance shoe

Abstract

A dance shoe adapted for urging a foot into an arch shape includes a shoe upper and a sole attached to the shoe upper, the sole having a heel region, a toe region and an arch extending between the heel region and the toe region. The heel of the shoe defines a horizontally extending ground plane, and the arch is sufficiently curved so that the toe region is projected downwardly below the horizontally extending ground plane. When a dancer's foot is inserted into the dance shoe, the shoe upper and the sole cooperate for urging the dancer's foot to move into a point position.

1 . A dance shoe adapted for urging a foot into an arch shape comprising: 
 a shoe upper;    a sole attached to said shoe upper, said sole having a heel region, a toe region and an arch extending between said heel region and said toe region, wherein a bottom of said heel region defines a horizontally extending ground plane; and    said arch being sufficiently curved so that at least a portion of said toe region of said dance shoe is projected downwardly below the horizontally extending ground plane.    
     
     
         2 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said sole is flexible.  
     
     
         3 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the toe region of said sole has a bottom surface that lies below the horizontally extending ground plane.  
     
     
         4 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the toe region of said sole has no toe spring.  
     
     
         5 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the toe region of said sole has negative toe spring.  
     
     
         6 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein when a foot having toes is inserted in said dance shoe, said shoe upper and said sole cooperate for urging the toes downwardly.  
     
     
         7 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the toes are urged downwardly below the horizontally extending ground plane.  
     
     
         8 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said sole is made of a material selected from the group consisting of rubber, polymer, synthetics and leather.  
     
     
         9 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said upper is made of a material selected from the group consisting of GORE®, LYCRA®, mesh fabric, stretchable fabric, elastic fabric, leather, cotton fabric, synthetic fabric and polymer fabric.  
     
     
         10 . A dance shoe adapted for urging a foot into a point position comprising: 
 a shoe upper;    a sole attached to said shoe upper, said sole having a heel region, a toe region and an arch extending between said heel region and said toe region;    a bottom of said heel defining a horizontally extending ground plane; and    the toe region of said sole has zero toe spring and said arch being sufficiently curved so that said toe region is projected downwardly below the horizontally extending ground plane.    
     
     
         11 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the toe region of said sole has negative toe spring.  
     
     
         12 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein said sole is flexible.  
     
     
         13 . A dance shoe adapted for normally urging a foot inserted in the shoe to move into a point position comprising: 
 a flexible sole having a heel region., a toe region and an arch extending between said heel region and said toe region, wherein said toe region of said sole has a negative toe spring;    a shoe upper attached to said sole, wherein said sole and said upper cooperate for urging an at rest foot inserted into said dance shoe to move into the point position.    
     
     
         14 . A dance shoe comprising: 
 a flexible sole having a heel region, a toe region remote from the heel region, an arch between the heel region and the toe region and a ball region between the arch region and the toe region;    a shoe upper attached to said sole, wherein the toe region of said flexible sole has no toe spring.    
     
     
         15 . The dance shoe as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the toe region of said flexible sole has negative toe spring so that when a dancer's foot having toes is inserted into said dance shoe, the shoe upper and the sole cooperate for urging the dancer's toes downwardly.