[VIDEO] Why Pointe Shoes Cost the NYC Ballet Nearly $1 Million A Year

Dancers at the New York City Ballet go through about 7,000 pairs of pointe shoes each year. That's because traditional pointe shoes break down after only a few wears. All of them come from Freed of London, which has been one of the world's leading ballet-shoe manufacturers for nearly 80 years. We went behind the scenes with the New York City Ballet and Freed of London to see how pointe shoes became such a big business.

00:00 - Introduction
01:42 - Rehearsals at NYCB
03:02 - NYCB Shoe Room
04:30 - Shoe Fitting
05:52 - Breaking In
07:08 - Making Pointe Shoes at Freed of London
10:25 - History of Pointe Shoes
11:21 - Gaynor Minden Pointe Shoes
14:26 - Grace's Preference
15:52 - Dyeing Shoes
17:16 - Preparing for Performance
18:30 - Nutcracker Performance
19:28 - Credits