Innovative ballet shoes hit the shelves

Dr Matthew Wyon, from the School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure, came up with the innovative pointe shoes as a way of tackling the high rate of injury suffered by female ballet dancers. The Flyte ballet shoes last longer, improve balance whilst en pointe and have improved shock absorption whilst jumping.

The shoes are now available to buy from Inspire, the business Matthew runs with his wife Claire, which is based in Station Street, Walsall, or from the company’s website www.futureofdance.com/

Dr Wyon said: “The accumulation of seven years work and research is now finished. We have managed to produce the next generation of pointe shoe that incorporates the technology we see in sport shoes whilst maintaining the aesthetic beauty required for ballet. Not only have we had major interest in the UK but we have also had sales from Europe and the States.

“The feedback we have had from dancers wearing the Flyte shoe is that it is comfy but still provides the support they need when en pointe.”

Dr Wyon is a Reader in Performance Science and has established the University as a leading institution in dance science research. He came up with the concept of a new pointe shoe for female ballet dancers using advances from the sport shoe industry. The company now designs, assembles, markets, sells and distributes dance shoes, clothing and accessories.

Flyte received financial and technical support from the Mercia Spinner initiative operated by the University to help protect and test the exploitation of new ideas emerging from universities. The funding was used to develop the design and production of the improved ballet shoe.

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