Professional ballerina Aoi Fujiwara keeps her ballet bag packed with pointe shoes — ten, to be exact.
Originally from Osaka, Aoi has been with the Houston Ballet for the past decade and recently appeared as Aurora in their ethereal production of The Sleeping Beauty. It was for this performance that she painstakingly readied an eye-raising ten pairs of pointe shoes, all of varying stiffness to suit the ballet’s varied scenes.
Based on the well-known fairytale by Charles Perrault, The Sleeping Beauty is an enduring testament to classical ballet, with exacting technique and dreamy, fluid movements.
The ballet’s iconic Rose Adagio, a scene in the first act, sees Aurora perform long, controlled balances. It’s little wonder then that Aoi keeps her bag full of pointe shoes. Fresh pairs are critical to keep up with the rigors of the art; dancers wear them down with each passé.
But while the grueling, and expensive, lives of pointe shoes could be studied at length — the New York City Ballet dances through close to 7,000 pairs a year, almost $1 million worth, according to Business Insider — it’s how Aoi came to wear pointe shoes that makes this ballerina’s story stand apart: her unexpected, immediate ability to relevé without help.
What made you want to become a ballerina?
I started ballet when I was three. But I was not really interested. I liked to dance, but compared to others, I wasn’t good enough — I felt that already. I always wanted to be the first, the best one. But I felt like I was okay. So, I was like, “Mom, I don’t like ballet.” I wanted to do swimming.
But when I first started wearing the pointe shoes, and everybody [in my ballet class] was holding the [balance] bar like crazy, I didn’t. I don’t know how I did it. From that day, my teacher started working with me more, focusing on me.
Also, my mom found out I was good, so every time I went home, she always asked me, “What did you learn today? What notes did you get from the teacher?” And then, I figured my part out. The next time we went to the class, I had already fixed it, so the teacher wanted to teach me more and more. That’s how I grew. And then, at one point, I wanted to be a ballerina.
What has been your favorite performance that you have danced in?
I cannot pick. Each moment, it feels different!
What does a typical day look like for you as a professional ballerina?
I wake up then I need to have a good breakfast. Then, after the rehearsal, a little bit of stretching and massaging to prepare for the next day. Then, I come back and eat. I need to get a lot of protein. Sometimes, I take a bath to relax. It’s pretty simple.
How do you know when you need a new pair of pointe shoes? Can you tell when you’re dancing?
Yes. For me, almost twice a week, I start to wear the new pair — make sure there’s stock. It’s not just that I have one pair to wear and then stop and start to wear another one. It’s more like, I wear the new one, have a couple shoes prepared, and then I decide what’s good [for the performance]. So, it depends on the act.
What has been the best part of your experience of The Sleeping Beauty?
It’s all about the technique, but also more. I think mostly, it’s important to tell the story. So, I like to, even at home, sometimes hear the music. I’m not dancing, but I hear the music and I’m doing this kind of acting. Every time the feeling is different. I love to think about that stuff.
Is there something you would like our readers to know about you?
It was easy to become a ballerina — my mom was helping so much. She did, for me, everything. Without her, I don’t think I would’ve become a professional ballerina. I didn’t have any confidence that I could. But she really supported me. She didn’t even know how to dance ballet. I really appreciate this.
When I first started wearing the pointe shoes, and everybody [in my ballet class] was holding the bar like crazy, I didn’t.
It was easy to become a ballerina — my mom was helping so much. She did, for me, everything. Without her, I don’t think I would’ve become a professional ballerina. I didn’t have any confidence that I could.