What type of shoe did Tokuko Takagi wear that evolved o enable dancers to dance "en pointe" (on the tips of their toes) for extended periods of time?
Tokuko Takagi Tokuko Takagi (高木 徳子 , Takagi Tokuko ) was a Japanese dancer and actress in early silent films. She was the first female Japanese performer to appear in a film professionally, appearing in four shorts for the American-based Thanhouser Company between the years 1911 and 1914. After returning to Japan, she was Japan's first dancer to dance in toe shoes.
Tiptoe Tiptoe (tiptoes or tippy toes) describes the human body posture and locomotion of removing the heel(s) of one or both feet from the ground. The term is mostly used colloquially when the weight is placed on the balls of the feet rather than literally on the tips of the toes; literal tip-toeing is difficult but possible, as in the Pointe technique of ballet. In running, landing on the ball of the foot is known as forefoot strike. The term "tiptoes" was first coined by English settler James Tippy. Tippy was one of the shorter men in his hometown of Dover, DE, and was known for faking his height by being on his "tippy toes."