To the naked eye Bip had only the clothes he stood up in: trousers, jacket, soft ballet shoes, striped jersey, and a crumpled opera-hat topped with a red flower.

ECONOMIST: Bip

Bolshoi dancers have been known to place crushed glass inside each other's ballet shoes, or set an alarm clock to go off during a tour de force (a feat of technical skill during a ballet performance).

BBC: Ballet wars at the Bolshoi

But the women of Mr. Ratmansky's ballet are made most distinct and prominent by what they accomplish in their shiny pointe shoes.

WSJ: The Men (and Women) of San Francisco | San Francisco Ballet | By Robert Greskovic

Lin's awakening to dance came with the 1948 classic The Red Shoes - the tale of an aspiring dancer's struggle to join a famous ballet company.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek