Alina Cojocaru on pointe shoes

This pair of ballet shoes which I wore to perform my first Tatiana in Onegin, when I was 20, lasted only two days. If I’m not performing on stage they can last up to two months. I constantly sew on ribbons and repair my ballet shoes to make them last longer. There is a huge shoe room at the Royal Opera House with a compartment for each dancer with their name on and all their shoes. There are maybe 10 or 15 pairs per dancer.