The Dancer and Her Shoe Maker

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BBC Radio 4 - The Dancer and Her Shoe Maker

The story of two people connected by a ballet shoe.

Exploring the connection of two people through a ballet shoe - Francesca Hayward, principal dancer for the Royal Ballet, and her retired shoemaker, Bob Martin.

A dancer at the top of her career can't do her job without the skill and attention to detail of their shoemaker. 

Francesca Hayward is a principal dancer for the Royal Ballet and Bob Martin is her shoemaker.  It’s a very personal choice for a dancer to settle on the perfect shoe -  each maker is different - and so once they've found one, they rely on the maker of that shoe for their whole career. 

Pointe shoe making is a dying craft which has recently been given heritage craft status in the UK. There are not many people left like Bob. 

This programme takes you behind the curtain to peep into a world of craft, sweat and determination.  Rich in ballet music, this is an uplifting real life fairy tale of two people connected by a shoe.

Producer: Catherine Robinson for BBC Audio Wales and West

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