An early cast of a pointe shoe sculpture

Saratoga Springs is about to up its status as a dance mecca. Home to the National Museum of Dance and New York City Ballet’s summer season, the city plans to highlight its role in the dance world by peppering its tourist-friendly downtown area with two dozen five-foot-tall statues of pointe shoes.

The National Museum of Dance heads the project and has commissioned a crew of local artists to design each shoe uniquely. The Saratoga En Pointe installation will be unveiled at the museum on May 31, after which the shoes will be delivered to their permanent homes throughout the city.

What ballerina won’t want to have her photo taken with a larger-than-life homage to her craft?

Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Dance