In pointe ballet, is it better to have flat or arched feet?

Question:

In pointe ballet, is it better to have flat or arched feet?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: a lot of people will argue arched, but they both have caveats and benefits. a high arch can push you over the box of your shoe, especially if you use a soft shank pointe. sometimes people with flat feet have to work harder to break in a harder shank and to show off the line of their foot. both types of dancers need to work on controlling the strength in their feet in ankles in order to dance safely. high arches are more pronounced,but ballet "superstars" also take a lot of measuresto break their shoes in for performances, and may be using something really soft (example, the capezio glisse or a chacott veronese) to get it looking beautiful right away. there are many factors that go into successful pointe. i am EXTREMEMLY flat footed, and usually wore a gamba 93 in a hard shank, went through them in a few hours and could literally snap it in half if i wanted to, while one girl i remember wors grishko mayas and hid beautiful arches had the same pair forever and couldnt bend the hard shoe needed to support her arch. the strength of the foot itself is a big factor.