Antique Pointe Shoes: Leos (Advanced Theatrical Company)

Leo's Dancewear was founded in 1924 by Leo Harris in Chicago, IL. It was later bought by Bloch of Austrailia. But this is about the old company.

The relationship between Advanced Theatrical Company and Leo Harris is murky.

According to Dance Lovers Magazine, Oct. 1925, “Out of The West Comes A Young Shoemaker With a New Idea! Great is the interest this year in the toe shoe designed by a young Chicagoan, Leo Harris. ...Artists who take their work seriously have been quick to grasp the advantage these new Advance Ballets afforded them....A Shoe That Supports As Well As Fits. Provision for the support of the body’s weight , which so often rests with terrific force on the toes, has been made. Leo Harris solved this age-old difficulty of support by designing two shoes. He saw the error of turning out ballets in sizes only, like street shoes. There are 2 kinds of feet. One has a low arch, the other a high arch. Each is weak in a different place.... Leo Harris designed one shoe for the foot with a low arch; another for the foot with a high arch...”

(Toe slippers in linen or kid leather were $4.50 each and in satin, $5.25) It also displayed “Leo” as a trademark and listed Advance Theatrical Shoe Co’s address as 159 N. State St.,Chicago IL.

After 1934, Advance Theatrical Co. disappeared and Leo’s Dancewear appeared. At one point, Leo’s Dancewear had more than 150 employees and a 100,000 square foot office space, manufacturing facility, warehouse, and distribution center. For a long time the company was located on 1900 N. Narragansett Ave. In 2012, after being sold to to Bloch, the company downsized. Most divisions were closed. It may now only be a retail store with some factory 2nds in the back.

While special maker shoes can be arranged, Leo prides itself on the uniformity of their pointe shoes. If necessary, one maker can complete work that was began by another. Every two weeks shoes are cut out and the process is begun from there.

Their pointe line includes:

Pas de Deux I --A shoe for beginners
Pas de Deux III --an intermediate-advanced shoe
Roma --a European style professional shoe

All Leo's pointes have a "rainbow-arch feature." The last on which the shoe is shaped is
slightly arched. It feels pre-arched the first time you wear it. The Leo line has a felt lining in
the back of the shoe for comfort and extra grip to prevent your heels from slipping. The
front of the box is lined with cloth. The shanks are made of a fiberboard, a combination of
artificial materials and leather.

Features that can be special order are: a double fiber shank, shorter or longer vamps,
and higher or lower boxes.