After 14 years of trial, doubt, and determination, a dancer turns personal pain into a new foundation for ballet footwear. The result is innovation guided not by theory, but by a life spent listening to the body—and bold enough to challenge more than a century of established tradition.
Seth Orza's Ballet Shoe
Former New York City Ballet dancer Seth Orza has developed a revolutionary ballet shoe that challenges more than a century of tradition in dance footwear - born directly from his own painful struggle with injury. When Orza developed severe plantar fasciitis during his professional career, he experienced firsthand the inadequate support of standard flat ballet shoes.
Unable to walk as he prepared to debut as Romeo in 2007, Orza did what many male dancers before him had done: he went from drugstore to drugstore, experimenting with heel cups and padding, cutting and gluing pieces into his shoes. After extensive trial and error, he found a commercially available heel cup that worked - relieving not only his plantar fasciitis, but improving his overall alignment and reducing strain throughout his body.
When that product was discontinued, rather than searching for another temporary fix, Orza decided to design a solution himself. This he began the classic inventor's journney. But he had knowledge based on experience and that gave him an edge
He wasn't a shoe designer observing dancers from the outside - he was a principal dancer solving his own problem from the inside. That insider perspective proved crucial over the 14-year development process. Orza understood exactly what dancers needed because he had lived it: the instability of traditional shoes, the frustration of footwear that falls apart, and the delicate balance between support and feel that professional ballet demands.
The result, the Orza Pro, incorporates shock-absorbing sneaker technology into a ballet shoe, featuring a supportive heel and layered foam cushioning that stabilizes the foot and reduces impact. Orza’s intimate knowledge of dance biomechanics shaped every design choice—from metatarsal cushioning to a heel structure that allows proper pliés without compromising classical technique.
Despite ballet’s deep resistance to change, the innovation has gained traction. Dancers report relief from chronic conditions like Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis, along with improvements in strength, jumping ability, and overall stability. New York City Ballet principal Miriam Miller credits the shoe with allowing her to “plié properly without popping my heels off the floor,” helping her build strength differently and generate more power and lightness in her jumps. Prestigious institutions including the School of American Ballet, Canada’s National Ballet School, and English National Ballet School have adopted the shoe.
Orza’s credibility as a former principal dancer at two major companies proved essential in navigating ballet’s cultural resistance to innovation. “Who am I to be changing something that’s existed for over a century?” he asked himself. The answer: he is someone who has danced in these shoes, understood their limitations, and felt the transformative impact that proper support can make.
Priced at $69—higher than traditional ballet shoes but engineered for durability and injury prevention -the Orza Pro serves professionals, students, and the growing community of adult recreational dancers. Orza runs the six-person company alongside his wife, Sarah Orza, also a former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal, bringing a dancer’s perspective to every business decision, from performance durability to stage-accurate color development. Working with City Ballet repertory director Craig Hall, the company refines color options to ensure they read correctly under stage lights.
For Orza, overcoming ballet’s reverence for tradition required more than technical innovation - it required authority earned through lived experience. As he learns over years onstage, “Everything starts at the feet.”
Adapted from reporting by Gia Kourlas, dance critic for The New York Times (Jan. 19, 2026). See full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/0...
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