Pointe shoes, also referre to as toe shoes, are a special type of shoe used by ballet dancers for pointework. They developed from the desire to appear weightless and sylph-like onstage and have evolved to allow extended periods of movement on the tips of the toes (en pointe). Pointe shoes are normally worn only by female dancers, though male dancers may wear them for certain roles, such as the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, or men performing as women in dance companies such as Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and Grandiva.