“Underwood’s pre-show ritual used to include a laborious 45 minutes spent caking his ‘nude’ ballet pumps with dark makeup. Once, in Italy, he failed to find the right makeup and struggled to cover his shoes for a performance. ‘I posted an Instagram to some companies, suggesting there should be different coloured shoes. A Russian ballet company replied, saying, ‘You’re black. You should wear black shoes.’ But one major manufacturer, Bloch, responded by creating a line in darker tones.”