Pakistani Craftsman Gives U.S. Dancers a Grip

Farrukh Ashraf repaired the shoes with 2½-inch heels worn by the precision dance troupe, which finished a 37-performance run of "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" here last week. "The work was not that hard; it's just so many of them at one time," Ashraf said recently while gluing rubber-sole protectors to 24 pairs of T-strap leather shoes in his Enchanted Shoe Repair. "Basically what they wanted on the shoes was a grip so when they're dancing, they don't fall."

When asked to take on the Rockette work, the 37-year-old native of Pakistan was unfazed. When asked to take on the Rockette work, the 37-year-old native of Pakistan was unfazed. "I had never heard of the Rockettes before," he said. "This is a big deal for my wife; I'm just the one who doesn't know anything about them…