What’s the deal with dance shoes?
By Joe
Donato, all rights reserved, © 2007
I
often get these same recurring questions about dance shoes. “Hey Joe, what kind
of shoes should I wear for the dance lesson? Where did you get your shoes? Why
are you brushing them? Is all that really necessary, I’m not
a professional for crying out loud”, etc. etc. Well, before I tell my
story for the men, I decided to ask several women who have been dancing for
several years and have made it a regular part of their lifestyle for their
input. Here’s a compilation of what they had to say…
On Comfort?
Best
solution for comfort - wear Capezio Dance Sneakers
whenever you can (such as lessons) - easy on the feet! I usually wear them when
I go to a swing dance, since they're easier for bouncing around in. –“Ginger”
If
wearing heels, low-heeled Cuban (wide) heels are easier on the feet than some
of the taller, spiker types of heels. Save
the tall spiky ones for glitzier occasions. –“Grace”
Where to buy them?
Ask
everyone in your class or socially where they got their shoes, share opinions
and experiences, try on someone else's shoes! There are great selections
on-line but some people need to try things on before making a commitment. You
are looking for comfort, pivotability, stability and
style. Women dance better when they feel beautiful and they dance their best
when their shoes aren't in the way (sticky, wobbly, an eyesore) – “Monique”
Look
in yellow pages for dance supplies; some of the dance shops carry ballroom
shoes as well as ballet shoes. Call ahead to ask if they carry
ballroom shoes before making the trip. –“Josephine”
Occasionally
you can find ballroom shoes in regular shoe stores - I've bought a couple of
pairs at B&S Shoe Store in
How hard is it to dance in heels, and do
you recommend it?
I love wearing heals. 1
1/2" and higher is what I
prefer . I just ordered new shoes with 3" heals. –“Shirley”
It
is quite easy to dance in heels since a follower walks backwards so often,
heels are made for walking backwards, and not all heels are painful. In the
end, women dance best when they feel beautiful and somehow heels equal fancy
feet in our society. Imagine a ballroom competition in sneakers, how
unattractive and cumbersome! –“Isadora”
Does the type of shoe depend on the
dance floor?
I
think different dances require different shoes and also different surfaces
require different shoes. Dancing outside on cement is different from dancing on
a wood floor versus a tile floor etc. I have even had to dance on carpet which
makes for an interesting pivot! –“Cleo”
Bring 3 pairs of shoes with you no matter where you are dancing. It is good to
change your shoes often if you are dancing for a long time 4-5 hours. It helps
keep down the fatigue. I believe you can dance in anything that makes you feel
like you want to dance with some exceptions:
Rubber soles and wedge heels do not work for dancing. –“Agnes”
How much should I expect to spend on
dance shoes?
The money spent depends on all of the above. it is not
unusual to spend $200 on a good pair of dance shoes. You have to consider how
many miles you are going to put on them. dancing 4-5
hours several times a week makes for lots of time spent on those shoes, money
well spent. –“Lola”
And
for men, here’s my shoe story:
First
off, the primary reason you buy dance shoes is so that you have a smooth leather
or suede sole on the ball of your foot to help you turn and twist easily. This is a very valuable skill when it comes
to leading turns and adding rotation to your dance. The second reason you buy
them is for the comfort factor. They tend to be far more comfortable than your
average shoe. The third (and least important in my opinion) is for the look. As
I always said “looking good is a bi-product of feeling good”. If you are
comfortable, your woman will look good, and isn’t that really all the styling a
man really needs?
Believe it or not, for the first six months to a year
of dancing, I did not consider dance shoes a necessary investment for two
reasons. First off, since I have very large and flat feet, I not only wear orthotics inserts in my shoes, but I also have to buy very
wide shoes (14 EEEE, believe it or not!
That’s right. I’m not ashamed!) It is very difficult to walk into a shoe
store and find a pair of shoes off the rack that will fit me. To this day, I
still am not able to walk into a shoe store in a mall and find a pair of common
sneakers my size. If I have this much trouble with regular shoes, what are my
odds of finding dance shoes, let alone ones that will either give me proper
arch support or have room for both my orthotics and
my feet! In addition to this, I thought to myself, “why pay hundreds of dollars
for something that I’m just going to wear out quickly anyway?” My boss at the dance studio I was teaching in
certainly encouraged me to invest in a pair, but instead, I settled for a
generic pair of leather soled shoes that I found at Payless for $30.
Well, it turned out I was wrong on both accounts. When
I halfheartedly found myself in a tiny, but reputable dance shoe store in
Maintenance is quite simple. You buy one of
these shoe brushes. You can find them on
ebay, or any dance shoe store. After dancing, the
suede gets matted down and really smooth. You brush the smooth part to make the
suede rough again. It takes about 20
seconds, and makes your shoes as good as new again. Polish at your own desire.
So,
my advice is; keep your feet happy, and your brain, your body, and your partner’s
demeanor will all follow suit.
Check
out this page to find
links to reputable dance shoe suppliers that I endorse.
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