Why do I need dance shoes, won’t ordinary shoes suffice?
Dancing shoes are expensive, £50+, and if you are hobbyist only starting off, I suggest you give it a few weeks to see if you like dancing before forking out! I am sure I am not the only one with a house full of stuff that was only used twice! Wear soft soled, low heel (not flat), closed toe shoes. That should do for your first few sessions.
With the right shoes though, you will find it easier to dance, they are a lot more flexible, the soles are made of suede so you can glide but not slip – and I believe there is a strong psychology behind putting on your “dancing shoes”. Also it is probably true to say that a normal shoe would not stand up to the hammering a pair of dance shoes can expect! A beginner stomping out a jive in a normal shoe takes the chance of snapping a heel (or an ankle!) Remember though, some places will not let you in with your normal shoes, because it will ruin their very expensive floors. Check with your studio.
The favourite shoes in our house at the moment are:-
For Standard
Manufacturer – DS Paris – Flesh Satin with diagonal Bar and Silver & Diamante Buckle. Round Toe. 2.0″ Flared Heel
For Latin
Manufacturer – Supadance 1029 Flesh Satin T bar with 2” flared heel – diamonte strap detail
Neither of these are particularly high – but they look the part, and are a joy to dance in. Highly recommended to those of you not used to heels
Any men out there??? You should wear 1” low heels for Standard and 1 ½ “ Cubans for latin dance. You can get 2” shoes, I have heard of them – but don’t know where from. Sorry! If your lady is a bit taller than you because of her heels, you can purchase build-ups that go inside your shoes. That extra half an inch might be all you need! Failing that, make her get flatter shoes!
Any kids out there?? Juveniles luckily only need one pair of shoes! You can get white ones, silver ones, gold ones, black ones! – The most important thing for you to remember about yours is that you must look after them! They are not cheap! You should never wear dance shoes outside because they will get wrecked, and your mum will be really angry!
Tips for cleaning your shoes
SOLES – Suede picks up all sorts of gunk – you need to “scratch” this off with a special brush that you can get, generally from the same place you bought your shoes.
UPPERS – Wash them gently using a sponge and some warm soapy water. Obviously you take the sponge to the shoe, don’t dunk the shoe in the water! Leave them to dry for a few hours. Don’t use heat on them.
The Dance Man
- 18th Jan, 08 03:01pm
Some great tips there, specially for those of us with younger kids. Thanks.
Sirena
- 9th Oct, 08 03:10am
Hi – I agree 100% about having the right shoes. It’s hard enough dancing in ordinary shoes when you’re an experienced dancer – when you’re learning, you want to be absolutely secure on your feet. On that score, however, I have to say I absolutely LOATHE suede soles. Having come from jazz and flamenco, I’m used to dancing in rubber soles, and to me suede soles feel like dancing on ice.
I’ve had the same feedback from beginners – the shoes may stay on securely and provide support, but they don’t feel balanced because the shoes are so slippery.
I guess it would be different if all classes were held on proper floors so you have a perfect match of floor and sole, but personally, I’ve got the stage where I have a flat rubber sole (topee) put on my dancing shoes when I buy them.
Michele Rasmussen
- 20th Oct, 08 01:10am
Wow, I don’t think I could dance in rubber soles, How do you spin and slide?