Dancing Dopers, please explain "ballroom dancing shoes" to me.

Factual Questions
1

Now that I have lost 55 pounds, I’m thinking of taking up ballroom dancing with my husband. We were at a demonstration and there were several vendors of “dance shoes” there. To my uneducated eye, the dancing shoes for women seemed to be super elegant flimsy things, so how in the hell could those be comfortable, let alone shoes fit to do something sporty as dancing all night without getting sore feet?

Dance shoes seemed to be of special dance brands, though, and they sure are more expensive then ordinary mid-priced elegant flimsy shoes.

So how are the strappy dance sandalshere different from these elegant strappy evening sandals?

And if those dancing shoes are so comfortable, could I use them for every day wear with an elegant outfit?

Is buying dance shoes online or second hand a very bad idea? There seem to be a lot of " hardly used" shoes on E-bay.

And should I get a plain sole or a suede sole? I plan to do ordinary dancing, no tango’s yet.

2

First of all CONGRATS! I had been wondering how the weight-loss issue was going.

As for shoes, you’ll find the primary difference is (like for boat-shoes or bowling alleys) the owner of the floor. Many true ballrooms will have requirements about what types of soles can be dragged around their expensively maintained surfaces. The types of shoes that are approved are also going to wear out very quickly if you walk down the sidewalk in them.

In addition, the dance shoe sole will have a set amount of “Drag” to it. You don’t want to slip, but you don’t want the shoe gripping when you try to spin or turn either, so it’s a careful balance. Some ballrooms will let you use a bit of rosin on the bottoms, others will not.

Good luck, and have a wonderful time! I’ve always said that if I ever marry, it will be to a man who will come dancing with me!

3

Ballroom shoes are engineered wonders. First, the sole: as TruCelt says, they have to combine the ability to slip when you want with the ability to grip the floor at other times. The solution is suede (and a suede brush). Men’s shoes have suede on both soles and heels, women’s on just the soles (the heels are hard). In the US, most ballrooms won’t let you mess up their floors with rosin or baby powder or any other substance. Also, many insist on heel protectors on women’s shoes.

Second, the heel placement: other shoes can have the heel attached to the shoe anywhere from under the middle of your heel to in line with the back of your heel. Take the Melissa style. The heel is place directly under the middle of your heel, giving you the most stability. That’s very important if you are doing leaps, kicks, etc. You are landing with the full force of all your weight on 3 square inches- you want as much stability as you can get!

Third, the arch: Women’s shoes are made with a steel arch support. Men’s shoes usually aren’t because of the lower heel. Again, stability.

Fourth, cushioning: dance shoes should have cushioning all through the sole or your feet won’t even make it through an hour of dancing.

Fifth, straps: You want the shoe to stay on your foot!

There are usually different heel heights within a shoe style (although not offered by all distributers). You can get the Melissa style with a 2.5" through a 3.5" heel. The balance is different with each heel height and a good manufacturer will take that into consideration.

It used to be that you had to buy white satin and dye it to whatever shade you wanted. Now they offer nude or suntan shades, as well as black. (The theory is that nude/suntan is the best choice as they “disappear” on your leg, making it look longer and leaner. The fact is that, if you’re buying just one pair, nude goes with everything.)

Also, be careful to get a good fit.

The open toe (sandal) is generally for the Latin dances. The closed toed shoes are generally for ballroom styles. If you’re buying only one pair for both styles to begin with, most go with open toed shoes with a moderate heel (2- 2.5").

4

Suede.

As has been said, dance shoes feel different on a dance floor than just high heeled pumps. They allow exactly enough grip (too little, and you slide all over the place. Too much and you can’t move). Also, while they look flimsy, they’re structured differently than similarly looking sandals.

It’ll ruin the shoes. Think of it like cutting paper with good sewing shears. The shoes are suited to being worn on a dance floor and they stay suited to being worn there because they aren’t picking up all of the grime and dirt and crap on your average city street. And water would go right through them.

If you can try them on, I would recommend it. However, I’ve bought a few pairs on the internet, and they’ve been fine.

5

As a newbie, you should be fine with street shoes for 2-3 months of lessons. Smooth soles on street shoes are usually best. Sneakers grip the floor too much, but if the floor is too slippery you may need them. I have never run into a studio that required dance shoes for the first lesson.

As you get into it, you’ll notice people brushing the soles of their shoes. They are using a suede brush to bring up the nap, making the shoes grip the floor more. Even with just using them on a dance floor, they pick up dirt and grime.

The local dancers will be able to advise you as to brands, styles and places to shop. For your first pair, try them on if at all possible. After you settle on a style and brand, you’ll be able to order from the internet. Each pair should last a newbie about a year, even two. By the time you get heavily into competition, you will probably wear them out in 6 months.:slight_smile: of course, it all depends on the amount of time you spend practicing! (And the number of costumes you have. Gotta have a different color to match every costume.)

I’ve used older dance shoes for dancing at weddings or salsa clubs, but I ALWAYS wore street shoes inside and changed there. NEVER wore them outside.

6

Thanks all! I love this place; whenever I have a question, I get expert answers almost immediate.

:: off to buy shoes ::

7

Just to chip in: if you do learn to dance in ordinary shoes, then the first time you do it with suede soles will be a revelation to you.

Also, invest in a nice bag for your shoes and NEVER wear them anywhere except in the ballroom. There’s no point shelling out for expensive shoes with proper suede soles and then ruining them.

8

They also make dance sneakers for women. They have an elevated heel and are bendy at the instep. The soles are not suede but they’re slick enough not to stick to the floor and twist your ankles. I think most of the women who get them do so to save their feet from long hours on the dance floor. They might also make good “training heels” if you’re just getting started.

9

I’d advise against buying them online. Go to a store that specializes in dance stuff. I have a pair of dancing shoes, and also a pair of tap shoes, and the sizes are not comparable to regular shoe sizes. For the tap shoes I tried on every type they had, and finally bought a women’s size 12. My normal shoes are men’s 10.5 EEEE.

10

These dance sneakers are similar to the ones I wear for dance classes. I’d like to get a pair like these for dancing at parties and stuff (I have trouble getting shoes in my size, too - my regular size is a lady’s 10+). Dance shoes really are important - I danced in street shoes for the first couple of years, and they just aren’t right for dancing - you can really hurt yourself trying to do proper spins with soles that don’t slide just right, and if you’re doing any latin dancing, you WILL be spinning (we recommend salsa and merengue to everyone - it’s so much fun). As Sandra says, you can see that the heels at least are different on dance shoes - they’re more solid and placed better at the very least. You can see a bit of flare on the bottom of the high heels, too.

Congrats on the weightloss, too!