How to Buy Ballroom Dance Shoes

Ballroom dancing is glamorous, energetic, sexy, thrilling. But it can be awfully painful if you aren’t wearing proper footwear. With so many options, it’s important to know what kind of ballroom dance shoes to buy.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• money
• ballroom dancing

1. 
   men's ballroom dance shoe

   Find a dance store nearby that sells ballroom dance shoes. Even if you find cheaper prices online, it is very important to try on a shoe before you buy it.

2. 
   practice shoe

   Determine what your needs are: Do you dance a lot? Are you a competitor or just a social dancer? Do you feel comfortable wearing high heels, or some heel for men considering latin shoes? What kind of ballroom dancing do you do?

3. 
   character shoe

   If you are a social dancer (meaning you take lessons and use what you learn in social contexts like clubs and weddings), consider just buying something like a character shoe, which is very versatile and inexpensive, for lessons. For going out, wear comfortable, flexible heels (open-toe for latin/rhythm dances and closed-toe for standard/smooth).

4. 
   latin shoe

   If you are highly involved in ballroom dancing, then invest in a good dance shoe. For rumba, samba, salsa, cha-cha, swing, jive, and paso doble (rhythm/latin dances), buy a latin shoe. These dance shoes are higher and thinner in heel, are usually open toe, and have straps. They should fit snuggly and bend with your feet. Your big toe should be at the very tip of, if not slightly over, the edge. Choose a heel height based on comfort and your own height.

5. 
   standard shoe

   For waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, Viennese waltz, and tango (smooth/standard dances), buy a standard shoe. These dance shoes usually resemble regular high heels. They should fit snuggly so as not to fall off. If you have wide feet, it’s not always good to get wide shoes because dance shoes stretch.

6. 
   practice shoe

   If you are a competitor, buy two pairs of shoes: one for practice and one for competition. Practice shoes have lower heels and are more comfortable. Keep the fancier shoes for competition so they won’t get worn out and dull quickly.

7. 
   men's latin ballroom dance shoe

   For men: The same rules of fit apply for men. The only difference for you men is having to get used to walking with a little heel for latin shoes!

Tips & Warnings

• Most ballroom dance shoes range from $60 to $150.
• If you are not sure what type of ballroom dancing you want to do, buy a latin shoe first because latin shoes are more versatile than standard shoes.
• Children’s shoes are much lower in heel.
• Cheaper price usually means cheaper quality, which is fine for beginners. But if you are serious or dance a lot, paying more is worth it for your feet and wallet.

[chava812]

on 5/8/2009 Great article on finding the right dancing shoe! I teach zumba and shoes are important, but while we use dance shoes (as opposed to running shoes) which are like "tennis" shoes, I sometimes think we should be in latin shoes as you described because with so much latin music, we are on the balls of our feet so much (not on the heels). 5*