How do you decide when you should buy Ballroom dance shoes?
In this videos I discuss this very topic and explain the pros of having proper dance shoes versus street shoes. Please let us know in the comments area if you have dance shoes?
[Transcript]
Hello and welcome to today’s Passion4Dancing Podcast. Today I want to answer a common question I get and that is, “When should I buy Ballroom dance shoes?” and there are a few factors to answer this.
Basically it comes down to where you are or how long you’ve been dancing. So if you’re just someone who has started dancing recently, so you’ve been dancing maybe just for three months or less, or you’re just trying out your first group classes, then maybe it’s not time for you to buy dance shoes yet because you don’t know yet if this is for you, if this is something you’re going to keep doing. So of course there’s no point for you to spend the money on dance shoes.
However, if you are someone who you know you’re going to be dancing for a while, you already know you love this, new hobby, you’re going to dance for at least six months to a year, you’re committed to it, then of course you should buy dance shoes and you should buy them right away because they’re definitely going to help you improve. You see, dance shoes are constructed specifically for dancing. So the shoe itself is very flexible, so that you can go on the ball of the foot, you can use your ankle a lot better. The suede material at the bottom of the shoe is going to help you pivot and turn much better. The heel gives you extra support. It keeps your weight forward, which you want.
So all these things, you’re not going to get from a street shoe. Yeah? So all these benefits of getting a dance shoe are definitely going to pay off and again, if you’re already committed to dancing, then for sure you should buy. It’s a no-brainer. It’s kind of like if you’re playing tennis, you’re not going to play with a badminton racquet. You’re going to buy a proper tennis racquet and the same in dancing. You come to the studio and you change into your dance shoes. That’s kind of how it’s supposed to work.
Believe it or not, I have some students that have been dancing for two to three years and they still haven’t bought shoes for dancing and that’s a shame because really if you want to improve, you got to do it the right way. Some of the complaints that I get are people like, “Well, when I’m out, I don’t have my dance shoes with me. So that’s why I want to be able to dance in whatever I’m in.”
I’m like, well, first of all, if you’re going to an event where you know you’re going to be dancing, just take the dance shoes with you. That’s the whole idea. Yes? So again, if you’re going to do this for a while and this is something you love already, then it’s a no-brainer to buy dance shoes as soon as possible. But if you’re not sure yet if this is for you or even if you like it yet, then of course you don’t need to buy dance shoes yet. Leave a comment below and tell me when did you buy your first pair of dance shoes.
[End of transcript]
Catherine says
I believe that wearing the right ‘dance’ shoes makes all the difference. In Flamenco, I wear Spanish made flamenco shoes because the feet are protected for all the variations of footwork. When I take ballroom, I haven’t figured out what are ‘ballroom’ dance shoes that will give the same support and not break down with the heat and stretching of the foot. I don’t think ‘character’ dance shoes are very good. What are some brands of excellent ‘ballroom’ dance shoes?