Thread: Help! Need advice on dance shoes...

I just started a new gig. It's kind of weird. It's like having an Egyptian 7-11 store where you can order plates of food, too. You can also order a hookah outside, as well as Turkish coffee... And I'm the Saturday night entertainment.

That means I'm dancing inside the establishment as well as outside on the front sidewalk. Tonight was my first night. I danced barefoot, and my feet were nastydirtyblack and totally gross at the end of the night. At least the owner pays well!

I will be ordering high-heeled dance shoes within the next 48 hours so that I can wear them next Saturday. (This is expected to be a long-standing, Saturday night, paying gig.)

Even though I've been belly dancing for fifteen years, I've never belly danced in high heels before.

Do you folks have any advice on what brand of shoes should I purchase?

I'm thinking a 2"-3" heeled ballroom (or Latin T-strap) shoe would be a good idea, but I'd like to hear it from some professionals who regularly dance in high heels.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated... And yes, I know that it's a bad idea to go and dance without practicing in them extensively first, but it is THE only paying gig in town, and I'm NOT going to lose it.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Happy shimmies. ..g.:

Here are a few previous threads to help you with recommendations:
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/m/358-shoes.html
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/m/6019-ballroom-shoes.html

I ended up getting these: Apple Dance Shoes: Ballroom Dance Shoes & Dancewear
I really like them.

I'm not sure how the typical suede soles will hold up on the sidewalk, though.

I dance inside and outside. Outside is on a kind of pavement. Actaully, more like tiles, not paticularly rough, but still really hard on dance shoes. I have bought 3 price ranges - $100, $50 and $30 shoes. They all lasted roughly the same amount of time. NOT LONG!!!Ah, I tell a lie - $30 shoes lasted about 4 hours worth of dancing, actually, so theywere not up to par.
The $100 were a tad more comfortable, but the medium priced shoes were the best value, in my opinion. The suede soles get eaten by the outside surface in no time at all, but that's just the way it is. I have 2 pairs on the go at a time, one silver and one gold, and they will likely last me a month, maybe six weeks, which is about 6/8 hours of actual dancing, give or take, per pair.
It takes a while to adjust to the heels - I still prefer bare feet, but with shisha coals and whatever you just can't - and some things are easier and some harder. I buy them tighter than is comfortable, actually, I can only just get them on, but by the end of the first night they have stretched to fit me. A more expensive shoe may be less 'stretchy' maybe.
Make sure your toes don't poke out the sides and that there isn't too much sole sticking out the front of your toes.
Congratulations on getting regular paid work - it's so cool to get paid!! Plus the regular performance is great for skill improvement (boy, I need it) not to mention just FUN!!!

Just a thought - ballroom shoes may be designed better for your weight - but do you need suede soles outside? Try getting outside soles put onto them before you use them. They will still be thin, but then you may even be able to get them renewed when they wear out. i am not a pro dancer by any means, but I wear heeled sandals from an ordinary shoe shop when I dance outside. difficult to get in silver and gold of course, but much more hard wearing and you could spray paint!!

Thanks for the memories and the current advice as well! I am off to follow the links ; )

you can get shoe brushes to shag up the suede soles after outdoor dancing. I dance at an indoor/outdoor place too. I'm inside about 13 minutes and outside about 7. Afterwards, I scrub the bottoms with the shoes to prevent them from getting slick and they are all lasting pretty well.

I like "Very Fine" Dance shoes. I prefer the 1.3 inch Cuban heel, but I have some higher ones.

Speaking from personal experience, do not use suede soled ballroom shoes on pavement! I bought a pair because I had an outdoor gig (the dance surface was blacktop, like a driveway), and the sole came completely off of it during my first song. They were Very Fine shoes, so it's not like they were crappy shoes.

I was able to repair the shoe, but I came really close to flushing $50 down the toilet.

A good friend of mine who has danced in more than one professional troupe uses tan Character shoes. You know the ones, you can wear them on stage or put taps on them. I have thought about doing this with the t-strap style. They have hard soles.

http://www.capeziostore.com/Stage_TStrap_3-p18184.html

http://www.capeziostore.com/Professi...ht-p18183.html

These are both the professional range with 3" heels. You can get them in a lower range with a lower heel and price.

{{{HUGS}}}

I recently got a great pair of Latin shoes at EK clothing, very reasonably priced, comfortable and cute.

Latin Dance Shoes for Ladies and Men

I've been dancing in shoes for just over a year for a dance group I'm in. Dancing in shoes takes some getting used to, but you will find that while some things are harder, there are certain moves that are easier to do/ you prefer to do in shoes, such as backbends, turns, lunges. I don't think I'd go much higher than 2.5". For a while I was dancing in a cheap pair from Target, they were 3" and it was a huge difference when I went down to the 2.5" Latin shoes, they're much more stable and you can turn and slide so much more easily (but be careful, you can slide and turn more easily!). My shoes do have suede soles, but they really are great for dancing. At EK clothing, they're not terribly expensive in the case that you go through them quickly dancing outside.

If you don't want traditional heels, you could also try the Capezio FootUndeez, or another style of lyrical style shoes. I have a pair of FootUndeez and use them when I don't want to wear shoes, but want a little foot protection/ help with spins and turning. A local Leotard of dance store will have these as well as a selection of ballroom shoes as well.

Capezio/Harmonie/Frontline :: Footwear :: Lyrical, Modern, Gym

Thank you to everybody that has given me advice! I see that there is a lot to consider here!

I am going to go to THE ONLY dance store in town and see if they have any that I can try on. When I was there 4 years ago they only had catalogs...

Thanks again! I'll let you all know that I decide ; )

Shimmies!!!

Sakina

I dance in shoes at restaurants to protect my feet. I prefer something glittery and fancy to match my costumes. I have been happy with Verry Fine shoes and I think there are a number of online vendors who sell them. I usually order them online and have had no issues!
xoxo,
-NJ