Thread: for those that wear ballet slippers...

What brand/style do you wear, and how long do they last you?

I started buying Capezio Juliet leather split soles after I realized that my feet don't fit into the Capezio Hermes sandals that many dancers wear.

I really love them, but I go through them awfully fast. I just checked my order history at discount dance -- I ordered some in Feb, again in June, and those just started coming apart. I either wear holes through the leather under the ball of my big toe, or wear through the stitching on the sole and then it starts peeling apart.

So, I'm getting 4 months out of a pair of $26 shoes (plus shipping). I wear them for 2 dance classes per week (one on a wood floor, one on low pile carpet), one company rehearsal per week, and occasional performances. I generally don't put them on when I practice at home.

Is this normal?

I'd try some other brands or styles, but it is such a pain in the ass figuring out what size to buy -- it is different with each style, even within brands. (Also the Juliets match my skin tone well)

I've tried a couple different pairs of shoes and have decided to stick with the 3AL by Sansha (3ALPNK10N - item number at DiscountDance.com) The sole is double stitched so don't know if that would help you in your case of the suede wearing/peeling out.

I've had these since August and teach twice a week on a wooden dance floor, use them weekly at restaurants (tile and low pile carpet) and had about two gigs a month over the summer on concrete patios.

So far so good and they are $17.30. I'll keep you updated as I enter my 4th month of use.

Probably the biggest shoe mistake I made was getting canvas slippers. They were super comfortable and really breathed well, but lasted about half of a month before being completely shredded.

They really aren't made for the abuse I put them through so I will be curious to see how long they last.

Anyone else have good slippers?

Discount dance dot com has customer reviews for each product. The capezio juliets are one of the top sellers, and some people report that they last for several years. I don't understand how this is possible when I routinely wear through them in 4 months of using them only a few hours per week. Someone complained that they wore out in 6 months -- I'd love to get 6 months out of a pair of them.

Originally Posted by crystalllized

I've tried a couple different pairs of shoes and have decided to stick with the 3AL by Sansha (3ALPNK10N - item number at DiscountDance.com) The sole is double stitched so don't know if that would help you in your case of the suede wearing/peeling out.

Are the pink ones really pinky-pink? I like the juliets because they are my flesh tone.

I have one pair that I wear to class and save a pair that I only wear for performances. It helps the performance pair to last a lot longer.

i swear by the sansha canvas split sole pros.
they don't last super long, but feel like nothing on your feet and don't cost much.

I think for the amount of abuse you put them through they are lasting quite well. The only prob with reading reviews is that most people don't say how many hours a week they are dancing in them. I have split sole leather ones that I bought from a local dance store (don't remember the brand) and use to wear them in class every week and that was it and they lasted about a year.

I really like my Pedini Femmes...they're wide enough for my little Flintstone feet and they've held up really well. They are stretchy and supportive too, without any buckles. I take two dance classes per week and I've had them for over a year (they're still going strong). I like the little heel on them because there is extra shock absorption. They come in a nice light tan/fleshtone and black, the brand is Capezio. They're spendy (about thirty five bucks online) but worth it, in my humble opinion. The regular Pedinis (with a buckle) are way too narrow.

I wear an Australian brand called Paul Wright which is a) a little cheaper b) a little broader (and therefore good for my feet) and c) now pretty much the only brand you can get in my town. I used to wear Blochs. I liked the shade of "flesh" that Blochs were better but my PW shoes are fine. You can get them in black too. They are a traditional ballet slipper, narrow suede unsplit sole (perhaps not quite as narrow as the Blochs had), pleating under the toe, elastic for the instep.

I wear them till they fall apart because I like that "serious dancer" look of shredded ballet slippers. Plus, that's about when they get really comfy. I can't actually remember how long my last pair lasted.

You might want to talk to someone about professional quality ballet slippers as opposed to hobbiest quallity. I have a couple of pair which I have had for years. When I was dancing ballet full time, i.e.; 15 hours of classes and 5 - 10 hours of rehearsals a week, I generally rotated two to three pair of ballet slippers and they would last for about a year. I usually wore Capizios, because that is what the store I worked at sold, although I did have several pair from Freed of London.

Having said that, usually by the end of the year, I had worn a hole in the toe - at the outside of the big toe - of all three pair.

{{{HUGS}}}}

Originally Posted by sabrinabellydancer

i swear by the sansha canvas split sole pros.
they don't last super long, but feel like nothing on your feet and don't cost much.

I second these.

Well, I have been assuming that the Capezio Juliet leather split soles would be professional quality. They are generally one of the most expensive styles, as opposed to some half the price that are described as "student" quality slippers.

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

You might want to talk to someone about professional quality ballet slippers as opposed to hobbiest quallity. I have a couple of pair which I have had for years. When I was dancing ballet full time, i.e.; 15 hours of classes and 5 - 10 hours of rehearsals a week, I generally rotated two to three pair of ballet slippers and they would last for about a year. I usually wore Capizios, because that is what the store I worked at sold, although I did have several pair from Freed of London.

Having said that, usually by the end of the year, I had worn a hole in the toe - at the outside of the big toe - of all three pair.

{{{HUGS}}}}

not a ballet shoe user, but I'm wondering: you hear that if you have two pairs of street shoes and alternate wearing them, they will last longer together than if you wear just one pair until it wears out and then the other.

so - if you go through them that fast, you could try getting two or three pairs at a time and rotating them? give them a break between wearings? you're supposed to do that with your bras, too. ;)

I wasn't aware they made hobbyist ballet shoes!

Sedonia, I wear through the ball of the big toe (I think that's standard) but the sole stitching going sounds odd. You could just be really hard on shoes.

An alternative may be to get a couple of pairs and alternate them. I was just looking at dance website discussions about shoes and dancers on them talked about having shoes for class (the ones they wear to death) and different shoes for rehearsal (which stay slightly nicer).

Originally Posted by ssipes

I really love them, but I go through them awfully fast. I just checked my order history at discount dance -- I ordered some in Feb, again in June, and those just started coming apart.

I' a huge dork. I misread my order history. The ones that are wearing out now were ordered in Feb, and the june order didn't include shoes. So that is 9 months I got out of them, not 4.

Originally Posted by ssipes

I' a huge dork. I misread my order history. The ones that are wearing out now were ordered in Feb, and the june order didn't include shoes. So that is 9 months I got out of them, not 4.

If you are getting 9 months wear out of them with the amount of dancing you are doing, you are doing good. But as I and others have said, you might want to think about buying a second pair and alternating them. This will help them to last longer.

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by ssipes

Are the pink ones really pinky-pink? I like the juliets because they are my flesh tone.

The Sansha ones I have definitely don't look as "tan" as the Juliets you have, but I am very fair skinned so they work for me. They aren't, however, the milky pepto-bismol color I have had in the past with some slippers. Since belly dancers don't normally wear the tights that are supposed to match the pink slipper colors, we do have to be careful with the slipper color against our leg skin color.

I also switch the feet I wear my slippers on each time I dance. It feels weird for the first 5 minutes or so, but after that the leather warms up and softens to mold to the foot. This might help you avoid holes for a longer time by having each side share some of the "big toe" burden.

I am glad to hear that they lasted 9 months instead of 4! That seems reasonable to me given the amount of time you wear them and the strange floor types (tile, cement, carpet, etc.) we have to perform on.