Thread: footwear for dancing?

so over the years I've tried different types of shoes, hermes sandals, etc. and always go back to dancing barefoot.
Having dirty black feet after work just drives me nuts, especially in the summer during sandal season, so what do you wear on your feet? I dance on carpet, and was looking at the capezio breeze in nude, Capezio® Breeze
anyone ever try these? I don't want it to be too obvious that I'm wearing shoes, I really prefer the barefoot look.

Capezio® Pedini®
oR these.....You can always spray the shoes in a "bark" color which is like your skin tone usually.
I like to wear heels or bare foot. Wearing shoes is really safer.

Hi Aradia! I love my Capezio Pedini Femme. They're so comfy. They come in nude so it's not distracting.

I'm very fond of this style:

Capezio® Irish Stepper

They are the closest thing to feeling like I'm barefoot that I've found.

And, please don't dance barefoot! It's way too dangerous! A troupe mate of mine is just getting over vasculitus that was caused from an infection in her foot (likely from dancing barefoot). And, as I type this, I'm nursing a plantar wart that I just had frozen at the Dr.'s office. It's just not worth it! Wear shoes . . . you never know what kind of bacteria is growing on those nasty restaurant floors!

ick! I danced on carpet for the first time a couple years back and thought I could just go barefoot (ballroom dance shoes and carpet don't mix!), but my feet are black at the end of the night eeww and all I could think of was nasty stuff in the carpet and glass (not a comfortable show for me).

I really like how Sansha fits my foot. They have a short "vamp", which makes the foot look less covered than other ballet slippers.

I use Sansha canvas for carpet dancing Discount Dance Supply

And the Sansha leather split sole for dancing on other surfaces.
Discount Dance Supply

I like the Pedini for teaching, but for whatever reason, my heel always slips off the shoe heel when I am performing...

Hermes sandals make me feel like I have flippers for feet. Too stiff and the sole gets stuck on uneven surfaces.

Ballet slippers seem to be a happy medium of flexibility, but good coverage. Other dancers I know don't like the lack of support of a ballet slipper so they put insoles into them.

Originally Posted by Aradia

so over the years I've tried different types of shoes, hermes sandals, etc. and always go back to dancing barefoot.
Having dirty black feet after work just drives me nuts, especially in the summer during sandal season, so what do you wear on your feet? I dance on carpet, and was looking at the capezio breeze in nude, Capezio® Breeze
anyone ever try these? I don't want it to be too obvious that I'm wearing shoes, I really prefer the barefoot look.

I have them in the black and I absolutely adore them! I've worn them on carpets, wood and tile floors, concrete for outdoor shows, in the grass, and never a problem with them. By far the comfyest shoes I have ever danced in and I was one of the "I hate dancing in shoes" club for a very long time.

I did find that the sizing isn't quite what they say it is. When I ordered the first time I was told to order my street shoe size. They were a little too short and had my toes cramped so I went up a size and they fit great.

another vote for the sansha pro 1c in flesh/nude (its a "medium" flesh, what ever that means) but you cant really see them in the restaurants.

I was thinking about one of these for class:

Capezio® Full Body footUndeez®

or

Capezio® Freeform

After 2 trips to the Doctor to have items removed from my feet I refuse to dance barefoot. One time 2 pcs of glass were removed, the other time a pc of copper wire from a handy-man installing new ceiling fans. I have several pairs of low-heeled shoes in nude, metallic silver and metallic gold. Healing kept me from dancing several weeks each time. That plus the earlier Bhuz discussion re planters warts being so contagious keeps me wearing shoes.

I like dancing on barefoot: I like the fact that I can do a lot of different level changes, I feel more grounded, I feel that i have more freedom. I like the look of it, actually.
However, I hate that my feet get dirty, but really that's the only downfall for me.

I would love to dance in heels, and for a while (year and a half) I did that. I loved the shine of of the ballroom sandals, I loved the heels, (they were high), I was taller, I felt that it competed the look.
However! It killed my knees. Well, I'm sure I had killed my knees before than, but when I wore heels I was often in bad pain Sunday through Tuesday, then I had a couple of good days and then it was performing time again. I just can't do it, actually I would wear heels occasionally if I really had to.

I do like the look of nude foot undeez, and some of the things that were linked to above, but I would add a lot of sparkle and rhinestones to them so they would look better. The only things is, these things don't really hold up to long (or so I heard) so all that work may not be worth it.
I have a pair of foot undeez, the one that only goes on the balls of the feet, and i sparkled them a lot. Maybe I'll start wearing them :)

i just got a pair of capezio juliet style ballet slippers. they are very similar to the sanshas mentioned above. i havent tried dancing in them yet, tho. i hate wearing shoes to dance in :(

I wear the Capezio Pedinis for teaching and taking workshops. I like them but I don't feel like they breathe well. The Sanshas look nice and like they wouldn't be distracting in nude.

For performances I do wear ballroom heels. I love the look and feel like it matches the elegance of the costumes better.

Mind you - I was a barefoot dancer for the first 9 years till I stepped on a live hookah coal during a show - OUCH!! I wore hermes sandals for the next 3 years and have worn ballroom heels for the past 2. I'm very happy with them :-)

I, too, have moved away from dancing barefoot, because I've been in too many gross, grimy situations and I found that turning and spinning barefoot sometimes bothered my knees. Shoes make spinning, turning and pivoting a breeze.

Lately, I've made the switch to dancing in heels and LOVE it. I could use the extra height, for one, and like Mahin said, they can really complete the look of some of my fancier costumes. My favorite ballroom shoes are from a brand called Go-Go. They're very inexpensive ($70-ish) and comfy as heck.

Dancing in heels on a carpeted surface is NOT fun, though, so I usually throw a pair of ballet slippers in my bag just in case.

Speaking of which, I've been meaning to attack my ballet slippers with hot fix crystals .w.:

I too prefer barefoot, however I like heels occasionally for a glam look [I am very tall anyway]. For restaurants or uncertain floors, I either wear dance slippers gold or silver from Egypt [I think Scheherazade's has]. They are leather with hard leather sole so not good for all surfaces, I sandpapered soles to make unslippery. Or ballet slippers that I spray paint with metallic gold, silver, copper, whatever. It works great, and I just keep refreshing when it gets faded or worn. I like a flashy foot lol

Thanks for the input ladies, I definitely don't want anything that has even the slightest heel, I've been dancing there barefoot for 24 years, and rarely have had issues with glass, but the black feet send me back to my hermes every once in a while, and like Crystal said, they are not very flexible, so I'm going to make a trip to the capezio store and try on the breeze, gym x, freeform and Irish steppers. I also like the Sansha's, and they are a lot less expensive than capezio! I just want clean feet, and to have as little material between my feet and the ground, I like to feel the floor, unless it's a gross piece of food that I occasionally step in ..c::

Mesmera has a sandal which is close to a Hermes but different. And it is more flexible.

Mesmera, International Belly Dance Star, Teacher, and Video Instructor

Might be worth a look.

{{{HUGS}}}

I wear the full sole foot Undeez for performing on carpet or dirty floors. I never wear heels in real life so it sems just too wierd to dance in them. For classes or workshops on carpe I wear split sole ballet slippers or if it is for several days I wear dance sneakers that have a spin spot on the ball of the foot allowing turns and spins without torque. They are very, very light weight.

Mentioned earlier but the following site has more affordable options.

Modern and Lyrical Shoes

Teaching Sandals

Originally Posted by Souzan

I wear the full sole foot Undeez for performing on carpet or dirty floors. I never wear heels in real life so it sems just too wierd to dance in them. For classes or workshops on carpe I wear split sole ballet slippers or if it is for several days I wear dance sneakers that have a spin spot on the ball of the foot allowing turns and spins without torque. They are very, very light weight.

Dance sneakers with a spin spot? Those sound great for long days of teaching, who makes those?

I'm loving the rhinestone foot undeez! Body Wrappers Angelo Luzio Rhinestone Sole Savers for Children - AL601C

The Aruba's Oasis sandals resemble Hermes, but are MUCH more comfortable:

Aruba's Oasis Sandals: Leather Lace-up Belly Dance Sandals

Originally Posted by Aradia

so over the years I've tried different types of shoes, hermes sandals, etc. and always go back to dancing barefoot.
Having dirty black feet after work just drives me nuts, especially in the summer during sandal season, so what do you wear on your feet? I dance on carpet, and was looking at the capezio breeze in nude, Capezio® Breeze
anyone ever try these? I don't want it to be too obvious that I'm wearing shoes, I really prefer the barefoot look.

This is what I was wearing with the same purpose and I was very happy with it! (but they take a bit more than thirty seconds to put on). Now I got Capezio's, the same thing but they're too soft and don't stay in place well...

Bloch - Foot Thong III

Bloch and Capezio both make great dance sneakers and they both have spin spots. When you go to try ballet shoes, etc on, ask the sales person. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

{{{HUGS}}}

My dance sneakers are from Leos. Capezios has nice ones too with the spin spot. I wear Leos cause the toe box is a little wider and I have a wide ball on my feet. Definitely go to a dance shop to try them on so you get the right fit.

Originally Posted by Nouria

This is what I was wearing with the same purpose and I was very happy with it! (but they take a bit more than thirty seconds to put on). Now I got Capezio's, the same thing but they're too soft and don't stay in place well...

Bloch - Foot Thong III

I love the Foot Thongs, too, but I prefer the first version - two toes per loop instead of a loop for each toe, which made me feel like I was wearing a pedicure cushion.

The Foot Undies don't stay on for me either, but that is awesome that they have a full foot version - I might have to try that out!

I, too, have tried a million different shoes (hermes sandals, foot thongs, foot undies, ballet shoes) but always go back to barefoot - it's just most comfortable for me.

Originally Posted by Aradia

Dance sneakers with a spin spot? Those sound great for long days of teaching, who makes those?

I'm loving the rhinestone foot undeez! Body Wrappers Angelo Luzio Rhinestone Sole Savers for Children - AL601C

Be really careful if you get dance sneakers. I wore them on a carpeted ballroom floor one workshop and just about wrenched my knee right off. Also, they have little to no arch support, and some of them are very built up off the ground. They vary widely.

I wear Aruba's Oasis sandals with rubber soles almost all summer. They are my Go-To shoes. Very comfy and quite attractive. When traveling by plane they are a pain due to security but other than that they are ideal. I have 5 pair. Rubber soles for dancing can be difficult re turns and such but for Fen Fairs and such they work for us.

I have a pair of foot undeez, the one that only goes on the balls of the feet, and i sparkled them a lot.

Marianna, I hate to say this after all that work, but did you know they make them already sparkly (and in colors/prints too)? Or did you want to customize more than that?

Discount Dance Supply

Discount Dance Supply

Discount Dance Supply

Discount Dance Supply

If you do wear hermes sandals, ditch those laces you have to tie, and use elastic, either the ballet elastic, or I just get the white, and dye it in mix of tan and taupe, lace it through like you would a shoe lace, tie it together at the heel. You can slip them on and off really fast, and they don't restrict movement like the leather laces do if you get them too tight!

Kat, I didn't know that! But actually I have made these 4 years ago, back in 2006! I don't think they made them back then. It really wasn't that much work though, maybe a half an hour.
After all this talk about the sparklies Russians wear around their ankles and calves, I've made a few of those, as well as blinged out a couple of bangles, and now I'm thinking about adding rhinestones to my foot undies and perform in them. :))
They're already sparkly from the sequins, I wore them to dance class and got so many compliments.

and I like the way they turned out, there is much more detail than in the ones in the link. once I add the rhine stones I think they will really look nice :)

[QUOTE=showtime;700399]I wear Aruba's Oasis sandals with rubber soles almost all summer. When traveling by plane they are a pain due to security but other than that they are ideal. QUOTE]

*Just curious, why are they a plane security issue?