Shoes for competition

[LadyChaCha]

Hi there :)

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on shoes for my first REAL competition! In the past I've done collegiate comps but I will now be dancing Pro/Am. Since my latin shoes are a bit shot, I'm looking to purchase a new pair.

A couple things:
I currently wear my very favorite, tried and true Supadance 1413 dance shoes in the flesh satin. I'm pale but planning to tan for the comp, so is it a good idea to go with the darker tan satin?

An instructor told me that "competitors" buy their shoes one size smaller so that the shoe is extra tight and that your toes hang off the edge. I'm not sure about this because I can't remember how my shoes fit before I wore them to death (they may have been kinda tight) and because the comp is in two weeks and I'll have very little time to get used to and really break in a too-tight pair. Advice anyone?

I'm also going to be dancing smooth....and none of my closed-toes are useable. Someone loaned me a pair of Supadance to try in class one day, and I could've sworn my toe would be purple by the time I got it off -- I've never had such immediate pain from a shoe (and they are a half size BIGGER than the latin shoe I love).

So maybe I'm just not taking well to closed-toe shoes? Can anyone suggest a good shoe that won't make my toes feel so claustrophobic? Are there any tips or tricks to picking/sizing a smooth shoe?

Thanks for the advice!

[latingal]

Welcome to DF LadyChaCha.

I'm pale but planning to tan for the comp, so is it a good idea to go with the darker tan satin?

I know there was a thread that was just going around in the ballroom forum on this subject, here it is:

http://www.dance-forums.com/showthread.php?t=19550

I'm sure if you search our archives you'll find even more on it. But I like the tan satins, the flesh colored were a bit too light for my liking.

An instructor told me that "competitors" buy their shoes one size smaller so that the shoe is extra tight and that your toes hang off the edge [...] and because the comp is in two weeks and I'll have very little time to get used to and really break in a too-tight pair. Advice anyone?

Two weeks is very little time to find the right shoe size and fit for you. There are many threads on the forum about preferred fittings for latin shoes (and the toe hangage issue has been discussed in just about every one of them).

For what it's worth I would not go with a pair that is too tight, just a bit snug. For me, "Tight=pain" and destruction of the feet. And yes, I go the toe hangage route. I prefer to have less material showing when I point my foot and also like to avoid the toe part of the sole catching and flipping backward when I drag my foot through when collecting in rumba.

I'm also going to be dancing smooth....and none of my closed-toes are useable. Someone loaned me a pair of Supadance to try in class one day, and I could've sworn my toe would be purple by the time I got it off -- I've never had such immediate pain from a shoe (and they are a half size BIGGER than the latin shoe I love).

I always find that my ballroom shoes run about a size and a half to two sizes bigger than my latin shoes (of course I do the toe hangage thing in latin, but even with that it would be at least a size bigger).

As for smooth shoes, I normally wear supadance 1216. Since the shoe has open sides, but a closed toe it allows me to point my foot fairly easily for smooth, but still gives some support in the toe area for the closed standard movements in smooth. These shoes seem to run a bit small in the toe area (though I guess it would depend on how your feet are built) so if you go that route you may need a half size bigger than your normal supadance ballroom size.

As for breaking in shoes for competitions, I normally break mine in over a number of days two or so weeks before the comp. I break them in slowly to lessen the impact to my feet. There will always be spots that rub or need to be stretched slightly and may cause blisters if worn too long. I'll normally wear them for only 10 or 15 minutes the first day and check my feet after to see where I might be developing rub spots. If I am, I will stretch the shoes overnight and go again for a time the next day with tape or something to shield the sensitive spots on my feet (and repeat if necessary). Nothing worse than going INTO a competition with feet that already hurt!

Good luck LadyChaCha!

[waltzgirl]

I can't really advise on latin shoes. But for smooth, here's my $.02. I would say absolutely do not wear shoes that are too tight, painful, or turn your toes purple. In an emergency, I wore shoes that hurt at a comp and I might as well have stayed home, the effect on my dancing was so bad. After much experimentation, I learned that I needed a shoe that allowed my toes to lie straight in the toe box, not be mashed together at an angle. To get that in a dance shoe, I had to go *up* a full size from my street size. The solution has been a shoe with sturdy ankle straps (Celebrity's Tanya) that keep my heel firmly in the shoe and prevent my feet from sliding forward in the shoe. Once my shoes are broken in, I even have **heresy alert** a little wiggle room in the toe area. I find it helps me to use my feet more fully.

[danceronice]

Personally for Smooth I love my International brand pair (2 1/2" with strap.) I have a wide foot and they're fine, though Imay have to go down half a size next time as they're a bit long.

Latin/Rhythm: I wear Supadance, and for heaven's sake do NOT get something TOO tight. This pair was too narrow and even with the multi-strap vamp it was only recently I stopped being in horrific pain by the end of a lesson. However, I will say, the toes should really come to the end of the shoe or hang a bit over. This pair's too long (I need to go down half a size and get a wide width) and as they break down, there's a tendecy for me to trip on the bit overhanging.

[chocolatchica]

So is thw toe hangage like when your walking or just in general when you first put the shoes on and that how they fit? Because my shoes are snug but I only get the toe hangage once I strat walking around. I am assuming it is because my shoes have a little room because if I kick my heel my toes go back in place. Are the shoes still danceable like that? I mean that sounds like you can't even walk around? Maybe I'll try the shoes smaller when I am checking them out at Embassy........
I have seen some pics of competiitors with toes hanging out and some without....hmmmmm......(thinking).....

[LindyKeya]

People like different amounts of "hanggage," but I like it to be so that if I am in a dance position, pressing the ball of my foot into the floor, then my top portion of my toe pads hit the floor. Not a ton, but so that I can feel the floor directly.

[chocolatchica]

Really? Hmmm??? Do you feel it helps your dancing a lot? I have heard of this concept but am not too familiar with it. Could you explain to me how it help and why you perfer it if you don't mind :-)

[LadyChaCha]

Thanks for all the advice! Hmmm...I think I'll probably head to World Tone this weekend and try on lots of shoes til I find something that seems tolerable. It's just really hard to fathom those dark shoes on my pasty legs...guess I just gotta keep in mind that I'll be tanning myself real dark!

Does anybody know if World Tone in NY sells the tan fishnets? Or are there any other spots in the city that sell ballroom supplies (shoes, fishnets, jewelry, rhinestones, hair thingies, etc)?

[mamboqueen]

Latin/Rhythm: I wear Supadance, and for heaven's sake do NOT get something TOO tight. This pair was too narrow and even with the multi-strap vamp it was only recently I stopped being in horrific pain by the end of a lesson. However, I will say, the toes should really come to the end of the shoe or hang a bit over. This pair's too long (I need to go down half a size and get a wide width) and as they break down, there's a tendecy for me to trip on the bit overhanging.

Which type of Supadance shoe did you get? I spoke to the very nice peeps at Showtime and was recommended the 1403. I usually get an XXN in the International Melissa's, but they have been disappointingly inconsistent. I feel like a shoe nazi that I notice even a 1/20th difference in the tightness of the straps, but I don't like that I can order three pairs and each one will feel different. The fellow recommended the 1403 as a good alternative and now that they stock narrow width, I'm hoping they'll work. They're a bit more pricey, though.

[and123]

http://foldies.wtms.net/hah.gif"shoe nazi"
heh.

[mamboqueen]

http://foldies.wtms.net/hah.gif"shoe nazi"
heh.

hey, we all have our vices ;)!