Dancing shoes and the right size

[MadamSamba]

Ok, here's one I've been dying to know the right answer to...when I bought my first pair of dancing shoes about a year ago, I was told by the fellow I bought them off (a former competition dancer) that I should buy half a size smaller.
I, naively I now realise, agreed and bought size 6 (UK, Supadance) instead of 6.5. As a result, not only are the shoes tight even after the natural expansion of the material, they're tight when my feet swell having danced for hours on end. I've also got this shockingly bad line starting to develop on my foot where the shoes tend to cut into my skin.

What I'm hoping someone might be able to tell me (before I buy a new pair in a few weeks) is was it the wrong thing to do, as I suspect it was? I fully intend to buy 6.5, but has anyone else been told this and is it common practice to buy a shoesize smaller than your foot ... or was I just silly? I don't think the man I bought it off had any ill will towards me, I think he genuinely believed what he told me and even said that all his former partners had done the same.
Thanks
:)

[pygmalion]

Hi MadamSamba! Welcome to forums! And thanks for making your first post! :D


Hmm. Finding the right dance shoes is SO important, isn't it? The rule of thumb is that, for closed toed styles, the shoe should fit snugly, very close to your toes, but not actually rubbing. This means they'll fit a lot tighter than your street shoes, but they shouldn't squeeze your feet, even when they're brand new. Open toed, Latin shoes, should fit so that your toes come right to the edge of the shoe or hang over a little bit (a quarter or half an inch -- a centimeter or so). I don't want to get into size numbers, because you really do need to try the shoes on and see how they feel. But, so far, I've always been able to buy my dance shoes the same size as my street shoes and find the proper fit, since they're cut slightly more snugly. (Let me clarify this. The same size as my street shoes, after the American/English size conversion is done! Ther is a 2 to 2.5 size difference between American and English shoes!) Ugh! Shoes are so complicated. This is my second edit. The size difference English/American is different between men and women's shoes. Also, most shoe manufacturers will make suggestions as to how to fit dance shoes. Use that suggestion as a starting point, but make your final selection based on how your feet feel. Hope that helps more than it confuses! :lol:

I suppose others have different points of view, but this is mine.

Thanks again for participating! Yay! I hope to see you posting again soon! :D

Jenn

[MissAlyssa]

you most likely have wide feet like myself. satin shoes tend to give more than leather shoes. you might want to look into the sizable shoes like ones with buckles. some shoe models have the wide option or if you see medium b-c that is a tad wider. I was told that you should buy a half size smaller as well. I was told that a dancer should have her toes 1/4 inch off the front of the shoe actually hanging over. I was also told that no part of the sole of the shoe should be visable when wearing them. hope this helps.

[pygmalion]

Yes, and there's even a new style by an English shoe manufacturer that has adjustable velcro straps.

[MissAlyssa]

yea yea I've seen those, look really comfy!

[Swing Kitten]

I fully relize that my opinion won't really change this but I think that shoe size should be more like the sizing of men's trousers-- based on measurement!! It makes so much sense!! No room for vast differences in size from manufacturer to manufacturer. I think the size of the shoe should be the length of the foot that's supposed to fit inside it in centimeters. I would be a size 24... how easy that would be!! then they could still denote 'wide' and 'narrow' just as they do now.

Now I want to start a sizing revolution! Especially in the woman's department!! That place makes absolutely NO sense... you don't have to wonder for very long why for the most part I've stopped shopping there!!
dress sizes: how can three measurements turn into ONE arbitrary number? aahh it's frustrating to me

The only sizing in the world of women's clothing that makes any sense is for bras-- thank goodness because I still buy those.

okay, I need to go cool off! I could go on about the evils of the women's department... I'm sorry this is not entirely on topic.

[MissAlyssa]

STRIKE

[Swing Kitten]

hahahahhaa... that's sort of what I've done!! Not so strickly of course! I have to thank Metrosexuality for making it possible :wink: so there are plenty of cute and nice clothes in the men's and boy's departments. They look nice AND they are comfotable and essecially none of this "dry clean only" crap! and what? PRE-shrunk?? what a novel idea!!

[DanceMentor]

Different brands fit differently. You should try on as many different styles as you can. There are almost always vendors at dance competitions. Eventually, you will find that magic shoe for your foot.

The reason they say the shoes should fit snugly is because the shoes will tend to stretch, moreso with leather.

[pygmalion]

Thanks, DM. This actually bothered me until I got up early to post.

I wanted to avoided saying this earlier, but anybody who gives you advice to buy your shoes a half size small is giving you incomplete advice at best. Perhaps bad advice.

Dance shoes should be snug but comfortable the first time you wear them. Never, ever, should they pinch or squeeze your feet.

For at least your first couple pairs of shoes, DM Is right. Go to a shoe dealer, either a distributor with a showroom, or at a dance comp or something, and try on as many pairs of shoes as you can until you find something comfortable. Get advice from the shoe saleperson, who has experience in fitting DANCE shoes. Dance around in them (on clean carpet!) If narrow or wide feet are an issue, both International and Supadance (and other companies) offer several styles that can be ordered in narrow or wide.

If you don't have a dealer in your town, or need to keep expenses down by ordering discount shoes or buying consignment shoes, the same standards apply. Do your homework first(maybe on the web), then don't buy any shoes until you find comfortable ones. If they're mail order, make sure the company has a liberal return policy before you order.

Bottom line: closed toe shoes should be close to your toes, open toe shoes, your toes should come all the way to the edge or hang over a little. Forget about shoe size, and focus on comfort.

Hope this helps. :D

[pygmalion]

MadamSamba,

I just did a web search and found one of my favorite dance shoe manufacturers has three sales offices in Australia. Maybe one of those offices is near you, but if not, at least having an office in Australia will help keep your shipping costs down. PM me if you want the link.


Jenn

[pygmalion]

Oh yes. One more thing about shoes, then I'm done. Honest! :lol:

They do loosen up over time, as DM mentioned. So although you buy them snug, after a bit of wear, at least for women's shoes, my local shoe dealer and other recommend getting a half insole, front of foot only, to make them fit snug again.

They should always fit snugly, because that helps you maintain control of your movement, especially for spins and turns.

[MadamSamba]

Evening, folks. Thanks so much for all your fabulous advice (Dance Mentor and Pygmalion) and insight (Swing Kitten and Miss Alyssa). I believed the line about buying shoes one size smaller to begin with, but of late the pain in my feet has been uncomfortable enough for me to question his advice. As mentioned on the other threads, vanity isn't exactly unknown in the world of dancing, particularly ballroom, so I just assumed it was another one of those silly things, but when the vanity is causing you pain, then that's another matter.

The shoes are fine, and I did opt for the ones I have after way too much research (I tend to go a little overboard in the research department!), but my main concern was the advice being given and whether or not anyone else had received similar advice. I'd say obviously not after reading the responses. I was just concerned that it may have been convention in the ballroom world. I'm glad to discover it ain't!

Pygmalion, I agree with you, buy 'em snug, but not tight...I'm getting new dancing shoes for my birthday (yay!) and, you know what? They're going to be the right size this time! :)

[pygmalion]

Yay! And happy birthday, in advance! :D :cheers:

Jenn

[SDsalsaguy]

For some expert commentary regarding shoes and feet see the two articles from Terryl Jones that I added today -- Dance Shoes and Your Feet (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=985) and Oh My Aching Feet! (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=986)

[pygmalion]

Pygmalion, I agree with you, buy 'em snug, but not tight...I'm getting new dancing shoes for my birthday (yay!) and, you know what? They're going to be the right size this time! :)

Hey MadamSamba. Any update on your new shoes? :D

I have to go either tomorrow or Tuesday and get a pair of Latin shoes for my comp. Has anybody tried the new supafit line from Supadance? Good choice?

[pygmalion]

The shoes are fine, and I did opt for the ones I have after way too much research (I tend to go a little overboard in the research department!)

Too funny! I do way too much research, too. I had to get new Latin shoes this week, and when I went to the dance shoe dealer, I walked in and said, I want blah-blah style in such and such a size and color. In and out in five minutes! And most of that spent tallying up and paying the bill. After only nine hundred hours of web research! :shock: :lol:

[Ashley]

I can't wear most women's dress shoes because they aren't wide enough, and I'm afraid that I'll run into this problems with ballroom shoes. Anyone have experience with wide ballroom shoes? I found one style, International in LTB that offers a wide style. Does anyone have recommendations?

[pygmalion]

Hi Ashley. Did I welcome you before? If not, please regard this welcome as sincere. Late, but sincere. :oops: :D Welcome. :D 8)

I have medium width feet, so I can't say personally. My friends with wide or narrow feet have never been able to get a good fit via mail order. They wait for a dance shoe dealer to come to town, then they try on shoes until they get a proper fit. I guess I'm lucky. Every time I've bought a shoe out of the box, it has been just fine. I guess it depends on the width of your foot. *shrug*

[chandra]

Alright, ive been doing some reading on the dance shoe posts, and cant find anything on the height of arches. :oops: forgive me if im duplicating a thread.
First of i wear size nine, and my dance shoes are american 7, or 7.5 (i cant remember off hand.)
I just got new dance shoes (celebrities coach tan suede- thats another issue entirely, suede shoes. Now how do you clean those!)
When i bought them i actually had piles of shoes miles high surrounding me on all sides... I actually wasnt gonna buy these, but the lady who owned the store let me spin with them on a wood floor. Boy did that sell me.
Im still in the breaking in process, but after just a week, there really comfy.
Now to the point of this post. I have really high arches. The arch of my foot comes like an inch of the sole of the shoe. Ive never worn an arch support, and never considered doing, but i was reading somewhere that the fit should be perfect on the arches, and i was wondering if any of you guys have arch supports, and if it is worht it, and if you would suggest them for me, and where i should get them.
Thanks

[DancingMommy]

I have really high arches as well, so I commiserate with you. I would get an arch support that fits nicely/snugly so that you don't have PAIN from standing/dancing too many hours at once. Take it from one who has been there, done that and has the scars from foot surgery to prove it.

I usually don't wear practice shoes for that reason. I find that my "regular" dance heels serve me better because of my arches.

Sign me,

Dying to get back into Latin so I have an *excuse8 to buy a NEW pair of shoes.....

[chandra]

Oh yeah- that reminds me, i have another random question. Closed toed shoes seem not fit, whereas open toed, higher heeled sandled type things that dont really seem practical for every day dancing... Any thoughts?

[lujan]

My dance shoes are 2 sizes smaller than my street shoes. I walk in Australian 9.5, and dance in 8.5 wide. The main reason been that its hard to find street shoes that fit my feet comfortably, a 9 is too tight across the top of the shoe. But when I brought my dance shoes I had them custom made for me. The sole is 8.5 wide, bit he used extra leather in the upper to allow for my high arch.

[mamboqueen]

I have spent so much money trying to find the right shoes! I did recently buy a pair of Dance Naturals that are 1 whole size smaller and they are perfect for me. My toes do hang over a bit (especially my #2 toe, which is longer than my big toe), but they give me good support, are snug enough and give me better control over my feet. My problem was my very narrow width, and when I have purchased XN shoes, the support across the middle part of the shoe was miniscule. So, buying the size smaller really helped me.

I think it's just going to take trying a lot of different types/makes of shoes to figure out what works. Unfortunately, it can be an expensive process.

Good luck!

[chachachacat]

The point of the snug fit is so that the shoe fits like an extension of your foot. No extra room for sliding around in. Think ballet slippers - if you haven't worn them yourself, you've seen pictures of them - how tightly they fit. Same for Jazz shoes.
I take a street shoe size 6 or 6 1/2.
Smooth/Standard satin pumps, size 4.
Latin shoes, 3 1/2 usually.
Ballet and Jazz shoes- size 4.
Regular high heels -7, depending on maker.

I've had two different pair of the same court shoe, from the top-of-the-line English Dance Shoe company, fit differently.
One Ahhh. The next, ARRRRGH!
Variables, variables. Everyone has shoe tales.
I have one.
I will vie for best dance shoe story with all comers.
What say you, Lady Gingers and Lord Freds? :D

[chandra]

I got arch supports for my shoes today! I have yet to dance in them, so we'll see.
My only good shoe story is the one where i was dancing and i realized it was raining and my top to my convertible was down outside, so without eveing thinking i ran outside to put it down. Needles to say i was sorta squeaky after that. Well the next day i had a workshop, and a private. That was... FUN. especcially since the whole private was based on spinning and turing and foot pressure. I STUCK to the floor.

[jfm]

with your toes slightly over the edge do your toes catch on the floor when you pivot on the balls of your feet?

[bastet]

I've never had that problem. With latin shoes, the soles are very flexible and it doesn't hurt to have your toes peep over the edge. Now- in a tango shoe...you really don't want your toes over the edge, especially if you are dancing in a hard leather sole. It hurts to have your toe rubbing over the edge in Tango shoes.

[spectator]

I got my size 34 comme il fauts on monday and they fit perfectly- in fact i'm not even right up to the very edge! My toes are safe and they are so comfy!
Hooray!

[Peaches]

They're bizarrely comfy, aren't they. I haven't been able to figure out how, exactly, but they are.

So...pics... *tapping foot impatiently*

[spectator]

here is one

[Peaches]

Wooo-hoooo!!!!!

Damn, girl! Niiiiice.

[spectator]

strangely they are 3.5" but they feel like 2.5"-amazing engineering!

[Peaches]

Freaky, innit?

My 4" ones are high and they feel it. But the 3.5" ones I had...they were like nothing. I could (and did, on a few occasions to catch my train) literally jog/sprint in them.

[samina]

spec, am happy to hear they fit gorgeously.
all this shoe talk is worse than the T&F choco-talk, tho... would so much rather than shoes than chocolate...

love the color in the photo... wow. is that sort of a tapestry kind of fabric on them?

[SlowDancer]

Spectacular! Makes me wanna learn AT...

[jfm]

she showed me yesterday, they are glittery lamé with sparkles and applique (is that the word?) purple swirls.
I want some too... 'snot fair...
they are the smallest adult shoes i've ever seen in my life!

[lil glam gal]

I was wondering if there feels a big difference from going from a 2.5 inch heel to a 3 inch heel? x

[Pacion]

I got my size 34 comme il fauts on monday and they fit perfectly ... and they are so comfy!

Here is what Googe had to say! ;)

Comme il Fauts are the Manolo Blahniks of tango footwear - ultra-chic, outrageously sexy, and superbly crafted with the most unique colors and designs, and a very distinctive stiletto heel. Don't let the heel scare you - it makes dancing backward as easy as walking forward, and is perfectly positioned to provide incredible stability

[Adrian]

hi!!! i had the same problem. But a friend who has been dancing for a long time suggested me to try buying a pair of shoes at Arika Neguiz. It was fantastic because I am starting tango lessons and I had no idea of what to do about the shoes. But by fortune in Arika Nerguiz they assisted me on the size, the style and everything!!! Now I have this shoes that I recommend you try. They are really comfortable!!!

[Beccajelly]

Just wanted to add my two cents here for those of you who don't live near a dance shoe shop. I've always had trouble figuring out my size with different brands as my feet as unbelievably wide. To check your foot size, visit the below URL and enter your UK size, it will give you measurements for all the widths and the length of your foot for that size :): geocities.com/handy_feet/shoesize.html - I also found on the dancesport.uk website that it explains the different fittings.

In my case, I'm length-wise a UK 4.5 and have width "C", so I'm thinking that either the regular fit for Supadance and Freed shoes would work well for me, as their wide fit will be too wide for my feet. In International, I would be looking at the wide fit, as it's only a little wider than the regular (I think it'll make more sense once you see the chart on the dancesport.uk.com website. I believe it to be pretty accurate as I've had Freed shoes in regular and they fit me fine and currently have DANSport (by International) shoes in regular and they are too tight - I should have gone with the wider size.

Here's the URL for the dancesport.uk.com shoe fittings explained dancesport.uk.com/shoes - you'll want to look on the left hand side and click on the "regular, wide or extra wide: fittings explained" area.

Hope this helps :)

[Beccajelly]

With all this shoe talk, I am evaluating different brands, etc. and THINK I have some scientific guidelines to follow to ensure you get the right size for your foot. In my case, my feet happen to be particularly wide and it wasn't until recently that I really realised that I probably should re-evaluate my sizing, especially now with dancing. Here are my two cents to help those of you choose the "right" pair.

1. Ensure that the length and width of your foot corresponds to the right shoe size. I found the following place very helpful and accurate with regards to my own feet: geocities.com/handy_feet/shoesize. It helps you find both the length and width of your foot. In my case, I am a UK 4.5 in length and a "C" in width.

2. Next I had to see how my foot would fit in the various dance shoe brands. So I went to the: dancesport.uk.com/shoes/index - Dancesport UK's virtual shoe shop for help. I've pasted the table below. They've got the following brands explained: DSI (Dancesport Int'l), International, Dance Naturals, Freed, Supadance, DanceAmo, DANSport, Rummos and Cindini.

Narrower: Level -2 International Extra Narrow fit, Supadance Narrow fit

Narrower: Level -1 Rummos Regular fit, Dance Naturals Regular fit, DANSport Regular fit, International Narrow fit

Average: Level 0 Supadance Regular fit, International Regular fit, Freed Regular fit

Wider: Level +1 International Wide fit, DSI Regular fit, DANSport Wide fit, Cindini Regular fit

Wider: Level +2 International Extra Wide fit, Supadance Wide fit, DanceAmo Regular fit

Wider: Level +3 International Extra Extra Wide fit, Dance Amo Wide fit

The question is, how do I know that the table is accurate? Well, I compared the table to my previous dance shoe experience:

My Syvlia by Freed dance shoes fitted my wide foot of roughly 9cm well. So I knew that I would do well with a regular size, but that the wide would be too wide for my foot.

My DANSport shoes I bought in regular and should have bought them in wide and half a size smaller, as they are too narrow and cause my feet to have lots of bandages after a lesson. The wide fit is at level +1, so I think my feet would have been perfectly happy in a UK4.5 Wide, not UK5 regular.

International regular fit is also a little too narrow for me and leaves a 1cm gap between my toe and the edge of the dance shoe. Their wide size is only one level up and I would have to order them half a size smaller, but in wide.

Supadance shoes I would have to order in regular, as their wide size is two levels up, meaning it would be too wide for my foot.

I hope this helps you guys with your shoe fittings :)

[Tigerlilly]

I just received a pair of closed-toe x-strap shoes I bought online for smooth. My feet are slightly different sizes, and so one shoe feels pretty good. The other, however, is a bit loose - too much space in the toe and a bit of a gap in the heel. I'm wondering if there's something I can put in the shoe that's a bit large for my foot that will help it fit better... I know there are a number of inserts/products on the market that are designed for improving the fit of regular (non-dance) shoes... If anyone here has used any of these for their dance shoes and could recommend one in particular, I'd love to hear. Thanks in advance!

[waltzgirl]

I usually have to pad my shoes to make them fit right. I use Dr. Scholl's heel grips (the grey ones, not the gel). For the front of the foot, I make my own pads with molefoam (moleskin with a layer of foam attached). I step on a brown paper bag with a wet foot to make a pattern, then cut the mole foam to match my foot shape. I've also used regular "odor-eater" type insoles to cut an insert for the front, but I prefer the molefoam. I stay away from gel inserts because they are too squishy. I feel like my foot keeps moving in the shoe after I stop.

[Fortune]

I have difficulty finding size 1 adult dance shoes!! Can anybody help ?

[pygmalion]

Size 1 in what kind of shoe? (ballroom, tango, street, jazz, dance sneaker. men's women's)? By which sizing method ?(UK?US? Italian? Other?)

And welcome to the forums, btw.

[Fortune]

Ladies UK size 1 ballroom dancing shoes. Prefer high heels about 3 inches. Thank you !

[Fortune]

Ladies UK size 1 ballroom dancing shoes. Prefer high heels about 3 inches. Thank you !

Can anyone help, please?

[pygmalion]

The smallest I can find is a UK size 2. Have you considered a special order?

[wooh]

If I interpreted the Wikipedia page correctly, UK size 1 isn't even a 4 inch long foot. A three inch heel, might as well just get some pointe shoes.

[jfm]

uk size 1 is a 3 or 4 US depending on manufacturer. I am a size 1 and 3 inches is the limit I can dance on-so they probably don't make them. I got some lovely supadance silver sandals with a 2.5 inch louis heel in size 1 a few years ago so looking a bit lower can work.

[pygmalion]

I, for one, can't imagine a foot that small on a heel that high. At that angle, I can only imaging your poor tootsies taking quite a beating. But to each her own. :cool:

[dancewi]

I want to order Aida latin shoes online, but I heard that Aida shoe sizes can vary widely.
If you own Aida shoes, what size did you order and what size are your US street shoes?
thanks

[pygmalion]

Does Aida offer a size chart/recommendation? A lot of shoe manufacturers do. :cool:

[dancewi]

yeah , they do, but they are not always correct