Can the answer be yes and no at the same time? Hmm. :? :lol:
The real deal: suede shoes require careful handling. Check out the tips and advice library on gottadance.org. It goes through the whole shoe thing at great length -- why to buy them, how to fit them, how to take care of them, how to handle dancing on cruddy floors, etc. Worth a look-see. If you can't baby your suede soles for any reason, go for the leather.
If, on the other hand, you're willing to baby your shoes, suede is much preferable. Not necessarily because it's more flexible. That depends on the shoe you buy. But because leather tends to be more slippery. I have a pair of leather-soled dance shoes -- very lightweight, comfortable, and beautiful shoes. But it took me so long to break them in. Slippery! Yikes! :shock:
But remember -- baby your shoes. Carry them in a shoe bag. Stay away from puddles and beer spots and cigarette ash. Never wear them outdoors. Clean them only with a hard-bristled wire brush, and clean them often. gottadance.org spells it all out.
The suggestion to have a pair of older club shoes is a good one, too. I think you do most of your dancing in a club, though, right? :? So take a look at that website, and please let me know what you think.
Oh yeah, and also check out Terryl's article on dance shoes and your feet in the articles forum.
