Can we talk shoes?

[ProgressNotPerfection]

These are still my favorite practice shoes. Tap at the bottom of the text below to open the entire quoted post, and see the bolded paragraph at the end.

Despite the small size & relative obscurity of this comp outside the southeast, there was a shoe vendor there: CROWN DANCE SHOES!!! From California! Holy cow!!!

• I AM A CONVERT. @True Bliss n @Misspendragon - OMG I understand why you love these shoes! I have spent hours and hours and hundreds and hundreds of dollars trying to find shoes that work for me. I’ve been to Showtime and Worldtone in person and tried just about every brand they carry; I’ve ordered many different styles & models from IDS and Paoul; I’ve even bought shoes customized for me. And NONE of them has ever impressed me the way Crown did.
• I was looking for Standard court shoes, and the first pair I tried on was too big (I could almost fit my index finger between the back of my heel and the back of the shoe). But then Vahan brought me a pair a half-size down, and when I put them on, my jaw dropped. They were PERFECT. Thick soft arch-supporting insoles; closed toe but flexible because there’s no hard plastic mold at the tip; secure sides with no gapping; strap under the sole for support then crossing over my instep - and designed so that it doesn’t hurt my instep the way most shoes do; 2” slightly flared heels; no weird noises or slippage or discomfort when I walked…UNBELIEVABLE. INCREDIBLE. Worth the very very very very high price, for me.
• The smooth shoes didn’t work for me, unfortunately, despite their excellent quality, because the edge of the vamp across the base of my toes (the part that would crease, if the shoes covered the whole top of my foot) hurt every time I flexed my foot.
• the Latin shoes also didn’t suit me, but that’s just personal preference due to my lack of dance experience. What I mean is, the end of the toe is sort of squared off, not rounded, which means the tips of my toes touch the floor all the time. I am reliably informed that this is not only normal, but desirable for most Latin dancers. However, my technique just ain’t that good. When I try to slide my foot forward, with toes turned out and heel off the floor, the soft square front of the shoe curls up under my foot. Yes I know that means I’m doing it wrong - you can skip the lecture on technique.
• I wasn’t specifically looking for practice shoes, but Vahan brought over a pair anyway. I asked, “why?” He gave me a knowing look with a small smile & said, “just try them on.” OMG they were fantastic!!!! Amazing. Even better than the Standard shoes. I bought a pair without hesitation. They are the men’s split sole fabric Latin practice shoes, 1.5” heel. I told Vahan they should rename them “unisex” or remove the gender entirely from the description, because they are way too good to be worn by only one gender.

 

[Pryn]

I haven't experienced a lot of the brands yet, but I fell in love with my custom IDS shoes. They fit so well on my feet, they feel natural, love the color options, and the heels feel well balanced.

I didn't even realize my other brands weren't as well-balanced in the heel until I tried IDS. My other shoe brands had issues like the heel didn't feel balanced, too much extra room between the heel and shoe, the vamp putting too much pressure on a specific toe (causing that nail to shed).

My feet are fairly average in toe/ball width size, but my right is a little larger than my left. I willing to continue to explore other brands because as an awesome mentor has told me, You don't know what you don't know yet, Newbie - keep learning.

 

[Tracy]

I would be very careful about dancing in tennis shoes. They are not made to turn and the floor friction could cause knees to be twisted.
I don't wear the official practice shoe style but the same thing I compete in when I practice or have lessons. I have a high instep and the practice shoes cut into the top of my foot.

That said, I use Ray Rose Kalahari for latin/rhythm. The square shape works well for my slightly wide and square foot.

 

[bia]

anyone have a brand of practice shoes they really like? I was dealing with some foot pain a few months ago and almost completely solved it by only wearing shoes with a wide toe box. Are there brands of shoes that have a bit more natural foot shape? I have kind of narrow heels so not sure if just getting a wide width would really help.

I'm a broken record on this (see my post earlier in this thread), but my solution for wanting width for my toes has been a practice shoe where the two sides are completely separate and lace all the way up, with a slight open toe. I've been wearing the "Ultimate Classic" style that I get from Dance Connection, but various brands make a similar style.

 

[j_alexandra]

I would be very careful about dancing in tennis shoes. They are not made to turn and the floor friction could cause knees to be twisted.
I don't wear the official practice shoe style but the same thing I compete in when I practice or have lessons. I have a high instep and the practice shoes cut into the top of my foot.

That said, I use Ray Rose Kalahari for latin/rhythm. The square shape works well for my slightly wide and square foot.

Have seen a lot of Swing dancers use tennis-shoe-like sneakers for dance. I think they are made with a sole that moves on the floor.

 

[dncergrl2]

Have seen a lot of Swing dancers use tennis-shoe-like sneakers for dance. I think they are made with a sole that moves on the floor.

Dance socks fit over the shoe at the ball of foot and are slippy. You can get them at specialty dance shops or Amazon now. I always take them with me ifˆ I might be dancing on a sticky floor. You c

 

[HappyLilac]

Have seen a lot of Swing dancers use tennis-shoe-like sneakers for dance. I think they are made with a sole that moves on the floor.

Found a brand yesterday called Harlem Dance that makes barefoot zero drop shoes for swing. I can see why that doesn’t really exist for ballroom styles though.

 

[Tracy]

There are dance shoes made to look like tennis shoes with a different sole. I was warning about tennis shoes not made for dance.

 

[ChaCha1]

These are still my favorite practice shoes. Tap at the bottom of the text below to open the entire quoted post, and see the bolded paragraph at the end.

yep, crown are my favorite practice shoe. If you order them online, just order your regular shoe size and they will make the adjustment for a female foot. (ie, I am a 7.5 and I ordered that size women's, they sent a 5.5 unisex and it fit perfect)

 

[neveragain]

yep, crown are my favorite practice shoe. If you order them online, just order your regular shoe size and they will make the adjustment for a female foot. (ie, I am a 7.5 and I ordered that size women's, they sent a 5.5 unisex and it fit perfect)

I heard a lot of good reviews about crown. I've seen the owner too at the comp but they are more expensive than IDS or Ray rose. Do they last longer than other European brands? I change my ids yearly even though they are still good but the outside looks beat up. I just use the beat up pair for home practice

 

[ChaCha1]

I heard a lot of good reviews about crown. I've seen the owner too at the comp but they are more expensive than IDS or Ray rose. Do they last longer than other European brands? I change my ids yearly even though they are still good but the outside looks beat up. I just use the beat up pair for home practice

Can say for others, but they lasted much longer than my Supa practice shoes. I use practice shoes about 80% of the time and my crown held up for over 3 years. They are pricer, but my Supa's only lasted about a year. However YMMV.

 

[True Bliss]

Can say for others, but they lasted much longer than my Supa practice shoes. I use practice shoes about 80% of the time and my crown held up for over 3 years. They are pricer, but my Supa's only lasted about a year. However YMMV.

I've worn Crown shoes for the last 3 years for both smooth and rhythm. FWIW, I previously wore IDS shoes but found the Crown shoes to be much more stable/comfortable. I liked them so much that I gave up wearing practice shoes and/or my IDS shoes and wear only the Crown shoes for everything . . .lessons, socials, comps, etc. I did purchase another pair of smooth shoes that I save for competitions but the original smooth pair are still going strong as is my rhythm sandals. Yes, they're pricier but in my book are definitely worth it.

 

[Arun Garg]

Perhaps I have a different perspective, I did not care for my Crown shoes; they fell apart fairly quickly and stretched a good amount. They fit alright at first, but also my customer care experience was pretty poor (owner and team are great, and I do think they've come a long way since my issues a couple years ago). My biggest issue is how cushioned the shoes are inside (similar to my problems with EF Shoes). It feels like dancing on pillows (comfortable), but I find I cannot feel the floor or where I am on my foot as well, so that type of shoe construction doesn't fit my personal preference.

Also Ray Rose is the best for wide toe boxes, I've got a couple standard pairs that have lasted years of daily open dancing and regular competition. My current shoe of choice is Aida, and those pairs have also lasted a crazy long time without distortion or major damage.

 

[wahoo_foxtrot]

I had the same experience with Arun in terms of the crown shoes' soles. I tried their Latin/Rhythm shoes at a comp. The crown shoes are as soft as IDS, or even softer, but they are so thick that I can't realistically feel the floor. Vahan is an amazing person but I just cannot see my feet loving their shoes for now. For the past 4+ years I have been wearing Aida and they are great.

For practice shoes, I got influenced by @ProgressNotPerfection and one of the male pros in my studio and got a pair of IDS heather. I got those IDS heather in black mesh material and special-ordered in1.75 practice/cuban heels (rather than the usual 1.5 inch), and these are the best shoes I have ever tried on! My feet never feel better.

For court shoes I am wearing Ray Rose. Unfortunately, their model changed in 2020. The same RR rockslide are stiffer, they also remodeled their slim heels. I got used to the new heel placement but the soles & satin etc are quite stiff. Finally I got influenced by many of the dancers here and ordered IDS Vista slim heel (round-toe diagonal strap). We shall see how these work out...

 

[fatherdowling]

I’m really loving my new EF Dance shoes. Really comfortable on my 1st metatarsal that seems to bruise easily. Fit is perfect. Very stable. I have quite narrow feet but they do come wider. If you see them at a comp or are near NJ I’d recommend trying some on. (That being said I’ve only worn them three times but they’re far more comfortable than my Dansport Babette by IDS.