Dance sneakers: should I do it? (Ladies)

[Twilight_Elena]

I'm a low budget teenager, as most of you might have guessed by now. I really need a pair of dancing shoes, but can only buy one (at the moment). So my teacher suggested that I buy trainers. She reccomended Freed, and I found these:

Unisex Sneakers
and
Urban Trainers

I must admit the Urbans seem to be better fitting (not as bulky as the unisex trainers). Anyone ever tried sneakers? Are the soles always rubber or are there sneakers with suede soles? Do you reccomend them for ballroom and salsa practice and practice parties?

Twilight Elena

 

[newbie]

Among my six pairs of dance shoes, one is a Freed pair, something like
http://www.freedoflondon.com/cat/catalog_details.php?prod_code=6692P

I find them comfortable, they're my default pair of dance shoes.
Just my two cents (and admittedly not very useful for a young lady, but I just like to post...)

 

[Twilight_Elena]

Among my six pairs of dance shoes, one is a Freed pair, something like
http://www.freedoflondon.com/cat/catalog_details.php?prod_code=6692P

I find them comfortable, they're my default pair of dance shoes.
Just my two cents (and admittedly not very useful for a young lady, but I just like to post...)

Every cent is worth in my book.
Ladies? What do you think about them? Do you happen to know their approximate price as well?

Twilight Elena

 

[Laura]

International makes a pair of dance sneakers that have a heel (like 1 1/4") and a hard composition sole that doesn't grip like rubber so you can actually dance in them. I have a pair of these that I keep around for times when I'm injured and can't wear my regular shoes -- one time I dropped something on my foot and I could dance fine but it was too painful to wear regular shoes!

Personally, I don't recommend getting dance sneakers if you can only afford one pair of shoes. You should get whatever shoes are appropriate for the style you are training. If you are doing Latin, you can get a pair of sandals. If you are doing Standard, get a pair of court shoes. Whatever you get, get in tan leather, because that way they will look decent longer and you can wear them in competitions.

That's just my advice, anyway, I don't mean to contradict your teacher. I guess if you're doing both styles and don't plan to do any competitions before you can buy more shoes, then they'd work out fine.

 

[Twilight_Elena]

International makes a pair of dance sneakers that have a heel (like 1 1/4") and a hard composition sole that doesn't grip like rubber so you can actually dance in them. I have a pair of these that I keep around for times when I'm injured and can't wear my regular shoes -- one time I dropped something on my foot and I could dance fine but it was too painful to wear regular shoes!

Personally, I don't recommend getting dance sneakers if you can only afford one pair of shoes. You should get whatever shoes are appropriate for the style you are training. If you are doing Latin, you can get a pair of sandals. If you are doing Standard, get a pair of court shoes. Whatever you get, get in tan leather, because that way they will look decent longer and you can wear them in competitions.

That's just my advice, anyway, I don't mean to contradict your teacher. I guess if you're doing both styles and don't plan to do any competitions before you can buy more shoes, then they'd work out fine.

Erm. The Latin/Standard dividing is sort of confusing me, so...
I'm doing Ballroom smooth (Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot) and Latin (Mambo, Cha-cha, Rumba, Samba, and Rock n' Roll - includes swing and jive). Plus, I'm doing salsa, merengue and bachata. As you can see, I do all sorts of types, so I wanted to have one pair for them all. Plus, I think trainers would be better for the street-like dances (salsa, etc.)
Salseras out there, I need your contribution!
Oh, and... what's tan leather?
Laura, I like the idea of those internationals. D'you have a link?

Twilight Elena

 

[Laura]

Sounds like you could use the sneakers, then, or just a pair of regular practice shoes. I got my Internationals from dancesport.uk.com , look down under their "Virtual Shoe Shop" link and hunt around to find a picture. Although, you might want to order from an American supplier of the brand if this is your first time -- it will be much easier to return them if you don't have to send them back to England!!!

 

[Twilight_Elena]

When you say regular practice shoes, are you talking about shoes like the "Roma" by Freed?
Searched a bit. Found the Reactiv's and the Heather's. Which ones are they?
I actually wanted to get them through a store, so that I can try them on too (I have strange feet). I found one that is reccomended by my teachers. Do you suppose they can order then online for me? I have no credit card (of course, I am underage) and my parents would never trust the number to me for their lives.

Twilight Elena

 

[Laura]

I thought we weren't supposed to post active links to sites that sell things?

Anyway, yes, the Reactiv's are the ones I was talking about in terms of dance sneakers. I got a pair that was all black, so they look nicer than the light blue and black ones in the picture.

And yes, by regular practice shoes I mean shoes like the "Roma" or the "Heather," for instance. I wore Romas for a while and liked them a lot. I only stopped because I don't buy practice shoes anymore. I wear new shoes for comps, and when they get too dirty for comps I start wearing them for practice until they wear out.

The one big difference between the dance sneakers and the practice shoes is that the dance sneakers don't have any support in the arch. This isn't a problem if you have really strong arches, but if you don't then your feet could start to ache in the dance sneakers.

 

[Twilight_Elena]

I thought we weren't supposed to post active links to sites that sell things?

:shock: :? :? Erm... Didn't really know that. I'll edit the post.

The one big difference between the dance sneakers and the practice shoes is that the dance sneakers don't have any support in the arch. This isn't a problem if you have really strong arches, but if you don't then your feet could start to ache in the dance sneakers.

My arches are actually sort of weak... Whenever I put too much pressure in them in order to focus my weight on the inside of the foot and forward, they start to ache after a few mins. :? D'you suppose that's a bad thing? Is it just muscles that are too weak yet but will bet stronger? If not, then I should perhaps rethink the trainers issue...

Twilight Elena

 

[G809]

Elena,

I agree with Laura and would suggest that you buy a pair of dance shoes rather than trainers if you're only to have one pair. I'm also a poor student, so when I first started I saved my pennies until I could afford a pair of shoes (which I think were smooth shoes) and I wore them for both latin/rhythm and standard/smooth dances, and to comps. The problem with trainers is that they don't have a heel so when you do get a real pair at some point down the line, you might have trouble getting re-used to dancing with a different center of gravity and that sort of thing.

An alternative is to get a pair of practice shoes, as has been suggested--that seems like a good solution. Yes, most trainers are covered with rubber, but you can get ones with suede on the bottom (I've forgotten which brand). Also, Sansha sells a pair of slip-on suede pouches for spinning or something. I've never tried that, though.

 

[mamboqueen]

Hi,

I have Bloch dance sneakers and love them. I probably wouldn't use them in smooth/standard, but I find them very helpful in Latin, especially because they get me to put my heels down on the floor rather than sometimes not getting them all the way down (as I do on occasion in regular heels). They are also VERY comfortable. You just have to make sure you alternate back and forth so that you are used to dancing in heels.

If you are having arch problems, you might want to get innersoles on your regular shoes/sneakers. They make a huge difference for me. The innersoles that come in regular sneakers are complete junk.

 

[standardgirl]

Just another thing, most people are more comfortable dancing smooth/standard in latin shoes than dancing latin/rhythm in smooth/standard shoes. I personally is the opposite. But I would suggest you getting a real pair of Latin dance shoes if you can only afford one pair. It seems like you dance more latin/rhythm than smooth/standard. And yeah, when you dance in clubs, please do not wear your lovely dance shoes, those floor are typicially not nice enough for your only pair. Dancers normally wear dance shoes to club after the shoes "retire" from practice and competitions. If you want cheap dance shoes, I like the brand Very Fine. If you want to get good and nice shoes, try (www.dance-shop.com) Their Supadance and Freed are cheaper even after shipping!

 

[chachachacat]

My 2c
I agree, IF you can only get one pair, then a med. heel (no more than 2.5") Latin sandal would be best, or a practice shoe, like "Heather."

Dance sneakers are comfy, but the arch support is a real problem, also, no suede soles (BIG problem), & they're really not enough like ballroom or Latin shoes to help you.

I think it's *very* important to buy good dance shoes, that fit well.
It's the only tool you can buy!

FIT! Did anyone tell you to buy your dance shoes 1.5 - 3 sizes smaller than your street shoe size? It helps to have professional advice when buying.

Where are you located? Capezio has a small line of ballroom dance shoes which are very balanced and well-made, and widely availble in regular Dance supply shops, which sell toe shoes, tights, etc.

 

[randomMysh]

Shoes....*drool* :lol:

I'd go with an open toe, closed heel shoe with a medium heel (2.5" seems to work very well) and enough straps to not wiggle on your foot at all.
I'd also buy it in skintone satin. Although leather tends to keep decent-looking longer, satin shoes don't stretch as quickly, so they're wearable longer. Dance Naturals are my brand of choice, both for comfort and durability. I recommend latin (open toe) shoes because it's nearly impossible to really point in court shoes, while dancing smooth in sandals is passably possible. If your heel isn't too high, even heel turns are doable in sandals, although not nearly as nicely as in court. If you're only buying one pair, go with sandals.

If this is your first time buying, try them on first. I used to go to competitions and try on shoes from various vendors, and then buy the ones I liked online (sneaky, I know, but it saved me $30/pair or so, and I am a poor student too).

I would not buy dance sneakers as the only pair. For one thing, the sole over the ball of the foot is inflexible, so you can't work your feet the way you should. I also dislike not being able to feel the floor, but that's just me. :?

For your arches, there is a great exercise that will strengthen them in a matter of weeks. Stand on one foot, keeping the other completely off the floor. Slowly rise to your tiptoes (on a slow 8 count), then slowly lower back. Do not rest your heel on the floor between raises. Do as many as you can, then switch. You can keep a couple of fingers on a wall for balance if you need to. I did those 5 times a week when I was getting arch cramps from too-high heels, and after two weeks the cramps stopped. I firmly believe everyone who wears heels should do this, it does wonders for your feet.

Good luck! Shoe-shopping is fun, but stressful. But fun. :lol: :roll:

Couldn't you ask your parents to buy them online with their card and then pay them back with cash? That way they won't have to give you the # and you can still get your shoes. It's just so much cheaper.

 

[Laura]

Excellent advice chachachacat, but I have to disagree with you on this one point:

Capezio has a small line of ballroom dance shoes which are very balanced and well-made, and widely availble in regular Dance supply shops, which sell toe shoes, tights, etc.

I found Capezio's standard shoes to be, shall we say, sub-standard. Sure, I got them for half the price of the European brands, but they also fell apart twice as fast and didn't fit my feet as well as my favorite brand (Diamant, from Germany).

That said, everyone's feet are different so there is really no BEST brand that will work for everyone. I started with Freed, took a detour through Werner Kern, then wore International for a while, then Capezio, then Supadance, then Dance Naturals. None of the shoes were right, I was always adding padding, removing padding, adding heel grips, adding elastic. My feet and knees never felt right. And then I finally found the brand and style and size that works right for me. It took a lot of experimenting to find that one combination that worked right for me. And the thing is, what works for me might not work for most other people. So yes, she might as well try Capezio, it's just that I don't consider them to be particularly well made.

Like many people, back when I could only afford one pair of dance shoes, I had a pair of Latin sandals that I also wore for Smooth and Standard. It wasn't until I decided that I wanted to do nothing but Standard that I started buying court shoes.