IDS vs. Ray Rose vs. Aida Latin Shoes

datitmarsh said:
Exactly. Up to following this thread I didn't know one brand from another. There aren't exactly a whole lot of places in Calgary to go try on dance shoes - I think I'd need to order from Toronto possibly so it's good to read what others have experienced in their search for shoes.
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OH goodness! Yes Calgary doesn't have much. But to be honest, neither does Vancouver. I've had the most luck when i've visited my sister in NYC (world tone dance shoes) or if i've ended up at a comp where there were shoe vendors. I remember at Rocky Mountain there is always that lady with the shoes, but i can't remember what brand(s) it is....

Amanda at Crystal Clover Canada (toronto) is pretty much the only canadian dealer for Aida's (at this point/that i'm aware of). But i've ordered rayrose, supadance and IDS online in the past. It still would be better to find places to try before buying of course LOL!!!
 
@datitmarsh Both Amanda at Crystal Clover in Toronto and Nancy at Supadance in Mtl are pretty great about answering questions over e-mail. I've never ordered shoes from Amanda, but she's very responsive about fabric... and I regularly order my shoes from Nancy, who ships them out next day on the bus, assuming we can't connect at a comp.

And FWIW, I went to WorldTone when I was in NYC, and they had exactly one pair of standard shoes in my size to try (which I didn't like).

@Miss Silly, apparently T-bars are great for when you do have crazy pointing abilities... I actually pointed right out of my shoes during a lesson last week (whoops - thanks, ballet!), and it was suggested that I may need to have a look at them. Plus, I love the look of the Manusovas... such a pretty shoe!
 
Miss Silly said:
OH goodness! Yes Calgary doesn't have much. But to be honest, neither does Vancouver. I've had the most luck when i've visited my sister in NYC (world tone dance shoes) or if i've ended up at a comp where there were shoe vendors. I remember at Rocky Mountain there is always that lady with the shoes, but i can't remember what brand(s) it is....

Amanda at Crystal Clover Canada (toronto) is pretty much the only canadian dealer for Aida's (at this point/that i'm aware of). But i've ordered rayrose, supadance and IDS online in the past. It still would be better to find places to try before buying of course LOL!!!
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Rocky Mountain is actually our next event. Been there last few years watching my daughter, but first time dancing for me. So the Ray Rose and Aida brands seem to be the ones with the most mentions. How do the supadance and IDS stack up in your experience?
 
FancyFeet said:
@datitmarsh Both Amanda at Crystal Clover in Toronto and Nancy at Supadance in Mtl are pretty great about answering questions over e-mail. I've never ordered shoes from Amanda, but she's very responsive about fabric... and I regularly order my shoes from Nancy, who ships them out next day on the bus, assuming we can't connect at a comp.

And FWIW, I went to WorldTone when I was in NYC, and they had exactly one pair of standard shoes in my size to try (which I didn't like).

@Miss Silly, apparently T-bars are great for when you do have crazy pointing abilities... I actually pointed right out of my shoes during a lesson last week (whoops - thanks, ballet!), and it was suggested that I may need to have a look at them. Plus, I love the look of the Manusovas... such a pretty shoe!
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How do you find the fabrics from Amanda?
 
She sells Chrisanne fabrics, so they are amazing (though on the pricey side). Will ship free samples within Canada :)
 
@FancyFeet oohhhhhhh!!! Can we trade feet? PLLLLEEEEAAASSSSE????? LOL ;-P

@datitmarsh
The IDS "flavia" [latin] model with the "elite" heel is very, very similar to aida. I think they'd definitely be a decent alternative for a better price. But I was having troubles with the width of the toe area, so I didn't wear the pair I had for very long. It was just too painful (they've been since donated to some univeristy team LOL).

For supadance... i've only been in their standard shoe, which I like quite a lot. I don't recall trying any of their latin. I just wasn't totally sold on their heels. Long ago i tried on a pair that belonged to my friend (granted it was a flare heel, which also changes thing) and I didn't like how far back the heel felt.

I made this pic to show you what I mean... comparing these two models, it doesn't look tooooo bad, but to me it still looks not quite as 'forward' as aida )even though i realize the pics aren't perfect identical side shots LOL). I'd have to put them on to know for sure, but I figured this photo would be helpful nonetheless, because this was a factor I only figured out after a few shoe-fails. Some people love having a heel far back, others don't. It's a personal thing, but I know for myself, i very strongly dislike having it too far back. The good news is that when you figure out your preference, you can easily eliminate even having to try many types of shoes (just by looking, you'll know you may want to try it or not even bother).


shoe-heels.jpg The nice thing about supadance - it comes in extra wide LOL! (I think Aida may, on special order... something i think i'll have to enquire about due to my bunion situation, but right now i'm in a wide). I think the widths between ray rose, aida and possibly supadance were very similar. Not true for IDS. IDS runs narrow.

Side note - i randomly remembered that for a long while I wore Dance Naturals. It was a quality shoe for shoe, even though now i woudln't go back (heel placement thign LOL) but it was a good shoe. Harder to try, since it's not a popular brand for North Americans.
 
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Miss Silly said:
@FancyFeet oohhhhhhh!!! Can we trade feet? PLLLLEEEEAAASSSSE????? LOL ;-P

@datitmarsh
The IDS "flavia" [latin] model with the "elite" heel is very, very similar to aida. I think they'd definitely be a decent alternative for a better price. But I was having troubles with the width of the toe area, so I didn't wear the pair I had for very long. It was just too painful (they've been since donated to some univeristy team LOL).

For supadance... i've only been in their standard shoe, which I like quite a lot. I don't recall trying any of their latin. I just wasn't totally sold on their heels. Long ago i tried on a pair that belonged to my friend (granted it was a flare heel, which also changes thing) and I didn't like how far back the heel felt.

I made this pic to show you what I mean... comparing these two models, it doesn't look tooooo bad, but to me it still looks not quite as 'forward' as aida )even though i realize the pics aren't perfect identical side shots LOL). I'd have to put them on to know for sure, but I figured this photo would be helpful nonetheless, because this was a factor I only figured out after a few shoe-fails. Some people love having a heel far back, others don't. It's a personal thing, but I know for myself, i very strongly dislike having it too far back. The good news is that when you figure out your preference, you can easily eliminate even having to try many types of shoes (just by looking, you'll know you may want to try it or not even bother).


View attachment 3523 The nice thing about supadance - it comes in extra wide LOL! (I think Aida may, on special order... something i think i'll have to enquire about due to my bunion situation, but right now i'm in a wide). I think the widths between ray rose, aida and possibly supadance were very similar. Not true for IDS. IDS runs narrow.

Side note - i randomly remembered that for a long while I wore Dance Naturals. It was a quality shoe for shoe, even though now i woudln't go back (heel placement thign LOL) but it was a good shoe. Harder to try, since it's not a popular brand for North Americans.
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OK thanks a lot - lots of great information. I also have a slight bunion problem on one foot so I'd have to consider that too. I think the problem with the ones I wear now, apart from the fact that I just randomly found them online, is that they are too long. There's like half an inch of spare shoe at the front so it doesn't help with toe pointing etc.
 
IDS comes in wide and extra wide. I love the Flavia with the IDS heel - close to what Ray Rose was like before they went to the horrible ultra flex sole and moved the heel farther back.
I wore a wide in the Aida Karinas and had to go back down to regular in the Flavias. YMMV - but I don't think the Flavia runs narrow. It's also the most comfortable and stable Latin shoe I have ever owned. I'm on about month 8 with my current pair.
 
Sania said:
IDS comes in wide and extra wide. I love the Flavia with the IDS heel - close to what Ray Rose was like before they went to the horrible ultra flex sole and moved the heel farther back.
I wore a wide in the Aida Karinas and had to go back down to regular in the Flavias. YMMV - but I don't think the Flavia runs narrow. It's also the most comfortable and stable Latin shoe I have ever owned. I'm on about month 8 with my current pair.
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OK I might try the Flavia. How does ID'S sizing work compared to street size?
 
I find it comparable to Ray Rose and Supadance- I wear English 6.5 in Latin and 7 to 7.5 in standard shoes compared to my US 9.5 street shoe size
 
Sania said:
I find it comparable to Ray Rose and Supadance- I wear English 6.5 in Latin and 7 to 7.5 in standard shoes compared to my US 9.5 street shoe size
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OK right. I am looking at the Flavia then with the elite heel. My current shoes are 3 inch flared heel. Will it be noticeably different/less stable with a 3 inch elite?
 
datitmarsh said:
OK right. I am looking at the Flavia then with the elite heel. My current shoes are 3 inch flared heel. Will it be noticeably different/less stable with a 3 inch elite?
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I have and like the IDS heel which is flared. I haven't tried the elite.
 
PSA: Anyone who is interested in Aida's, the price has gone up significantly now in the US (I was charged ~$240 for Karina's). I bought what probably will be my last pair this weekend, as I don't think there is a real benefit over Internationals... I was willing to swallow ~$200 for them, but at ~$100 more over Internationals? No.
 
MaggieMoves said:
PSA: Anyone who is interested in Aida's, the price has gone up significantly now in the US (I was charged ~$240 for Karina's). I bought what probably will be my last pair this weekend, as I don't think there is a real benefit over Internationals... I was willing to swallow ~$200 for them, but at ~$100 more over Internationals? No.
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Did you buy them at a comp? Any customization? They are still listed at $200 online.
 
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