IDS vs. Ray Rose vs. Aida Latin Shoes

[raindance]

As I wait with baited breath for my new Flavias to arrive, I got out a pair of my old Kalaharis for practice yesterday, and realized that the Kalaharis are the only shoe (so far) that feels good on the front half of the foot - and they feel great there.

The drawbacks are still that they are too flexible, and that the flared heel (which I vastly prefer now that I have danced in slim supas and aidas) are too far back.

I wonder whether Ray Rose would do a custom? Or if Aida would make a shoe with the strap design and depth of the Kalahari.

We will see how the Flavias work out...

Sania, have you tried the 1066 from Supadance? Wondering if that might give you the fit you want with a better (for you) heel placement. (I don't have experience with Kalaharis or Flavias, but I'm just thinking that is one of the sort of similar styles to the Kalahari in the Supadance line, and maybe has a slightly wider or more forgiving front of the foot than other Supadance models.) I have a pair of Ray Rose latin shoes in a different model, and the heel is much further back on the Ray Rose than the Supas.

Just a thought!

 

[Sania]

Sania, have you tried the 1066 from Supadance? Wondering if that might give you the fit you want with a better (for you) heel placement. (I don't have experience with Kalaharis or Flavias, but I'm just thinking that is one of the sort of similar styles to the Kalahari in the Supadance line, and maybe has a slightly wider or more forgiving front of the foot than other Supadance models.) I have a pair of Ray Rose latin shoes in a different model, and the heel is much further back on the Ray Rose than the Supas.

Just a thought!

raindance, I so much appreciate your comments!

I have a pair of Supadance that are similar to the 1066 but have a slim heel. I will have to check the model number and compare - the toe straps on the supas I have are very uncomfortable and the slim heel is still too far back and feels like dancing on the head of a nail however if the toe configuration is different the 1066 may be worth trying. (By comparison the slim heel on the aida felt great, even though I think flared would have been better)

My feet may not agree with the Supadance last - I have never had a pair (latin or standard) that felt good - but hope springs eternal

I will report back on my researches when the Flavias arrive.

 

[raindance]

raindance, I so much appreciate your comments!

I have a pair of Supadance that are similar to the 1066 but have a slim heel. I will have to check the model number and compare - the toe straps on the supas I have are very uncomfortable and the slim heel is still too far back and feels like dancing on the head of a nail however if the toe configuration is different the 1066 may be worth trying. (By comparison the slim heel on the aida felt great, even though I think flared would have been better)

My feet may not agree with the Supadance last - I have never had a pair (latin or standard) that felt good - but hope springs eternal

I will report back on my researches when the Flavias arrive.

Ah, I haven't tried the slim heel, I have always used flare for latin. So my comparisons are flare vs flare heel placement, not sure if that helps or not.

Looking forward to your report. Good luck in your search for the right latin shoes! I'm still searching myself.

 

[fascination]

I think it all depends on the person....I will never wear anything but Ray Rose for rhythm or latin....I find them to be far and away the most comfortable shoe...

 

[scullystwin42]

Tried on Aidas in Ohio - the Karina.. Super comfortable, loved the balance, and loved how they fit my wide-toe-box needing feet. I'd been holding off because of all the wear issues that everyone seems to have. We'll see how they hold up. Otherwise, it will be back to my RR Kalaharis (although possibly I will try their wide with slim heel option if the Aida's die on me.)

 

[scullystwin42]

So, I did a full lesson in my new Aida karinas yesterday... It was interesting. I love the balance. the straps around the toe were kind of wonky, they fit one foot better than the other - top straps kept sliding down. Not usually a problem with my foot, which is rather wide at the toe area. I keep thinking that it would be nice if we could all afford bespoke dance shoes, so they are perfect for our feet....

 

[MaggieMoves]

So, I did a full lesson in my new Aida karinas yesterday... It was interesting. I love the balance. the straps around the toe were kind of wonky, they fit one foot better than the other - top straps kept sliding down. Not usually a problem with my foot, which is rather wide at the toe area. I keep thinking that it would be nice if we could all afford bespoke dance shoes, so they are perfect for our feet....

The strap issue won't get better with age as they stretch and slide down your feet more... My only suggestion for them would be the older Karina style which has more of an ankle strap, but changes the balance of the shoe entirely pushing it back towards the heel. That still won't fix the wonky toe situation as virtually all their other shoes same the same ankle strap as the new Karina's.

Thankfully they fit my feet well. I just wish they would last more than 2 months.

 

[azntwice]

Would anyone happen to know if what Worldtone calls the 3.25" heel for Paoul shoes is the 80/3 heel or 90/3 heel? I want to order a new pair but I'm not sure what size heel I am...

 

[j_alexandra]

Would anyone happen to know if what Worldtone calls the 3.25" heel for Paoul shoes is the 80/3 heel or 90/3 heel? I want to order a new pair but I'm not sure what size heel I am...

pretty sure it's the 80/3. 90mm is 3.5 inches; 80mm is 3.14 inches.

 

[MaggieMoves]

pretty sure it's the 80/3. 90mm is 3.5 inches; 80mm is 3.14 inches.

Yep, you're right. The 3.25" is kind of puzzling... maybe it's labeled incorrectly?

 

[j_alexandra]

Yep, you're right. The 3.25" is kind of puzzling... maybe it's labeled incorrectly?

Worldtone can be somewhat creative in their descriptions. You can just order them straight from Paoul, btw, and you'll know just what you'll get. FWIW, Paoul have a sale going; I can PM you the code, if you like.

 

[j_alexandra]

As long as we're on the subject of heel height, my Aida standard shoes were described as having a 2" heel. That's before the heel tip, which for Aida, adds an extra 1/4". And then the heel protector adds another 1/4", and bam, you have 2 1/2" heel height. Looked great, but kicked in my Morton's neuroma. TDNWMH.

 

[Miss Silly]

I've just been trying this style of Aida, since my bunions are giving me grief:

Usually i'm in the Karinas.

They're still super new so I have a lot of mixed feelings.... i'm concerned that the style of the toe 'straps' will make the shoe less flexible (not as easy to point). But they're still totally not broken in so they just feel stiff anyway right now.

THe throat of the shoe feels a lot wider than the Karinas, interestingly. Definitely more comfortable, but since they're rubbing in new (un-callused) areas of my feet, I didn't last too long in them. They are definitely more comfortable with the bunions, since i don't have the smaller staps cutting in to the ball of my foot (the pressure is more evenly distributed).

The T-strap.... ugh. So cute, but I think i already really dislike T-strap. I like to wrap the strap under the bottom of my arch. Also, i feel like it's harder to point because it's holding the front of the shoe. I don't have the most amazing point so I need all the help i can get, and these shoes feel opposite to that. Mind you, lost of pros/high level amateurs wear the T-strap and have great feet. hrmph.

 

[azntwice]

Worldtone can be somewhat creative in their descriptions. You can just order them straight from Paoul, btw, and you'll know just what you'll get. FWIW, Paoul have a sale going; I can PM you the code, if you like.

That would be great! Is the shipping ok from Italy? I was gonna order from Danceshopper since they also have a sale going this weekend.

 

[azntwice]

THe throat of the shoe feels a lot wider than the Karinas, interestingly. Definitely more comfortable, but since they're rubbing in new (un-callused) areas of my feet, I didn't last too long in them. They are definitely more comfortable with the bunions, since i don't have the smaller staps cutting in to the ball of my foot (the pressure is more evenly distributed).

The T-strap.... ugh. So cute, but I think i already really dislike T-strap. I like to wrap the strap under the bottom of my arch. Also, i feel like it's harder to point because it's holding the front of the shoe. I don't have the most amazing point so I need all the help i can get, and these shoes feel opposite to that. Mind you, lost of pros/high level amateurs wear the T-strap and have great feet. hrmph.

I dislike T-straps for exactly this reason. I think that most people who wear T-straps have extremely high arches so they need help keeping their feet in the shoes. Unfortunately that's not a problem most of us have. I also thought that the shoe you mentioned is much tighter in the toe box area and less flexible, so I prefer strappy styles. But maybe it'll be different once broken in.