Ballroom Dresses

Archive for the ‘Ballroom Shoes’ Category

When you first start out ballroom dancing, it is understandably easy to get seduced into spending all your time looking at and choosing all those gorgeous ballroom dresses. Undeniably important, and yet they are certainly not the whole story when it comes to decking out your dancewear wardrobe. To complete your ensemble, of course you need a good pair or two of ballroom shoes.

Ballroom dance shoes must not only be pleasing to the eye, but equally, if not more importantly, they have to be functional. Think of them as some of your key tools of the trade. One the one hand (or perhaps I should say, foot), their job is to look pretty and through their styling, to make the lines of your feet and legs seem more elegant, which in turn makes your dance moves look all the better. One the other hand, their function is to help prevent injury by providing your feet adequate support and to be so comfortable to wear that your dancing is not impeded.

Now your choice of ballroom shoes is very wide and sometimes it is hard to know where to begin. The obvious first port of call for advice is your dance teacher who will be able to tell you exactly what you need for your level of experience and the type of dances you are learning.

In the absence of personal advice, you can visit your local dancewear store, if you have one. The obvious advantage to this is that your feet can be professionally measured and you can try on the shoes there and then. Moreover, there is a huge choice of ballroom shoes available by mail order over the internet. What’s more, a reputable online supplier will understand that you want shoes that fit you properly, and should be happy for you to return unwanted pairs, as long as they are in brand new condition – so be sure only to try them on a carpeted surface, to avoid scratching the soles.

So, what are you looking for in a good pair of dance shoes? Firstly, style. Experienced women dancers often choose court shoes, but there is always the risk that they could fall off and maybe cause injury. So, it is probably wiser to opt for straps or laces, giving you a better sense of security and making you feel more confident with your dance steps. They are also better for your foot muscles, because they do not lead to the fatigue caused by having to keep tensing to keep the shoes on. Women’s ballroom shoes often have a high heel. Do not be tempted to go too high though, because you are more likely to have an accident by turning your heel and your feet will tire more quickly too.

Another factor influencing comfort and being able to move safely on the dance floor, is the size of your shoe. Make sure that your feet are carefully measured. Contrary to what some people advise, you do not want to allow your feet to slide around in your shoes – so the fit should be snug. You do not want or need any extra toe room. As you can imagine, allowing movement within the shoe of a hot sweaty foot is at least going to lead to blistering, if not some worse form of injury, through slipping.

You may be wondering what type of soles to opt for. The best sort of soles are suede soles. Whilst offering reasonable traction and stability for spinning, these soles do allow your ballroom dance shoes to slide safely across the floor – great for your dance moves, and definitely a whole lot safer for you than wearing rubber soles, which are very likely to cause you to come to an abrupt halt – very risky for you and your partner. They are also more comfortable because they flex and bend with your foot. So, although suede soles may be more costly than rubber soles, choosing the latter is false economy.

Finally, there is no substitute for quality. Ideally, you want shoes that are built to last, give your feet the necessary support and comfort. If you can, it is well worth taking a good look at the stitching – evenly-spaced and small stitches are indicative of better quality. Check out the finish too. There should be no rough edges anywhere and if glue has been used, it should be scarcely noticeable. Clearly, any unevenness in the finish of the edges could lead to skin damage and soreness.

Again, this attention to detail is usually reflected in the price – but if you are serious both about dancing and your health, it is certainly a worthwhile investment, because wearing ballroom shoes that offer both comfort and protection is of paramount importance and could make all the difference to your continued enjoyment of the rewarding past-time that ballroom dancing is.

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