If you’re a beginner in dance, be it classical, Latin, ballroom or other, you’ll quickly realize that choosing the right shoes for dancing is a real issue.
While Cuban salsa, Puerto Rican salsa (in line or salsa en ligne), bachata and other dances, for example, recommend sneakers that don’t catch on the floor too much, it’s clear thathaving dance shoes or sneakers designed for dancing is a « game changer ».
- But what do dance shoes really offer?
- How do you choose them?
- Which shoes for Latin dancing?
- Where to find a dance shoe store?
Dance shoes VS classic shoes
Street shoes are made for… the city. Sneakers can be for sport and/or style. Dance shoes are for… dancing.
As we said in the introduction, it’s okay to dance in classic sneakers when you’re doing Cuban salsa, for example. In most parts of the world, people dance salsa in sneakers.
But over time, with all the turns, changes of direction, slips, changes of support, etc., your joints – mainly your knees, then secondarily your ankles and pelvis – will suffer, mainly due to a question of grip.
Conventional street shoes and sneakers, not designed for dance, are designed to grip the floor. This is understandable, given that they are intended for walking, running, taking support without slipping, etc. Dancing is different from walking or running.
Dancing is different from walking or running, and so are the needs. You move in all directions, change rhythm, turn on the spot more or less quickly, and so on. Wearing city shoes or sneakers makes you turn more slowly, and this is where you compensate or load your joints. You’re actually less free to move.
The torsion that goes up your legs, by dint of repetition (dance being the repetition of movements), the joints will be forced until something gives way, from a little pain to an inability to dance.
When you dance, muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, joint capsules… everything participates. To avoid inflammation or worse (torn meniscus, osteoarthritis, etc.), if you want to keep dancing for as long as possible, we recommend that you wear dance shoes or sneakers OR, failing that, your most slippery sneakers (and hope that the floor itself is at least a little slippery).
Professional dancers know all too well that a career takes its toll on the joints of the lower body due to an unsuitable floor or shoe, and on the upper body for the same reasons, as well as due to repetitive guidance.
How do dance shoes improve your dancing experience?
Dancing, like any sport, requires the right equipment. Many brands offer dance shoes or dance sneakers, such as :
- Begoña Cervera
- Bloch
- Capezio
- Fuego Shoes(-10% by clicking on the link or promo code: onlydance10)
- Lidmag
- Merlet
- Portdance
- Ray Rose
- Repetto
- Rosso Latino
- So Dança
- Supadance
- Etc.
You can take advantage of a 10% discount code on Fuego shoes by clicking here :
Dance shoes or sneakers promise to help you move more fluidly on the floor (not all surfaces), take better care of your joints, improve your ability to perform spins, etc.
The different types of Latin dance shoes
Choosing the right Latin dance shoes is almost as easy as choosing the right ballroom dance shoes. Latin dance shoes can be the same as ballroom dance shoes.
Women’s dance shoes are generally :
- Heeled shoes : normal or stiletto heel, between and 11.5 cm. They’re pretty, with satin, leather, rhinestones, etc., looking like real evening heels.
- Dance sneakers: high or low, in suede, nubuck, leather or fabric.
- Dance shoes: these can be made of leather or suede, suede, nubuck, etc. They have a sole specially designed to improve rotation points, often at the heel + sole of the foot.
The sole is usually made of suede, for gliding on floors suitable for wearing them.
The aim is to provide the greatest possible comfort, even for sensitive feet.
Men’s dance shoes are generally :
- Dance shoe: almost like street shoes.
- Dance sneakers: high, low, leather or fabric.
- Dance shoes with heels: the heel can be as small as 4cm.
When it comes to style… yes, not all brands create beautiful shoes (especially for men), but health comes first.
Having said that, there are some super fun-to-wear models that combine a bit of style with all the great benefits of dance shoes (such as the Fuego (see link above in article 👆)).
Here too, the aim is to dance in the greatest possible comfort, but also for sensitive feet.
How to make shoes slippery for dancing?
If you opt for dance shoes (heels, sneakers, shoes, etc.), either the almost-smooth sole is designed not to catch, or to provide points of rotation (like Fuego Dance), or felt is glued underneath (most often on women’s heeled dance shoes).
In dance schools, a bit of talcum powder is sometimes placed in a corner when street shoes or sneakers catch on too much. This is interesting if everyone has sneakers or dress shoes, but if you have dance shoes (which actually allow you to slide better), then you could slip on an area where there has been too much talc. Watch out for yourself.
Dance shoe store in Paris
We’re using Paris as an example here, but there are several dance shoe stores in other French cities.
Dance shoe stores in Paris, as elsewhere, give you the chance to try on different models before you buy, and to observe how you feel as you walk, turn, etc. Here’s a map of dance shoe stores in Paris :