Which shoes do you wear??

topic posted Fri, May 8, 2009 - 9:54 PM by  Leana
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Ok, so I've had an issue finding the right dance shoes for me! I've gone through 2 pairs of Sandasols, 2 different sizes and they always do the same thing.......that is after they stretch the padding on the bottom slides too far back and doesn't protect the ball of my foot. I actually like these the best but it hurts alot when I'm up on my toes once they stretch. The first pair I had did this so I got a smaller size and those did the same thing. You're supposed to go down a couple sizes from your street shoes, but now I'm wondering if I should get a bigger size???? Then I got the Capezio Dancesleaker, but those made my feet too hot and squashed my toes. Then I got some gymnastic shoes and those are ok, but can be slippery when spinning and I feel like I have no control. The last pair of shoes I bought were ballet shoes and holy moly.........i have zero control when spinning! It's ridiculous! I don't know what to do.

Any feedback out there is much appreciated.
posted by:
Leana
Seattle
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  • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

    Fri, May 8, 2009 - 10:19 PM
    I'm a big fan of the gymnast shoes. They can be slippery on some surfaces, if that's the case, I dance barefoot. Once you break the gymnast shoes in, they do get a bit more traction.
    • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

      Fri, May 8, 2009 - 10:27 PM
      The gymnastic shoes your talking about, are they the soft, canvas ones with the suede soles? Those are the ones I have. They're ok, not fabulous but ok. I have the most control in the Sandasols, but I have a long foot and after they stretch, they don't cover my entire ball of the foot. I can't afford to keep buying shoes and fail but I'm thinking maybe I should get a bigger size. So hard. I definitely don't like to dance barefoot unless I'm doing a slower dance or solo. Any fast, improv and forget it.....gotta have a shoe.
  • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

    Sun, May 10, 2009 - 10:23 AM
    I wear these if on a smooth surface: www.dancepaws.com/products.html
    and "Kung fu" mary janes if outdoors/rough surface

    They work really well to cushion the ball of the foot, and give some "grip" w/the heel since it's exposed...
    LUV them! :)
    • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

      Sun, May 10, 2009 - 10:28 AM
      also, since the toes are free, they allow you to control spins, etc...

      I've had mine for a few years, and they're holding up great. I have the originals, w/the unpadded sole (all they made at the time) and would be likely to order the padded, just to try it. It really does feel like you're barefoot...

      The only thing I've since learned about my feet is that I wear a 10, which they call an XL, but my feet are thin (as in how "tall" they are as seen from the side) so I prob. would have done better w/the L. There's just a bit more bulk on the sides of my feet (I can't feel it when wearing them)
      Other than that, I've been super happy w/them!
      • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

        Sun, May 10, 2009 - 4:17 PM
        I'm a size 10 too, but the ball of my foot is wider than my heel and I have a high arch. I once also had the Bloch things that look like Dance Paws, but they kept rolling off my foot.....grrrrrrrrrrrr. I wonder if the XL Dance Paws would work......hmmmm.
        Thanks for all the suggestions!

        I DO prefer my toes and heel revealed for control. The only reason I wear shoes at all, is for more slip and padding to protect the ball of my foot. it really hurts me if I don't.
      • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

        Sun, May 10, 2009 - 7:59 PM
        teehee....

        I want some for my paws!!! And they're already here in town according to the vendor page!!!!

        Awesome!!! Thanks for the tip!
        • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

          Wed, May 13, 2009 - 3:51 PM
          Being that I am a tiny bit older and have been standing on cement for lots of years,so my feet have "issues" Several of us in my Troupe do actually, I have a pair of black lace up Aravon shoes that are just not very pretty but have memory foam lining and great arch support with a smooth yet stable sole that works great for most surfaces. My toTroupe mates have found similar styles from other manufacturers, we do often dance on cement for performances and nothing will eat your shoes faster than that.

          Indoors practice many of us use Capezio jazz shoes, especially in areas that only allow dance shoes or bare feet, the articulated soles allow some surprising support and facilitate easy spinning too. The leather is very soft and should be purchased slightly tight as they will stretch and conform to your foot.

          Happy dancing!!
    • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

      Sat, May 16, 2009 - 5:14 PM
      Today I got a great pair of "dance paws" ... except, they're not dance paws. They're made by 'Capezio' and they're called "FootUndeez" and they fit better and are cheaper (dance paws = $35, Capezio's FootUndeez = $20). And I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE them.

      Thanks so much for pointing me at the dance paws. I went to get those, and found these next to them. I'm thrilled :)
      • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

        Sun, May 17, 2009 - 5:01 AM
        I wear FootUndeez for smooth surfaces all the time! They work really great. I have three pairs, cause I couldn't resist buying their leopard-print and tattoo-print, for practice :) I love them.

        I've worn gillies before, had a pair left over from doing Irish dance, but I need a good hard-sole shoe for when you have to dance on concrete. Haven't found one I love yet, though. Just ones that are "pretty good".
      • Re: Which shoes do you wear??

        Tue, May 19, 2009 - 10:31 PM
        Leslie, I haven't tried the FootUndeez because I was afraid they'd roll off because the ball of my foot is wide. Do you have a narrower or wider foot?? Curious, since you LOOOOVVEE them and I have yet to find a pair of dance shoes that I can truly say I love.

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