What type of dance shoes should you wear?
Let Limbers Dance Discount find them for you!

Dance shoes are an essential ingredient for the dancer.  Finding a proper fitting shoe is always a challenge, and it often takes time.  It is very important that your feet are as comfortable as possible to prevent pain, injury and deformity to the feet.  The goal is to be able to practice as comfortably as possible, for as long as possible.  However, searching for the right shoe is often a very difficult task.  You may need to try several different styles and different manufacturers before you finally find the right fit.

A good place to start in Vancouver is Limbers Dance Discount, Joel and Clara's shoe sponsors.  Limbers has wide variety of shoes available, including Capezio and Freed.  Among these different manufacturers, there is variation in the softness or stiffness of the materials used, the length of the shank, the shape of the toe box, etc...  However, the most important variable is how it fits on your particular foot, and that is unique for each individual. 

For beginners, it’s always good to start with a lower heel height in a nice, soft leather or canvas shoe.  This will allow more comfort for your foot and allow you to have better balance when you’re learning new steps.  For ladies, a 1 and ½ inch ‘coaching shoe’ is a good choice, and for the gentlemen, a 1 inch leather shoe would be appropriate to begin with.

When you become more advanced or decide to compete, you can upgrade to a higher heel height.  Depending on the height of your partner, ladies can buy a 2 or 2 and 1/2 inch heel with a satin finish.  The satin finish always adds a bit of shine and helps to complete the look.

For competitors, tan coloured shoes are often the colour of choice for the ladies.  This is because the tan shoe acts as an extension of your leg, as the colour tends to blend into your skin tone.  You can either buy the tan coloured shoe direct from the manufacturer, or you can buy white satin shoes and dye them to match their specific skin tone (or your tanned competition skin tone).  As an alternative, you can also dye the white satin shoes to match the colour of your costume for a more complete look.  However, make sure you study your own body-type and determine what look would be the most suitable for you.

For more information about Competition Dance Shoes, please visit the Dance Essentials section of the Dance Zone.