One of the most frequent questions people ask right before they start dance lessons is: “What shoes should I wear?” But that question holds an important distinction from the title of this article. Both are relevant and important questions. Let’s start with the answer to the first question:
“Do I need dance shoes?”
If you’re a beginner: NO
…but you do need shoes that are dance-friendly
If you’ve been dancing awhile: MAYBE
…depends on where you go dancing and what your dance goals are
Let’s start with beginners… You absolutely DO NOT need specialty dance shoes in order to start dancing. You do, however, need a shoe that will allow you to step in different directions with minimal complications. Here are some characteristics that a good, dance-able shoe will have:
The shoes encloses your foot. You want a shoe that encloses your foot, front and back, and is not open at the heel like a flip-flop or clog. It is too easy to step out of your shoe; at best, that will flub you up while dancing and, at worst, could cause you to trip, roll your ankle or cause some other type of injury. Back-less shoes work okay in normal life because, mostly, we walk forward. But in dancing, you will also be taking steps backward, sideward, diagonally in all directions, and it is quite easy to step right out of your shoe! Make sure your shoe secures your foot in place, both in the front and in the back. If it’s a sandal with a back strap, that will probably work okay, but I personally do not dance in any shoe that does not have a full heel cap. I do not like how the flat of the heel area flaps against the bottom of my foot as I dance, which happens when the shoe just has a back strap and not a heel cap.
The sole of the shoe is hard. The ideal dance shoe bottom is leather or suede, but more often, the shoes manufactured today have a plastic or rubber bottom. These can be okay for dancing as long as the soles are made of harder plastic or rubber. The shoe needs to be able to pivot, to twist and turn on a dancefloor, and not catch or stick as you move. There is A LOT of variability in the hardness vs. gumminess of shoe soles. Whether it’s a dress shoe or a sneaker, it may be good to dance in, or it may trip you up. Some athletic shoes are designed to grip the ground when you step to add solidity to your actions during sports; but some have a harder sole that is very dance-able. Some dressier shoes have a nice, smooth sole, but others are designed to have traction, like dress boots designed for inclement weather. The best way to “test drive” a shoe for dancing is to stand on a hard floor and rotate your feet like you’re doing the Twist! If the shoes can rotate against a hard floor with your weight centered on the mid-balls of your feet, then it should be fine for dancing. Another test is to slide your foot forward and back, lightly skimming the hard floor, to see if it moves freely or if it catches and sticks.
The shoe is free of extra bulk. Most shoes will have more bulk under your heel than under your toes, and that’s pretty normal. Even specialty dance shoes have at least 1 inch heels (for men’s shoes!), and some women’s varieties have up to 3 inch heels! Choose whatever heel height makes you most comfortable—contrary to popular conception, followers do not need to wear high heels to follow in Ginger Rodgers’ footsteps! My warning against extra bulk does not apply to the heels, but to the front area of your foot and to the overall heft of your shoe. Some people can dance in platform shoes, but the further away your foot gets from the floor, the more precarious a shoe can be. Some platforms are made of a softer, more pliable material that still permits your foot to “perceive” some of the subtleties of the ground you’re walking on, but some platforms are made of a very hard material that disconnects your foot from most ground sensations and will leave you feeling more like you’re walking on stilts. It’s not impossible to dance in platforms, but it will add an extra complication that you will have to account for as you move. You also want to avoid too much extra bulk in other areas of your shoe. There was a trend, recently, in men’s dress shoes, for an elongated tip of the toe. I found that it was more difficult for my students who wore them to do certain movements because the extra shoe length would get in the way during common dance elements. Likewise, larger, heavy shoes, like work boots, are going to make dancing more difficult. Most beginner students are worried about feeling clunky when they are first learning to dance; the heavier and/or bulkier your shoe is, the more it will contribute to a “clod hopper” feeling as you learn your first steps. You will do yourself a big favor on the dance floor if you pick shoes with a slim profile that are not significantly larger or bulkier than your foot itself.
Otherwise, if your shoe meets the above criteria, it will work well for dancing and no need to invest in specialty dance shoes. Wearing dance-friendly street shoes instead of dance shoes has a huge advantage in terms of convenience. You won’t have to tote your dance shoes around wherever you go dancing, and you won’t have to change your shoes when you arrive at a venue. Sometimes, this is no big deal; the majority of people who attend ballroom dance events bring dance shoes and change. At an event designed for hobby dancers at a studio or at a ballroom-sized event hall, most people around you will be changing their shoes and the venue will likely have a logical and safe place to stash your shoe bag for the duration of the event. But this is not always the case. Dance events that happen at clubs, restaurants or bars could be problematic if you need to change your shoes. Sometimes you can get a table, but some establishments frown on dancers taking up table space unless they are ordering a steady supply of food or drinks throughout the night—even if the added expense isn’t a big deal for you, think about it… if you’ve come to dance, then you’re not going to want to spend a lot of time on the sidelines, sitting down to consume your ordered items.
Venues like these, that are not specifically designed with dancing in mind, might also have a dance-floor area that’s bad for dance shoes. Suede-soled specialty dance shoes are delicate creatures! They are fabricated to work on clean floors made of smooth, well-fitted and well-finished hardwood or parquet. But if you’ve ever walked outside after forgetting to change your dance shoes, you know how easy they are to mess up. Even if you just step in a minor splash of liquid next to the studio water-cooler, your suede soles are going to be temporary sticky and un-useable until they dry out and you can brush out the suede. Going to a bar or dance club? The floors are often sticky with spilled drinks, and even when they are cleaned regularly, the cleaning products often leave a residue that can accumulate on your suede shoes.
Even if these floors were freshly and perfectly cleaned with zero-residue products, the floor material might be less than ideal. Polished concrete floors aren’t bad, but painted concrete is common, so are painted wood floors, or wood floors that are not the glassy-smooth lakes you find at dance studios. All of these floors will be rough or sticky on their best days, and dance shoes—for one—will not have any added benefit over street shoes in these circumstances and—more importantly—dance shoes will likely sustain a lot of damage. Outdoor venues are even more treacherous for your specialty dance shoes! Yes, some outdoor venues have wood floors, but weather fluctuations like rain and humidity can cancel out the hardwood advantage. Outdoor dancing is such a treat, but so many places where it happens are murder on dance shoes! Pittsburgh dancers love events hosted on the Mt. Washington overlooks—after all, what could be better than dancing the night away against the backdrop of our sparkling skyline? But the concrete on these overlooks is textured, not smooth—definitely a desired trait for preventing tourists from plummeting to their doom, but not conducive for quick foot pivots. A versatile dancer should be prepared to dance in less-than-ideal dance floor spaces because so many cool dance opportunities show up in life at places that AREN’T carefully controlled dance venues. Dance in the grass at an outdoor concert, dance on the pavement at a neighborhood street festival, dance on pebbled concrete at a garden wedding, dance on the wooden deck slats of a riverside bar & nightclub, dance in the city square at a summer arts festival, dance in your neighbor’s driveway during the annual block party, dance in the rain when a shower breaks out on the patio… you won’t be prepared to do any of that if you insist you can only dance in specialty dance shoes.
I am going to great lengths to convince you that you don’t need dance shoes because I’ve done all these things, I’ve danced at weird fun places in surprising circumstances and experienced the joy of doing so… but I’ve also seen, firsthand, people who spend years taking dance lessons and then refuse to dance if the conditions aren’t “just right.” They get so accustomed to dancing in their dance shoes on a smooth wood floor inside their home studios, and when any dance environment deviates from that norm, they get frustrated and give up! Don’t let your dance world be limited! Make sure you have shoes that will dance you into a wide variety of places, indoors and out, textured and smooth, so that you don’t have to miss out on any dance opportunities that come your way.
Lest anyone believe I have a secret vendetta against dance shoe manufacturers, let me now, take a moment to talk about why you might actually want to invest in dance shoes (just promise me you’ll dance in regular shoes sometimes, too!). If you’ve been learning to dance and are getting serious about this hobby, specialty dance shoes will facilitate the development of certain skills in a way that regular shoes do not.
A suede-soled dance shoe will provide just the right amount of “grip & slip” for your higher-level dancesport pursuits. Leather shoes are okay, but they tend, actually, to be TOO slippery; the suede soles give you a little more control. When you put on your first pair of dance shoes and do a turn, you will probably marvel at how different it feels! Dance shoes are also very light and have that very slim profile we talked about earlier. They are more substantial than a sock, but much lighter and thinner than a street shoe. Suede-soled dance shoes will allow your foot to “feel” the floor in a way that is much more like wearing a leather glove than wearing a regular shoe. If you want to pursue an advanced level of dancesport akin to that required for performing at exhibitions or competitions, then it is essential to get these specialty shoes. Even if you’re just an avid hobbyist, learning to dance in suede-soled dance shoes will help you refine important and subtle aspects of you footwork, turns and rotational movement that will be difficult to pinpoint if you only ever dance in regular shoes.
If you learn to dance in suede-soled shoes, you will ultimately become a better dancer when you GO BACK to dancing in street shoes. In fact, you will be able to select better and more dance-able street shoes after having the experience of dancing on suede soles. It will make you more perceptively sensitive to the movements and sensations you want to be experiencing with certain actions and techniques. You will be better able to perform and adapt these actions in unusual dance floor circumstances… but only if you embrace these unusual dance environments! To be the most versatile dancer, you need the combined experiences of dancing on suede soles AND in street shoes. Make sure you’re ready for every dance floor in your future! If you need assistance picking out shoes for dancing, whether it’s suede dancesport shoes or dance-friendly street shoes, consult your personal lesson teacher. If you don’t have one yet, I am always happy to help. Reach out by email (PittsburghDance@gmail.com) or text (412-712-7131) and I’ll be happy to consult and recommend some shoe styles, both specialty dance shoes and dance-worthy street shoes.
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