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I’ve recently started doing pointe work in my Irish Dance class. My teacher suggested that I do lots of slow toe walks. I can do that with my practice shoes on, but the difference between them and my dance shoes is great! My dance shoes are very stiff, and my practice shoes are very not. Do you think that pointe shoes would be a helpful medium in this, as a harder practice shoe?

NO! Pointe shoes are constructed very differently and are not made for Irish Step. You definitely could get injured in them. Pointe shoes are meant to "break in" on the shank and arch to your foot. They are not "very stiff" .They are very expensive and don’t last long either. They will not help you one bit. You would be better off getting a pair of Irish step shoes to practice in.

I have recently taken up modern jive and wanted to get some comfortable shoes for dancing in. Most shoes have rubbery soles which makes it difficult to do the turns properly and taking small steps to do the turn looks clumsy. Can anyone suggest a way of making the soles more slippery so I can spin better?

Depending on the floor and the shoes, sometimes making them wet can help making them slippery, but on some shoes they become sticky instead (this is mainly on ballet shoes though!). If you’re finding that you can’t spin in the shoes, you might want to get some new ones with a different sole.
Hope this helps…

My school is doing a musical, and it has a lot of dancing, so what kind of dance shoes should I buy? I just moved so I haven’t done any of their musicals before, and I haven’t taken dance in like 5 years.

It depends of the kind of dance you’re going to perform but if you haven’t dance in a long time and feel like a beginner, I’d say ballerina flats with a split sole would do. Not only they’re very comfortable but they come in many different colors that can suit your outfit. (Be sure to buy the ones made of fabric, so they’ll fit you like a glove)

My girlfriend is looking for some dance shoes since we’ve begun taking ballroom dance lessons. What are some good online stores where she can find good styles?

The best I’ve seen is: http://www.bellafae.com/

They don’t seem to have many selections, but their prices aren’t too expensive and the few styles look good.

Any others you could recommend?

Try www.zappos.com they have all kinds of different shoes & what’s really nice about ordering from there is that they have a wide variety of shoes & sizes. You will almost always find shoes in the size you want. & what’s really nice about Zappos is that they usually ship your shoes to you within a day or 2 after ordering them without any extra cost.

I’ve been ballroom and latin dancing for a number of years, and I’ve always worn my suede soled heels with an arch strap. I’ve seen women wearing dance sneakers recently for ballroom, latin, and social dancing- are these sneakers worth the investment? Do they allow you to move as well as suede soles? And where would I be best to look for such shoes?

(I’m a college student, and I plan on doing a lot of dancing.)

I would not recommend that someone use sneakers for ballroom dancing, the best shoes are Ballroom Dance Shoes. Sneakers usually have rubber, or composite soles and there is a danger if doing spins that they will grab and can cause serious knee damage. The suede shoes, when keep clean with a proper brush, will keep you from slipping (although not as good as a sneaker), and will allow you to spin freely (much better than a sneaker).
I and my wife have been using Ballroom Dance shoes for almost 30 years and they are the best. We also use Jazz Shoes as well, as they provide the suede soles, and can have suede heels or rubber. I have used both with confidence.

I just got a job at a dance retail store and am learning to fit pointe shoes. Through dancing on pointe for 3 years I’ve gained some insight, but I mainly just know what works for me. Does any one have any tips for fitting or could let me know what kind of brand/style works for you and your foot shape? What shoe is your favorite and why? Thanks for your help!

I wear gaynor mindens (sp?) I love them. They are already broken in so they are much better quality than the cheaper kinds and they last a while so you end up saving money!

i spilt soda in my dance bag and it filled my ballroom patent leather heels, the outsides i cleaned with a wet cloth, but the inside smells like soda and will probably become gross. will just soap and water work? or are they ruined?

Just rinse them with cold water quickly - don’t let them soak, and wipe them out with a towel. Let them dry before you wear them again.
Smelling like soda is not a problem, LOL, but the sugar is. You want to rinse out all that sugar. If it was a diet soda - don’t worry about it, just wear it.
Ballroom shoes are more robust then they may seem.

Specifically, I need an Oxford dance shoe with the option to attach taps. I’m in a show choir and had terrible shoes for performance the last 2 years, and I think we’ve been docked points at competitions because of them. I’m a street size 14.5, but I can squeeze into a 13-13.5 wide if need be. I really hope someone can help.

Try Showtime Dance Shoes.

does anyone know where i can buy some black dance shoes? i’m trying out for hte dance team i need those shoes before i can try out! thank you so much!

I’m guessing you need capezeo jazz boots…anyway you can get them cheap at www.discountdance.com you have to order them, it shouldn’t take long to get them though.