Help with Shoes

[Danny]

Hallo, I'm Danny. I'm 20 years old, dancing since late June, I dance in Greenwich, Bow and Shadwell in London - nice to meet you all.

I've slowly improved my dancing and am looking into buying dancing shoes. I was told by a friend of mine to go to Drury Lane in Covent Garden as they have dancing shops - say the words 'Ceroc' or 'Modern Jive' and they'd direct me to the appropriate shoes.

I did do this, with one notable exception, the two shop assistants stared back at me blankly and had no clue as to what shoes I'd need.

Since then I've asked friends to tell me the names of the specific type of shoes so that instead of saying what kind of dancing I do, I can just say what kind of shoes I want (which is probably what I should have just done in the first place...whatever). Unfortunately I don't listen forget what they tell me to ask for - anyone here help me out?

[Lost Leader]

Hi Danny,

You could try looking at some of the on-line dance shoe sites as some of these will identify dance shoes that are suitable for modern jive. If you just type "dance shoes" into Google and limit the search to UK sites only it should throw up quite a few sites.

Basically the best shoe to go for is probably one in a trainer style. There are several makes such are Bloch, Rumpf and Freed. Other than that it is largely down to personal taste in terms of style. There are other types of shoe you can use - some quite flashy if that is want you want. Anything with a flat, smooth sole will do the job.

It wont take long to get plenty of advice and tips from the forum folk on this subject so you will soon be an expert and know exactly what to look for - whose next?

[Maxine]

Hi Danny

here is the link to Heavenly dance shoes, you can order on line.
Heavenly Dance Shoes (http://www.heavenlydanceshoes.com/index.html)


I just picked up my sparkly new shoes from there today. Lovely sparkly heels, but you probably are looking for something less girlie I sense. They do men's shoes as well

[Jan in Notts]

Hi Danny, welcome to the forum.:nice:

In addition to what Lost Leader said you could also have a look on ebay - you might recognise some of the shoes your friends recommended, then you can visit those dance shops again with a more accurate idea of what you want. Once at the dance shop try them on for size and then see if you can get a bargain on ebay (lots of dance shoes on there are new) - any money that you save you can put towards more dance nights.

[martingold]

i hate the thought of buying shoes without trying them on first so i wouldnt buy online i have wide feet

due to another thread on here someone mentioned bloch stealths (http://www.dancedepot.co.uk/?p=BLOS&t=shop/itemtemp/large.htm) as an alternative to the chunky blochs worn by a lot of people
I bought a pair and they are now my favourite shoes i also own a pair of freed urban trainers (http://www.zappos.com/n/multi_view.cgi?product_id=7310183&color_id=72&view=multi&ref=multi-pic) which i find are really fast so i cant use them on a fast floor

[Danny]

Thanks for all your replies.

I'm apprehensive about buying clothes online because as martingold wrote; they may not fit. Bloch Stealths look good and are the image of the shoes I had in mind when I originally went to buy them the first time.

Big thanks to everyone. I'll stretch that student loan a little closer to breaking point and hopefully buy myself some shoes soon.

[drathzel]

Hey Ho!!!

I have bought about 4 pairs of shoes on drury lane 3 in Dancia and 1 in Bloch.

In Bloch you need to go down the stairs to the shoe dept and ask one of the nice people for help. Dont worry about saying "ceroc" or "mj" just explain that you are new to dancing and would like to invest in shoes. You are looking to try and shoe and a trainer. Tell them your street size and they will help you. Try both on and have a little walk around. The have a big mirror and a little bit of floor you can practice spinning on (more for the women but men do spin too)

Bloch AFAIK only do leather sole in shoes not suede.

Suede is slightly more flexible and can be brushes up or worn down for certain floor. I like my worn down as it means i can always dance on sticky floors but can brush up slightly if the floor is too fast!(doesnt happen to often)

If you go into dancia and say the same thing and that you are looking for a suede sole they will help you find something.

If anyone talks about heel height (men can get cuban heels which are a little higher than normal) i advise going for something about the same height as your regular shoes, that way they will feel comfortable.

I dont buy shoes online as i like to try them on and i can be an odd size of shoe so i cant always tell if a X will fit.

Hope this helps, if you need anymore pm me and i'll help!

[geoff332]

What you're effectively after are latin shoes - the shops will know what that means. I prefer latin shoes, but a lot of people prefer trainers.

Suede is slightly more flexible and can be brushes up or worn down for certain floor. I like my worn down as it means i can always dance on sticky floors but can brush up slightly if the floor is too fast!(doesnt happen to often)I agree: I always dance in suede soles. They are very fast on almost any floor (and, as drathzel says, you can adjust them to the floor). But if you get suede soles, make sure you get a shoe brush as well. They should know what you mean.

If anyone talks about heel height (men can get cuban heels which are a little higher than normal) i advise going for something about the same height as your regular shoes, that way they will feel comfortable.I prefer cuban heals (they're a little over an inch high, and a lot smaller than a ballroom heel). The cuban heels are really made for latin, where getting your heel down is important to the dance (specifically, you press through your heel to shape your hip in latin). In modern jive, I find that pretty helpful as well. I also find you need a straighter back and better control over your balance and centre of gravity, all of which is good for your dancing.

They are strange to wear the first time (ask a woman about her first time wearing heals. Or a guy, if you know any who wear heels). But they're not too bad and you get used to them; it's not like you're wearing four inch stilettos.

You might also get a choice of material. Most of this is aesthetic. Latin shoes tend to be softer leather, more malleable and generally hugely comfortable. I'd avoid the suede uppers (but that's just taste). I'd avoid getting a hard leather shoe, especially patent leather. They tend to cramp up your feet more and be less comfortable.

I dont buy shoes online as i like to try them on and i can be an odd size of shoe so i cant always tell if a X will fit.For your first pair, definitely go in and try them on (my problem is my feet are wide; so I need to make sure any shoes are wide enough for me). You can get them cheaper on-line, but guys tend to buy one or two pairs, whereas I know women with 20+ pair of dance shoes ... saving a bit on each pair makes more sense when buying volume. I'll probably buy my next pair on-line, for the simple reason that I'll buy identical shoes to the ones that are wearing out.

Finally, take some time to break your shoes in. Wear them for a little when you first get them, before you take them dancing. Then use them on a short night (and take a spare pair with you, just in case).

[tsh]

Don't assume that trainers will be more comfortable than suede shoes. I found trainers wore out quickly as well...

[Lee Bartholomew]

Don't assume that trainers will be more comfortable than suede shoes. I found trainers wore out quickly as well...


And cause bouncing. :na:

[SPROGGS]

And cause bouncing. :na:

Technique causes bounce... it just depends if you like the bouncing style when you dance...

Personally, I prefer to dance in a Latin style shoe with a Cuban stlye heel.

[Andy McGregor]

Technique causes bounce... :yeah:

There is a huge difference between a bounce from the knee and hand-bouncing.

[robd]

I have never worn dance trainers so cannot comment on the merits or otherwise of them. I have occasionally danced MJ in regular trainers but the sole is always too grippy for my tastes.

I had a standard pair of leather men's shoes when I started dancing and these were OK though the sole soon become way too smooth and fast for dancing. I progressed to some patent men's ballroom shoes with suede soles and stuck with these for a year or so before investing in a pair of men's latin shoes with a cuban heel. Despite a few bambi moments these are the only footwear that I now use for dancing, I believe that they do help with my posture when dancing. It's also the case that pretty much every leader whose style I admired also wore that style of shoe so there's definitely a little imitation thing going on there too.

[ant]

Hi Danny

The most important bit of advise I can give is do not listen to any women giving you advise on dance shoes. They all buy loads of pairs and their feet are always killing them because they are more worried what they look like than how comfortable they are.

What ever shoes you buy go and try them on first and make sure they are comfortable.

To begin with I personally would buy the split sole trainer type of shoes. (if I wanted to bit a more daring I have noted that alot of younger dancers wear standard trainers - sometimes with very flashy designs but then have a shoe repairer put dance soles on either the soles only or the soles and heels.)

Some freesytles have shoe sellers attending (such as Seksi and Kingdom of dance) as do weekenders and there is a very good shop in Buckhurst Hill which is in your general area called Supadance, there is also a good shop in Carpenters Park (near Watford) which may be to far for you that I think is called Heavenly, either of which you may find is worth a vist as opposed to Covent Garden. I think they all have websites

I have also been told that it is cheaper to buy Bloch shoes from other retailers as opposed to to their covent garden shop, so do your homework on prices first.

[marcusj]

To begin with I personally would buy the split sole trainer type of shoes. (if I wanted to bit a more daring I have noted that alot of younger dancers wear standard trainers - sometimes with very flashy designs but then have a shoe repairer put dance soles on either the soles only or the soles and heels.)
And some oldies as well.

I bought a pair of Bloch Stealth a few years ago - terrible - since then I have bought two f**k off pairs of Puma trainers and had suede split soles fitted, the first I had done professionally and the second I did myself - they look great and are much more slippy than Bloch's.

For proper shoes I have a pair of Werner Kern which are beauftiful but expensive.

[drathzel]

Hi Danny
The most important bit of advise I can give is do not listen to any women giving you advise on dance shoes. They all buy loads of pairs and their feet are always killing them because they are more worried what they look like than how comfortable they are.


i resent this!!! What a sweeping generalisation!

I have bought very plain non descript shoes and found them really hurting me and found some really pretty ones that fit like a glove.

comfort is top on my list!

[Jan in Notts]

Hi Danny

The most important bit of advise I can give is do not listen to any women giving you advise on dance shoes. They all buy loads of pairs and their feet are always killing them because they are more worried what they look like than how comfortable they are.




:lol::yeah: I took about six pairs of dance shoes with me this weekend and by saturday night had to resort to my very plain black jazz shoes pig ugly but oh soooo comfortable.