The trouble is, a lot of people do have strangely shaped feet, or undiagnosed foot problems. My advice would be to see a podiatrist if you're having problems with dance shoes, or any other type of shoe. Turned out that my plantar fascitis was in good part due to my pronating my feet due to my high/damaged insteps (that means my ankles roll inwards) and I was provided with orthotics - free on the NHS (sorry Rocky!). If anyone else has this problem and is in south London, get yourself referred to the foot clinic at King's - they are absolutely fantastic.
I have narrow feet with a very high arch, and discovered a couple of years back that the best fit for me tend to be children's shoes, as they are narrower, though I have yet to discover a shoe that completely supports my arch. Nothing throws your balance off more than sliding around
in your dance shoes whilst trying to dance
I was never stable. Of course this limits what's available, but it does mean that they are a lot cheaper since VAT isn't charged on children's shoes, and they tend to go up to a size 6 at least, maybe even a 7. They're particularly good if you want low heels or WCS style shoes, which I tend to favour during the day at dance weekenders and save any heels for the evening. I also have a pair of Bloch dance trainers. The only time they make it out of the wardrobe is to be taken to a dance weekender for daytime wear (not bad if you're doing classes), but the last couple they've sat in the wardrobe there too.
I discovered last year that a certain style of high heeled Bloch shoe (
Yvette) fits, and this is what I've been using for tango, as I need even better balance than for MJ. But it does worry me that this is the only shoe I can use - have two pairs so far, might have to stockpile them too!
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