I have a pair of men's patient ballroom shoes made in China. I have worn them for a year . They still look good and show no sign of wear.

Thank you for the reply.

As I know , Many ballroom shoes from China . the price is attractive and quality is quite well too .
I do not want if there are someone like to buy them and what kind of ways to buy them directly.

My recomendation is to get good shoes. I used very fine when I first got started, and they never lasted more then a month or two. Also, one pair I bought didn't have any protection over the shank, and a student stumbled into me, and I bruised my heel so bad that I coudn't do smooth dances for a week. Now, I buy Celebritys, and I'll never look back.

Wherever you buy your shoes i would very strongly recommend trying them on, rather than mail order. And buy the best quality you can. And buy separate practice shoes since they will help your feet through the many hours of practice.
For what it's worth, i buy my shoes at the big comps (for example blackpool in the UK) where all the manufacturers have their wares. I've found this is by far the best way. And i usually end up with Supadance

phil,

Have you come across "PortDance" shoes.

They contacted us about selling to our students.

I found a couple of messages comparing them to Supadance quality. They're Portuguese so I'm hoping someone has come across them and can comment.

Iris,

phil is giving you good advice. My wife sells shoes from China to her students. The quality is acceptable for beginners who are more socially dance oriented. However, we always make a point of alerting our students to the local store that sells Capezio & SupaDance. Our shoes are lower quality but after tax less than half the cost of Capezio or SupaDance.

Fitting to size is important. We find most of our women take a 1/2 size smaller. I wouldn't order over the Internet.

Someone here (phil was it you???) mentioned Time Dance shoes from China as being excellent quality. However, after looking at their catalogue I'm not sure they manufacture all they sell.

On the off chance you live on Vancouver Island you could check my wife's website (which I've still been too busy to update & complete). However, we do not ship. We want to make sure you have a proper fit.

OB

http://www.dancingdragon52.com

phil,

Here's one link to PortDance comments:

http://www.dancesport.uk.com/shoes/pd/index.htm

My only concern is you never know if these websites have a vested concern.

OB

I would buy the first pair from the studio or a store. To insure you get a pair that work for you and fit. Once you have a size and brand you like, you could search the internet to see if you can get a better deal on your next pair.

www.supadance.com
Best shoes you'll ever wear, good quality, always new styles, and very confortable.Even though they are a little expensive.

backbaydancewear.com carries a very wide selection of shoes, more than most other sites I've seen.

If you buy from the internet, most vendors will let you return the shoes as long as you only wear them on carpet to try them on. Check on the vendor's policy. If you have questions about fit, many online vendors are very helpful over the phone. Buying by mail can be a good option if there's not much selection where you live or you have a hard-to-fit foot.

It can take some trial and error to find the best shoes for your foot. No one brand works for everyone.

Personally, I like Celebrity and Eckse.

I do caution you about getting shoes too tight. Many dance shoe stores will tell you they should be as tight as possible. They should be snug enough that your foot doesn't move inside them, but there should be no pain and your toes should not be so squished that they are bent to the side or that you can't use them in your dancing. You can do some damage to your feet if your toes are bent to the side. Personally, because I don't wear pointed street shoes, I had to go UP a half size in closed, pointed dance shoes to get a good fit. I know other people who have had the same experience.

I wear Amys After 5 brand. They are fully padded from the heel to the toe and unlike other brands I've tried the padding does not flatten out right away so it stays cushioned longer. They are a fairly new brand but I find them to be more comfortable and made of better materials then even the top brands. And they are 1/2 the price of the top brands! (About $70) Plus my balance improved when I started wearing them and they don‘t wear out as fast as other brands. I defiantly recommend giving them a try.