Hi all! I'm just getting started and I've decided to buy my first pair of shoes! Anyway, my teacher recommends Showtime shoes. However, i've found other shoes online that are much less expensive. I know that Showtime shoes are handmade - which raises the price. My teacher said that Showtime shoes would probably last me for ~4 years, whereas shoes that are about $75 would only last me a year. So my question is, do $130 shoes really last longer? And are they worth the extra money? Also, have you heard of the website dance shoes online - if so, what do you think of it? Do you have recommendations for less expensive shoes? Thanks so much for you help!
Sarah

Showtime does not make any shoes. They are simply a vendor. I never heard that any dance shoes last four years. Once I counted how many hours I wore a pair of shoes until I decided to replace them with a new pair. It was seventy six hours. The shoes were made by Supadance. My standard shoes last a lot longer than that , though.

You pay good money for shoes not so that they will last longer but so that they will take care of your feet - which after all can't be replaced.

Satin shoes will wear out faster than leather.

YHi, Sarah -- ou're just beginning to dance. Hopefully you will continue to do so for many years, but perhaps, for one or more reasons, you may not continue for long. So, I suggest that you restraint the spending until you have accumulated a record of engagement with dancing that provides compelling support for what seems to me to be a major purchase.

If you don't already have one or more such pairs of shoes, I suggest buying a pair of "street" shoes that are comfortable, provide good foot support, have a flexible sole, and look good. Such a pair of shoes should work well for dancing, particularly beginning dance. And if you don't continue to dance, you can still get your money's worth from such shoes out on the "street."

Best --

regardless of when you buy your shoes or what price range you go for. do not buy online. not yet any way. you need to go to adance store that sells dance shoes and be properly fitted. dance shoes have to fit differntly than regurar dress shoes. also as for dance shoes online. i bought my frist pair from them, big mistake. i wore them for 3 months. i had open sore on my feet starting from the frist time i danced in them until i got new shoes. i got eskies and love them. after about 2-3 weeks the sores were completely healed. its important that you are fitted properly. and DSOL can not do that, i followed all of their fitting instrustions and ended up with nthign but pain and agony. your frist pair you should buy in person. once you know your brand and size in that brand, you can look for deals online.

If you buy dance shoes, I would recommend buying a quality pair. We both got the cheap ones once. They did not last long and I ended up just using them for our practise sessions, which are about an hour.

If you are a social dancer, key item to getting value out of quality shoes, is finding a shoe repair place that can resole them. Me and my wife have quality shoes and some are on the 4th soles at this time. The quality shoes also hold their size much better, the cheap ones stretched out and required thick socks after a few dances. The quality ones after a about 70 dances, have not strected out at all.

Also buy you first pair in a store or studio, than if you need another pair of the same style, order online if it is less costly. The online discounts are minimal.

Hi Sarah,

My wife and her friend sell their own brand of shoes to their students.

As a home business they can keep prices very low:$67 Canadian Women's $76 Ca. Men's. Don't know where you live but that's about $58 & $66 US.

We always point out to our students that these are entry-level shoes and also give them the names of stores here in Victoria, BC that are higher quality.

Things depend:

If you are just starting out & not sure if you really have the bug yet and money is a concern then our shoes are perfect.

If you've got the bug and are going for it then you won't be satisfied with anything but the best.

I also agree with the others that you shouldn't buy online (unless you're a reseller). It's important to "fit to feel" rather than "fit to size".

OB

Do they have a website?

Dance on,
viki - nyc

Vik,

I'm working on a new website for them now that will give better info and show products.

However, we did have this informational site that I'll be pulling down very soon:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/dancingdragon52/

It's home business and they don't do credit cards.

I'll try to remember to post it when it's recreated.

OB

Welcome to dancing, Sarah! I'm sure you'll love it as much as we do!

Much of the advice you've been given is very good. A couple of comments, though:

It usually takes some trial and error to find the best shoe maker and style for your foot, so it is best to be able to try on several brands.

If you go to a local dance shoe store, ask for advice. But be aware that, especially in stores that sell various kinds of dance shoes, the sales staff may not really know a lot about ballroom. Sometimes shoe store staff tell people that they should buy ballroom shoes so tight they hurt. That's bad advice. They need to be snug enough that your foot doesn't move inside the shoe, but your foot should not be smooshed into an unnatural shape. That will hurt your dancing and, in the long run, damage your feet.

If you don't have any good dance shoe stores near you, most online places will take shoes back if they don't fit, as long as you only wear them on carpet. But don't order online. Call the place and discuss what you need and what your feet are like with the folks at the online store. Two online sites I've had excellent luck with are backbaydancewear.com and toe2toe.com.

The shoe I used as a beginner is the Godiva practice shoe by Elegance which I got from dancehappy.com. It's a good all-purpose shoe and it laces up the front which lets your customize the fit. I wore it for lessons, practice, and it's pretty enough to wear for social dancing, even with a skirt. I even wore it as a newcomer at my first local competition. My pair lasted a pretty long time, too.

Good luck!