I'm sorry in advance if my question is really stupid but I'm just a beginner and some things are still confusing to me. I've been doing lindy hop for almost two months now, all in my sneakers, and decided to buy some dance shoes. I came across this website, dancestore.com, where I see these lovely shoes,
and the description states clearly "Great for Lindy Hop". But ouch, these are expensive! I would rather buy these mary janes,
but unfortunately they only say "perfect for Swing, Balboa, Blues, or Ballroom dancing". No Lindy Hop. And the heel is a little higher. But then, our instructor has similar shoes. But then, I'm definitely don't do lindy hop as well as her. Please help me, will these be good for a beginner?
And then, my husband tries to convince me to get these sneakers instead.
They don't seem to have any heel at all. Are they gonna be comfortable? And is it the heel I should look at anyway, or something else?
Originally posted Friday, July 23, 2010 (1 year ago)
Check out yonder thread, in which an oh-my-God-sexy guy named Matthew provided this spectacular advice:
Quoted from Matthew I visited Wal-Mart and bought a pair of "board" shoes (wide, comfy, and with a smooth, flat sole), two pieces of suede, some coarse sandpaper, and some industrial-strength glue. Total cost: about 25.00. The finished product is pure joy! Super-comfy, great balance, slick sole, and they look like normal shoes. I just re-sueded the soles, and the things are like new. I think this is a great way to go - custom shoes, cheap!
Originally posted Friday, July 23, 2010 (1 year ago)
The heel isn't as important as the sole, which should be suede or some other form of leather -- that will help your feet not stick to the floor when you try to move or turn. I wear heels in Real Life, but dance mostly in sneakers with leather bottoms, although I do have some Dancestore wedge heels. Both feel fine to me. Heel height seems to be more of a personal choice issue, although most people just starting out tend to wear mostly sneakers and only branch out into the higher heels (2" or higher) when they are a little more experienced, or when they become balboa nuts. ;-) At least that's the sense I've gotten.
Basically, all 3 pairs will be fine. The sneakers are a good default choice.
Potential warning: I bought the Spectator MJs as a gift for my best friend, and they do run pretty wide.
Originally posted Friday, July 23, 2010 (1 year ago)
I've had all three shoes, over the years.
The first, I had the old version and I think they've changed, as before they had no heal. But they were great and I loved em. They stretched out too much, though, so unless you have very wide feet they probably aren't the best choice, although pretty good, especially if you don't want 'real' heels and want something cute with a dress.
The second are my main dance shoes right now and they are a disaster. The buttons don't stay on so I have them held together with safety pins. the heel isn't a problem (and I suck with heels), except that it is so soft that it kind of squishes down after a while which is weird.
The third were the most comfortable, all around best dance shoes I ever had, and they lasted the longest. I would get them, as they will CERTAINLY do you well.
Also, be warned: While many, or even most, dancers use this brand of shoes, they aren't known for their durability and will often fall apart after a while. But then again, you are using them hard probably, so it makes sense. But that is a good reason to go with lower priced shoes that they carry like the sneaker since they won't stay in great shape for long.
Aw I miss my dance sneakers. If only I lived in a place where there was dancing to warrent the excuse to buy another pair....
follow my adventures at www.AppalachianToAlpine.blogspot.com!
Originally posted Friday, July 23, 2010 (1 year ago)
Most "dance shoes" really aren't all that special. Most of the time the formula they use is something like this:
1) Gather a list of the basic needs of a dance shoe: Sole that gives such as suede or similar, flexible, light, breathable, narrow welt, securely stays on, etc.
2) Design a reasonable looking shoe using #1's list, with an emphasis on being cheap to manufacture.
3) Ship the design off to Mexico, China, India, basically some place that can produce them for pennies.
4) Sell them at a premium as specialized "dance shoes".
Most of them are of remarkably low quality, even the most well known brands. -They aren't junk, but can't be called "good". For example the Aris Allen mens' cap toe shoe runs about $80 and frankly is about the build quality of a non-dance cap toe dress shoe you'd find for around $50-$60 (which is dirt cheap for a dress shoe, and you get what you pay for). The problem is finding a (cheap) normal shoe with the particular list of qualities you'd want in a dance shoe, which justifies the ~$25 premium. That's assuming you want to go the "dress" shoe style route...street/sneakers work great too for far less.
For social dances the footwear required just isn't that specialized, it's not like we're wearing ballet pointe shoes after all. These are vernacular dances that evolved from the street and from the common clothing that's normally worn.
A $20 pair of Vans or Converse with $5 suede/glue makes for a surprisingly good dance shoe for either leads or follows.
The sole means more then anything else. -If the shoe sticks to the floor it'll damage your knees and/or give you blisters. Suede leather and Barge contact cement is cheap ($5/pair), easy to work with, and can turn nearly any comfortable "real" shoe into a practical "dance" shoe in 20 mins. If you have a cobbler do it they shouldn't charge more then $20 (if they do, go elsewhere, or do it yourself).
I strongly encourage people to convert normal shoes rather then buy "dance" shoes. You'll get more quality for your money and have many more options in both fit and style. Heck, I think currently $25 Keds are now probably the most popular shoe for both leads and follows at the high end of Lindy competitions....I'm not even sure they bother suedeing them.
Originally posted Friday, July 23, 2010 (1 year ago)
Edited on Friday, July 23, 2010 6:31 pm (1 year ago)
Thank you guys for all your comments! Thanks to your input we decided to go for the sneakers, both me and my husband. Sexy Matthew :), thanks for the advice, I just still am not confident enough to make my own dancing shoes. The thread you suggested to my reading though is so interesting, so much new information -- wow! Thanks!
Zenin, just saw your comment and almost decided not to buy :), but no, I still don't feel confident enough. Next shoes... more experience... then I'll give it a try. Thank you for your detailed answer!
It's all good. I still dance in my black AA cap toes, if only because I haven't found a pair I like enough to replace them yet. ;-) And a lot of what I now know to keep an eye out for I learned from owning this old pair of Aris Allens.
Those Aris Allen sneakers you're getting are actually a bit of an anomaly as they are rather unique. They are extremely light weight, amazingly so. I swear they don't weight more then my socks...far less then any "real" shoe I've seen. Despite weighting so little they seem to be made pretty well, dance well, and hold up over time.
Originally posted Friday, July 23, 2010 (1 year ago)
I guess you found your answer for now but for others reading I'll offer one more option. For around $30 to $40 you can get bowling shoes. The cheaper and medium priced ones already have leather on the sole so you are good to go. (The expensive ones only are slippery on one of the two shoes). You also have more choice in colors than you do with lower priced sneakers. As the heels are rubber you can't do heel slides in them but you can't have everything. If Walmart isn't selling a suitable bowling shoe in a given year, go to the pro shop at a bowling alley.
Originally posted Saturday, July 24, 2010 (1 year ago)
I know you've chosen the sneakers, but just to add another suggestion should you ever need to buy another pair of dance shoes (which you will): I've been dancing in Keds for about 5 years now and they're probably the best shoes I've ever danced in: durable, comfy, and after a few dances the soles have worn down just enough to be smooth, but not so much I can't stand up on a slick floor. If you ever need a cheap pair of dance shoes in a hurry, I'd strongly recommend the Keds route.
Originally posted Saturday, July 24, 2010 (1 year ago)
I found my Keds to be a bit stickier than I'd like on a polished wood floor, but they were perfect for dancing outdoors -- especially on a sandy surface! (Kinda like sprinking cornmeal on the dance floor.) I danced in mine until the heels wore down to the padding underneath. sigh
Originally posted Tuesday, August 3, 2010 (1 year ago)
So, the sneakers finally arrived today. They ARE extremely lightweight, when I lifted the package I couldn't believe it actually contained two pairs of shoes! However, now I'm unsure about the proper fit. My husband's are pretty snug, but he says he'll keep them because they'll surely become looser. Mine are also snug, but I do have some extra room in the toes and am now unsure -- should I go for a smaller size? Should I just keep these? (I surely would love to keep these and take them dancing this week instead of keeping on waiting and wasting extra money on shipping... but is it wise?)
Decisions, decisions...
thank you for all your help guys!
Originally posted Tuesday, August 3, 2010 (1 year ago)
They should be pretty snug; if they have room to move around too much you'll get blisters. Dancing shoes are generally a little tighter than 'normal' shoes, from what I know.
If you don't think they fit right, exchange them. They will usually stretch to fit the shape of your foot.
follow my adventures at www.AppalachianToAlpine.blogspot.com!
I''m curious why you'd say no to split sole shoes. I have a pair of dance sneakers with split soles and they are the most comfortable, supportive pair of shoes that I dance with?
Originally posted Tuesday, August 3, 2010 (1 year ago)
Re: shoes. I am a huge believer that dance shoes should feel good immediately. My feet break long before the shoes "break-in".
Snug is good if comfortable. Changing socks can make a big difference. But my feet generally swell a bit after dancing for awhile... the shoes don't usually feel looser over the course of a dance.
The leather/fabric stretching out is another story that happens over time, so the shoes shouldn't lace to their tightest when you first get them.
Originally posted Wednesday, August 4, 2010 (1 year ago)
My 2 cents:
I do blues, balboa, and lindy. For balboa, I prefer heels but can do flats; for blues, I must have flats; for Lindy, I much prefer flats as you can put some weight on your heels if you need to. I also find it's hard to do swivels in heels, and also hand-to-hand Charleston, but perhaps that's just me. Of course, if you're doing aerials, you probably want flat shoes so you can be sure of a safe landing.
For Lindy, I got a pair of suede Pumas because they were the most comfortable shoes I could find. I never had to break them in. They fit like a glove. I tried on tennis style shoes, but they felt very flat on the bottom, without much support. I went to a shoe repair shop and asked them to glue the hardest, slickest leather they could find on the bottoms of my Pumas. Two years later, I still have perfectly fitting, comfortable, slick shoes that I have danced in on concrete and wood. They always fit because they lace up - so on hot days, I lace looser, and on cool days, tighter. I usually only wear a thin sock with them as they fit perfectly that way. I've even worn them without socks when I forgot them, and didn't get any blisters. They were around $90 but I expect themn to last another 2 years at least - so that's $23/year. And my feet never hurt.
So for Lindy, I recommend the most comfortable, adjustable fit (laced) flat shoe you can find, and have hard leather put on the bottom.
As for dance sneakers, I won't even try them on as in my opinion, they are hideously ugly.
*****************************
Hot rhythm stimulates me!
*****************************
Originally posted Thursday, August 5, 2010 (1 year ago)
I just take the most comfortable running shoes I can find, and have my local shoemaker put chrome suede half soles on them. He charged $12 last time. The result is the ideal combination of comfort, cushioning, durability and danceability.
Originally posted Thursday, August 12, 2010 (1 year ago)
So, today I finally took my new shoes out dancing (I could do it last week... just didn't realize that they didn't make half sizes, and ordering a whole size smaller seemed like too much). It was... it was so great! I didn't even notice them on my feet and danced harder than ever before, but I'm so much less sore now. My legs feel tired, but they don't actually hurt. I'm in love with my new dance shoes :). It was a good investment, and again, thanks a lot for all of your wonderful advise!
Choosing Lindy Hop shoes
Hello fellow dancers.
I'm sorry in advance if my question is really stupid but I'm just a beginner and some things are still confusing to me. I've been doing lindy hop for almost two months now, all in my sneakers, and decided to buy some dance shoes. I came across this website, dancestore.com, where I see these lovely shoes,
and the description states clearly "Great for Lindy Hop". But ouch, these are expensive! I would rather buy these mary janes,
but unfortunately they only say "perfect for Swing, Balboa, Blues, or Ballroom dancing". No Lindy Hop. And the heel is a little higher. But then, our instructor has similar shoes. But then, I'm definitely don't do lindy hop as well as her. Please help me, will these be good for a beginner?
And then, my husband tries to convince me to get these sneakers instead.
They don't seem to have any heel at all. Are they gonna be comfortable? And is it the heel I should look at anyway, or something else?
Thank you, guys!
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(18 items total, 30 per page)
Check out yonder thread, in which an oh-my-God-sexy guy named Matthew provided this spectacular advice:
all of those look fine dpending on your taste. Only the heeled shoes will be good for balboa. FYI no difference in shoe type for swing and lindyhop.
The heel isn't as important as the sole, which should be suede or some other form of leather -- that will help your feet not stick to the floor when you try to move or turn. I wear heels in Real Life, but dance mostly in sneakers with leather bottoms, although I do have some Dancestore wedge heels. Both feel fine to me. Heel height seems to be more of a personal choice issue, although most people just starting out tend to wear mostly sneakers and only branch out into the higher heels (2" or higher) when they are a little more experienced, or when they become balboa nuts. ;-) At least that's the sense I've gotten.
Basically, all 3 pairs will be fine. The sneakers are a good default choice.
Potential warning: I bought the Spectator MJs as a gift for my best friend, and they do run pretty wide.
I've had all three shoes, over the years.
The first, I had the old version and I think they've changed, as before they had no heal. But they were great and I loved em. They stretched out too much, though, so unless you have very wide feet they probably aren't the best choice, although pretty good, especially if you don't want 'real' heels and want something cute with a dress.
The second are my main dance shoes right now and they are a disaster. The buttons don't stay on so I have them held together with safety pins. the heel isn't a problem (and I suck with heels), except that it is so soft that it kind of squishes down after a while which is weird.
The third were the most comfortable, all around best dance shoes I ever had, and they lasted the longest. I would get them, as they will CERTAINLY do you well.
Also, be warned: While many, or even most, dancers use this brand of shoes, they aren't known for their durability and will often fall apart after a while. But then again, you are using them hard probably, so it makes sense. But that is a good reason to go with lower priced shoes that they carry like the sneaker since they won't stay in great shape for long.
Aw I miss my dance sneakers. If only I lived in a place where there was dancing to warrent the excuse to buy another pair....
follow my adventures at www.AppalachianToAlpine.blogspot.com!
Most "dance shoes" really aren't all that special. Most of the time the formula they use is something like this: 1) Gather a list of the basic needs of a dance shoe: Sole that gives such as suede or similar, flexible, light, breathable, narrow welt, securely stays on, etc. 2) Design a reasonable looking shoe using #1's list, with an emphasis on being cheap to manufacture. 3) Ship the design off to Mexico, China, India, basically some place that can produce them for pennies. 4) Sell them at a premium as specialized "dance shoes".
Most of them are of remarkably low quality, even the most well known brands. -They aren't junk, but can't be called "good". For example the Aris Allen mens' cap toe shoe runs about $80 and frankly is about the build quality of a non-dance cap toe dress shoe you'd find for around $50-$60 (which is dirt cheap for a dress shoe, and you get what you pay for). The problem is finding a (cheap) normal shoe with the particular list of qualities you'd want in a dance shoe, which justifies the ~$25 premium. That's assuming you want to go the "dress" shoe style route...street/sneakers work great too for far less.
For social dances the footwear required just isn't that specialized, it's not like we're wearing ballet pointe shoes after all. These are vernacular dances that evolved from the street and from the common clothing that's normally worn.
A $20 pair of Vans or Converse with $5 suede/glue makes for a surprisingly good dance shoe for either leads or follows.
The sole means more then anything else. -If the shoe sticks to the floor it'll damage your knees and/or give you blisters. Suede leather and Barge contact cement is cheap ($5/pair), easy to work with, and can turn nearly any comfortable "real" shoe into a practical "dance" shoe in 20 mins. If you have a cobbler do it they shouldn't charge more then $20 (if they do, go elsewhere, or do it yourself).
I strongly encourage people to convert normal shoes rather then buy "dance" shoes. You'll get more quality for your money and have many more options in both fit and style. Heck, I think currently $25 Keds are now probably the most popular shoe for both leads and follows at the high end of Lindy competitions....I'm not even sure they bother suedeing them.
Thank you guys for all your comments! Thanks to your input we decided to go for the sneakers, both me and my husband. Sexy Matthew :), thanks for the advice, I just still am not confident enough to make my own dancing shoes. The thread you suggested to my reading though is so interesting, so much new information -- wow! Thanks!
Zenin, just saw your comment and almost decided not to buy :), but no, I still don't feel confident enough. Next shoes... more experience... then I'll give it a try. Thank you for your detailed answer!
It's all good. I still dance in my black AA cap toes, if only because I haven't found a pair I like enough to replace them yet. ;-) And a lot of what I now know to keep an eye out for I learned from owning this old pair of Aris Allens.
Those Aris Allen sneakers you're getting are actually a bit of an anomaly as they are rather unique. They are extremely light weight, amazingly so. I swear they don't weight more then my socks...far less then any "real" shoe I've seen. Despite weighting so little they seem to be made pretty well, dance well, and hold up over time.
I guess you found your answer for now but for others reading I'll offer one more option. For around $30 to $40 you can get bowling shoes. The cheaper and medium priced ones already have leather on the sole so you are good to go. (The expensive ones only are slippery on one of the two shoes). You also have more choice in colors than you do with lower priced sneakers. As the heels are rubber you can't do heel slides in them but you can't have everything. If Walmart isn't selling a suitable bowling shoe in a given year, go to the pro shop at a bowling alley.
good luck, dancingmouse! Tell us how it goes!
(Whatever you do, don't get split sole shoes. Those were never good for lindy hop, but were an unfortunate fad for a season.)
Awesome Dance Movies • Teaching Teens to Charleston is Awesome
I know you've chosen the sneakers, but just to add another suggestion should you ever need to buy another pair of dance shoes (which you will): I've been dancing in Keds for about 5 years now and they're probably the best shoes I've ever danced in: durable, comfy, and after a few dances the soles have worn down just enough to be smooth, but not so much I can't stand up on a slick floor. If you ever need a cheap pair of dance shoes in a hurry, I'd strongly recommend the Keds route.
I found my Keds to be a bit stickier than I'd like on a polished wood floor, but they were perfect for dancing outdoors -- especially on a sandy surface! (Kinda like sprinking cornmeal on the dance floor.) I danced in mine until the heels wore down to the padding underneath. sigh
So, the sneakers finally arrived today. They ARE extremely lightweight, when I lifted the package I couldn't believe it actually contained two pairs of shoes! However, now I'm unsure about the proper fit. My husband's are pretty snug, but he says he'll keep them because they'll surely become looser. Mine are also snug, but I do have some extra room in the toes and am now unsure -- should I go for a smaller size? Should I just keep these? (I surely would love to keep these and take them dancing this week instead of keeping on waiting and wasting extra money on shipping... but is it wise?) Decisions, decisions... thank you for all your help guys!
They should be pretty snug; if they have room to move around too much you'll get blisters. Dancing shoes are generally a little tighter than 'normal' shoes, from what I know.
If you don't think they fit right, exchange them. They will usually stretch to fit the shape of your foot.
follow my adventures at www.AppalachianToAlpine.blogspot.com!
Rik,
I''m curious why you'd say no to split sole shoes. I have a pair of dance sneakers with split soles and they are the most comfortable, supportive pair of shoes that I dance with?
Eileen
Re: shoes. I am a huge believer that dance shoes should feel good immediately. My feet break long before the shoes "break-in".
Snug is good if comfortable. Changing socks can make a big difference. But my feet generally swell a bit after dancing for awhile... the shoes don't usually feel looser over the course of a dance.
The leather/fabric stretching out is another story that happens over time, so the shoes shouldn't lace to their tightest when you first get them.
My 2 cents: I do blues, balboa, and lindy. For balboa, I prefer heels but can do flats; for blues, I must have flats; for Lindy, I much prefer flats as you can put some weight on your heels if you need to. I also find it's hard to do swivels in heels, and also hand-to-hand Charleston, but perhaps that's just me. Of course, if you're doing aerials, you probably want flat shoes so you can be sure of a safe landing.
For Lindy, I got a pair of suede Pumas because they were the most comfortable shoes I could find. I never had to break them in. They fit like a glove. I tried on tennis style shoes, but they felt very flat on the bottom, without much support. I went to a shoe repair shop and asked them to glue the hardest, slickest leather they could find on the bottoms of my Pumas. Two years later, I still have perfectly fitting, comfortable, slick shoes that I have danced in on concrete and wood. They always fit because they lace up - so on hot days, I lace looser, and on cool days, tighter. I usually only wear a thin sock with them as they fit perfectly that way. I've even worn them without socks when I forgot them, and didn't get any blisters. They were around $90 but I expect themn to last another 2 years at least - so that's $23/year. And my feet never hurt.
So for Lindy, I recommend the most comfortable, adjustable fit (laced) flat shoe you can find, and have hard leather put on the bottom.
As for dance sneakers, I won't even try them on as in my opinion, they are hideously ugly.
***************************** Hot rhythm stimulates me! *****************************
I just take the most comfortable running shoes I can find, and have my local shoemaker put chrome suede half soles on them. He charged $12 last time. The result is the ideal combination of comfort, cushioning, durability and danceability.
So, today I finally took my new shoes out dancing (I could do it last week... just didn't realize that they didn't make half sizes, and ordering a whole size smaller seemed like too much). It was... it was so great! I didn't even notice them on my feet and danced harder than ever before, but I'm so much less sore now. My legs feel tired, but they don't actually hurt. I'm in love with my new dance shoes :). It was a good investment, and again, thanks a lot for all of your wonderful advise!
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