All footwear is crucial to the success of the sportsperson's performance, and Ballroom footwear is no different. Getting the proper fit of dance footwear is vital to achieving safety, comfort, and a brilliant dance performance.
Dance shoes don’t typically fit the same as ordinary street shoes, so follow this guide to ensure you get a dance shoe that fits your feet perfectly.
Types of Ballroom Shoes
With 9.2 million people tuning in to watch the Strictly Come Dancing Final in 2022, it’s no surprise that the interest in Ballroom continues to flourish. Most don’t know that the types of Ballroom shoes will differ, depending on whether you’re a leader or a follower and the dance style you perform. Keep reading to learn more!
Latin/Rhythm
Leaders and followers wear a higher heel, encouraging a weighted posture over the foot. This shoe allows dancers to put their body weight on the balls of their feet and helps them move their feet in the quick motions desired in Latin dancing.
Typically, the follower’s footwear is open-toed, allowing them to grip the floor when performing rapid moves, and it helps articulate their pointed feet and, thus, overall line.
Standard/Smooth
In Standard and Smooth dance styles, the leaders often sport a half-inch heel reminiscent of a men’s dress shoe. Meanwhile, if you’re a follower, you’ll wear closed-toe shoes - unlike Latin/Rhythm styles - to protect your feet. Why is this? The Standard/Smooth dance style often involves movement backward. Watch your feet!
How Do I Know if My Ballroom Dance Shoes Fit Correctly?
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They’re snug but not uncomfortable
Your toes should reach the end of the shoe or near the end of the shoe. They should be tightly fitted and often smaller than your average street shoe size. In open-toed Latin shoes, your toes should reach the end of the shoe or even go slightly over due to the importance placed on pointed feet in Latin dance styles.
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Your heels sit in the heel cup tightly
While you shouldn’t be uncomfortable or create any pain, the heel must also have a snug fit. You’ll know you’ve chosen the correct footwear if there’s no spare room in the heel - in other words, no gapping.
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The width of the shoe fits snug and comfortable
The width of your feet should fill the width of the shoe nicely. Much like the heel, we don’t want there to be any wiggle room or gapping.
How Do I Know if My Ballroom Dance Shoes Are a Poor Fit?
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Your toes have too much room
Although you may think extra toe room would be more comfortable, it could lead to inaccurate footwork. Inaccurate footwork is one of the essential aspects of dance; what you execute - or don’t execute - in your footwork will affect the movement of the entire body. More than that, it’ll affect your performance!
It’s not just a matter of your toes reaching the end of the shoes; you must ensure the toe box (the space between your toes and the shoe that sits on the top of your foot) also has no spare room. If you can fit your finger between the two areas, your Ballroom footwear is poorly fitted.
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Your footwear has too much excess space at the heel
For open or closed-toe shoes, ensure no gapping between the back of your heel and the material of the shoe. If you have spare room, your foot isn’t adequately supported, resulting in instability and possible injury. It also could result in rubbing and unwanted blisters. Ouch!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Tight Should Ballroom Dance Shoes Be?
Ballroom footwear should fit nicely and snugly. A rule of thumb: the fit should be tight but never hurt when dancing. As with any new shoe, yours may need some wearing in so that you and your feet get used to the feel of the footwear.
Should I Size up or Down for Ballroom Dance Shoes?
It’s always best to go down a size from your regular street shoes. While it might seem like ballroom shoes are no different in size or shape to street shoes, the way you use Ballroom footwear - and the requirements needed to dance comfortably - are quite different from street shoes.
Do Ballroom Shoes Run Small?
No. While Ballroom shoes do require a tighter fit, you generally won’t find an equivalent to street shoe sizes. As a general rule for closed-toe shoes, drop a half size. For open-toe shoes, drop a full size down.
Shop Supadance to Find the Perfect Ballroom Shoes!
At Supadance, we’re passionate about finding you the perfect men’s or women’s Ballroom shoes so you can enjoy your chosen dance style. With so many to choose from, why not find that ideal fit today?