Tips for Choosing the Best Ballroom or Latin Shoe
There are a wide variety of dance shoe brands out there. Some great and some not so great, so how do you know which brands to trust?
I have been a Ballroom and Latin dancer my whole life and have danced all over the world in National and World Championships so have a thorough understanding of what makes a good shoe and what makes a bad one!
I also now own a dance school and have seen a variety of off-brand shoes coming into the studio with feedback from my dancers.
There is a surprising amount of technology that can go into Ballroom and Latin Dancing shoes to make them as comfortable as possible and to make them work for you whilst dancing.
For the typical social dancer it would be best to look for a shoe that can be used to dance both Ballroom AND Latin, therefore eliminating the need to change shoes throughout your dancing session.
Reputable Ballroom & Latin Dance Shoe Brands
Ray Rose - great competitive, social and practice shoes. Look for their Sapphire range (blue label) for shoes designed for the social dancer.
International Dance Shoes - great competitive and practice shoes.
Supadance - great competitive, social and practice shoes
DSI - great competitive shoes
Freed - great competitive and social shoes
All these brands should give you fantastic quality however that quality does come at a price (read to the end for how to help this expense).
Teacher/Practice Shoes
Teacher Shoes or Practice Shoes are a great option sought by many for those who find less comfort in your average shoe. They provide a lot of extra stability and comfort and are designed for long periods of dancing (but they can certainly be used even if you’re only dancing a few times a week).
Practice Shoe from Ray Rose
I have no doubt that you will be able to find many cheaper dance shoes on sites such as Amazon and these shoes will work well enough for the short term. Especially if you’re only just getting into dancing and want to watch your wallet…but a fantastic long term option will be one of the above brands.
Cut the cost of your top-quality shoes!
Also good to note to all of Starlight Daning’s dancers, you can get 20% off non-discounted shoes when shopping at Ray Rose using our discount code. Speak to us to find out what that discount code is!
