Ballroom Dancing

- How old were you when you learned that ballroom dancing wasn't just baggy pants


A What year did 'So you think you can Dance?" start airing? That show changed my mind about a lot of dances.

- Can anyone recommend a good dance shoe for casual social ballroom dancing?
The venues where I dance are very casual and laid-back, and I usually dance in jeans or crop pants, sometimes a casual skirt. I have been dancing in shoes from the mall, but that's not the greatest option. Any suggestions on a brand, syle, web site?

A It doesn't really matter how casual or how dressy is the social you're attending. You need quality shoes. They are all made resonably pretty, the difference is quality. I recommend closed toe, suede sole social ballroom shoes. Many people go for open toe, too. The exact style doesn't really matter, entirely up to your taste. Just don't get anything that's all straps, that's not very comfortable. The height of the heel is up to you, but don't get anything higher than 2.5", no need to torture your feet. Some shoes come with better padding of the soles than other; you need that feature if you like to dance non-stop for a couple of hours. Some models come with buckled top, which allows you to vary the width of the shoe. This is pretty good feature when you have to buy from internet. There are cheap cheap brands out there, but I found them not as durable, not as comfortable and in some cases bad for your feet. Go for something that's decent quality. Leading brands are Supadance, International, Dance Naturals. Those are professional quality shoes, if you get them on sale - consider yourself lucky. Successful but still pretty cheap are Stephanie and Dance Amo. They are much cheaper, come with steel shank (to support and protect your foot) and with good padding. Capezio is popular too but beware - nothing suede-soled other that Practice shoe is any good. It is best if you can find a local store that carries ballroom shoes. Ballroom shoe needs to be fitting like a glove. It is pretty difficult to guess wich style or brand will fit you better. Here is a few websites where I like to shop for shoes: http://www.featherdanceshoes.com http://www.dancesport.uk.com http://dancevision.com http://www.dance-shop.com/acatalog/Dance_Shop_Dance_Shoes_13.html Please note that some brands come in Italian or British sizes - be sure to use conversion chart. These styles are pretty "safe" to recommend to anyone: http://www.dance-shop.com/acatalog/Dance_Shop_Practice_and_Teaching_Shoes_25.html They are most practical and fit pretty well. But check out featherdanceshoes.com - they have couple of good designs on sale on the front page.