Our Story
1981-2023
From our start in Kingston, Ontario in 1981 to Toronto today, and all the cities and countries we have visited along the way, we have been honoured to be a part of the dancesport community.
Exceptional Ballroom Dance Shoes
We care about your feet. We believe that dance shoes are a piece of sports equipment like skates, soccer cleats, or golf shoes. Our competition lines are worn by world champions and our social styles meet the same exacting standards.
For decades, Dance Plus has provided Canadian dancers with access to the world’s leading dance shoes, music and more. We have relationships with some of the best brands in our industry — relationships that go back as much as 40 years, enabling us to bring our customers the latest innovation in dance footwear, and the hottest strict time music from Europe. We want dancing to be fun, comfortable, safe, and most of all dance is for everyone. We are a Canadian company with the majority of our customers living in North America. We have been in business since 1981 and we had a store in west Toronto, Canada for over twenty years until 2021, when during the pandemic, our lease was not renewed. We plan to open another retail location soon, as the world starts to feel that dancing is safe again.
We are a family business
We care about your feet. Dance shoes should protect and support your feet, fit like a leather glove, and be so comfortable, you can dance for hours. We want this for all our customers, even if your feet are narrow, wide, different sizes or come with bunions or even orthotics.
Dance Plus was first established in 1981 by Barbara Wilson, born from her own frustration finding good quality dance shoes. While her husband, Ron Wilson had had some ballroom training while a youth in Northern Ireland, Barbara had only been taking lessons for only a few years when she started a small home business suppling shoes to her friends and fellow dancers. Barbara and Ron went on to place in the finals of many important competitions, such as the Canadian Open, Canadian Closed, and La Classique in Quebec. They competed for twenty years and had several top 6 placements and even a few first place wins in both the over 35 level and the open age categories. They danced all over the world including the prestigious Blackpool competition in England. Their children started working for the company when they were young and today Dance Plus is currently managed by Barbara Wilson, Ron Wilson Jr. and Linda Wilson Wall.
Forty years and counting...
We care about your feet, even if they are far away. If you can’t come to us for one of our expert fittings, don’t think you have to wing it. Call us, and we will guide you to the size, style, and heel height that is right for you. We also do virtual fittings on FaceTime and Facebook Messenger, where you can show us your feet and the wear patterns on the bottoms of your current shoes. We are here to help.
Dance Plus reached the 40 year milestone in 2021, and the celebration is still pending. Our family business has been an active contributor to the dance community. Barbara and Ron Wilson were awarded several commendations for their contributions including one from the Ontario Amateur Dancesport Association (OADA). The Wilson family strongly believes in giving back. In addition to sponsoring amateur dancers representing Canada on the world stage, they have organized several sanctioned dance competitions, where the proceeds went to various charities. In addition to purchasing 3 seeing eye dogs, funds were raised for illnesses directly affecting members of the Canadian Dance Community including Breast Cancer, Kidney Disease, Rett Syndrome, and Heart Disease. With your help that is something we hope to continue for many years to come.