Most sports require specialized gear for your feet in addition to equipment — golf, basketball, hockey, sailing — they all require specific and distinct footwear to accompany the equipment needed. However, with ballroom and Latin dancing the shoes ARE the equipment, making them fundamentally important in both construction and fit. For the serious dancer this means having a pair of practice shoes in addition to their Latin or ballroom shoes.
There are many reasons dancers use practice shoes. When we first started selling dance shoes in the eighties, dance teachers and professionals recognized the need to wear something on their feet that was suitable for many hours of practice or instruction. They needed something that would enable them to dance longer. Women wanted something with a lower heel for learning new figures and to ward off foot fatigue, so many started wearing the men’s styles when practicing, which wasn’t ideal. Subsequently, the women’s practice shoe was created, introducing a closed toe style with a lower more stable heel (usually a 1.5″ Cuban heel).
Over the years padding, arch support, and breathable materials, have improved the practice shoe. International Dance Shoes (IDS), and Freed both have more than one style in their catalogue, offering dancers more choice, and IDS began offering men’s dance shoes in breathable fabrics. For women the lower heel reduced the stress on their arches, reducing injuries and preserving their foot health, as many dancers face issues with their feet as they age. Practice shoes allowed dancers to save the wear and tear on their performance shoes, meaning they don’t have to be replaced as frequently.
Dance Sneakers are a newer choice for ballroom dancers and have also grown in popularity, but since they were originally designed for other styles of dance such as Jazz and Hip Hop, it’s important to get a pair of dance sneakers created especially for dancesport. Some dance sneakers for ballroom dancing offer additional flexibility with a split-sole design, something not usually seen in a dance sneaker used for multiple types of dance.
