In Part One of our Buyer’s Guide to Womens Ballroom Shoes, we discussed what makes womens ballroom shoes so unique. We also discussed the differences between International Standard shoes and American Smooth shoes, and took a look at the front of the shoe, the toe box.
For Part Two, we are going to break down the heel, the colors, and the fit. Because you will do so much dancing in your ballroom shoes, it’s really important that the fit is just right! Remember, whether you dance International Standard or American Smooth, you will be dancing Heel Pivoting Actions. With such difficult actions, it’s important your shoes fit right!
By the way, for a great video showing many closeups of movement in womens ballroom shoes, watch this tutorial on Heel Turns on our YouTube channel!
Ok, what about the heel height?
We are constantly asked what heel height ladies should get when buying their first pair of womens ballroom shoes. When it comes to answering this question, you must first consider a few things.
Have you worn heels before? Although the heels heights commonly worn for womens ballroom shoes are not unreasonably high, they certainly start to feel that way after a 2 hour practice. If you’ve never worn heels before, or have only worn wide block heels or wedge heels, start with a 2” heel. This will allow you to train your feet properly without too much pain.
Next, what is the height difference between yourself and your partner? Any difference from 0 to 4” inches means staying with a 2” heel. 5-8” height difference will be fine with a 2.5” heel, while anything over an 8” height difference should make you consider using a 3” heel, if you can find it. Many court shoe manufacturers don’t make court shoes with 3” heels because it is asked for so rarely.
As with anything, work up to these heel heights gradually and with a flared heel (more about heel shapes below). You want to avoid jumping immediately to a high, slim heel and end up twisting your ankle or causing other damage. Take your time. The extra 6-12 months you took to properly train your feet will pay huge dividends later on.
How about the shape of the heel?
There are five main shapes to heels that you should be aware of. Quite often, ladies who have never worn heels before like to go for a wedge (aka Cuban) heel or a block heel first. Unless you have foot problems that prevent you from wearing another type of heel, or you dance in the Preteen (Under 12) age category, you should not choose a wedge or block heel. For any competitors dancing in the Preteen division, a block heel is required. Most practice shoes have a block heel as well. Wedge heels are less common and normally seen on the social dancing floor.
Of the three remaining heel shapes, which one you should choose depends in large part on your abilities and the shape of your feet.
Most Common Heel Types
1. Flare Heel. By far the most common, the majority of ladies choose to dance with the flare heel because it makes difficult actions like Heel Pivoting Actions easier. The height of a flare heel ranges from 2” to 3”. Its shape, because it narrows in the middle of the heel and flares out to a wide base, lends the name. If this is your first time wearing a pair of high heel womens ballroom shoes, we recommend starting with a flare heel.
2. Slim Heel. The second most common heel, though far less common than the flare, is the slim heel. A slim heel tapers in to a small tip, giving a much smaller based to dance on. This can make balancing and performing actions such as Heel Pivoting Actions much more difficult. However, if you must wear a short 2” heel because you are the same or similar height as your partner, we recommend the slim heel. With such a short length, the flare heel tends to resemble a wedge heel too much and unfortunately does not look very appealing on the dance floor.
3. Contour Heel. A new addition to the world of womens ballroom shoes, the contour heel is a cross between a flare and a slim heel. The heel remains fairly slim throughout. However, instead of tapering like a slim heel, the contour heel has a very slight flare at the bottom of the heel. This can be a good option for ladies who like the idea of a slim heel but who have yet developed the skills to dance with one. In addition, this can be a good heel for ladies who must dance with a short heel but who can’t or don’t want to dance on a slim heel.
What color should I buy?
Our first answer to this question is, without a hesitation, NUDE! Always, always, always choose flesh or nude color. However, this answer comes with some caveats.
1. Shades of nude.
For a color of satin fabric called “nude”, there is a surprising range of colors. By narrowing down your shoe choices answering the questions above, there is a good chance your choice has been made for you. If not and you find yourself faced with an array of “nude” options, consider your skin tone. Not the skin tone you currently have, but the skin tone of your legs during competition. Some ladies prefer not to tan when dancing International Standard, and so will do fine with a light nude shade. If you dance American Smooth, however, tanning is as much a requirement as in Latin; in this case, you should choose a darker tone of “nude”. And finally, if you dance 10-Dance and will tan quite a lot, or will wear a darker shade of nylons, consider the shade of your legs then. The idea is for the shoe to blend with your leg, creating the illusion of long legs.
2. White shoes.
Many shoe manufacturers offer shoes with undyed satin, or white. This option is a must if your International Standard dress or American Smooth dress is white. An unwritten rule exists amongst competitors that a white dress = white shoes. Nude shoes with a white dress is frowned upon. If you have a pastel colored dress and wish to dye your shoes, you should also buy a white pair. Which brings us to….
3. Dyed-to-match shoes.
Dyeing your womens ballroom shoes to match your dress is only considered appropriate when your dress is mostly of one color and pastel in shade. Pink, mint green, light blue, lavender, pale yellow: all of these are considered safe. If you do wish to go this route, take your shoes to a wedding shop where they dye shoes and supply them with a fabric sample of your dress. They will use the extra fabric clipping to match the dye color so that your shoes match perfectly.
4. Black.
This is a very tricky one. The only time black shoes would be considered appropriate is when your dress is black, and you wear black tights. Remember, your goal is for your legs to look seamless and long. If you choose to wear black shoes, you must wear black tights. Never choose black shoes if black is only the contrast color on your dress. You dress should be completely black. When in doubt, revert to nude shoes. Those are always safe! Unless, of course, your dress is white.
5. Colored soles.
Some shoe manufacturers are offering soles in a variety of colors, such as red or turquoise blue. Our advice? Avoid them. They look funny, the draw the wrong sort of attention, and they quickly begin to look dirty. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Can I rhinestone my shoes?
Many students ask us if they should rhinestone their shoes. Rhinestones on womens ballroom shoes can be a tricky proposition. You need to consider one extremely important thing: rhinestones draw attention to your feet. How well do you dance your feet? Is your footwork correct on every single step? Do you edge your feet nicely? How elegantly do you complete your lines? Is your arch beautiful? How often do you successfully complete a heel turn?
All of these things needs to be considered when determining whether or not to rhinestone your shoes. If you have any doubts about your feet, don’t rhinestone your shoes. You should avoid drawing attention to your feet until your feet are perfectly trained.
Correctly fitting your womens ballroom shoes.
With womens ballroom shoes, the right fit can be difficult. Remember that womens ballroom shoes do not have laces. Therefore, the shoes should feel tight. In fact, we would ere on the side of slightly uncomfortable in the beginning.
The heel should be tight enough that your heel doesn’t slip out of the shoe when going up on your toes. You also want to make sure your foot doesn’t slide around in the heel. If the shoe is loose in the heel and you’re counting on an arch strap, you’ll encounter a nasty surprise when you try a heel pivot and you fall off your heel. Therefore, make sure there is no extra room for movement and slipping.
It’s important that the shoe is not too long. Remember when we discussed the shape of the toe box in Part One? If the toe box is too long, you’re going to develop that ugly “jester shoe” look. Your toes should be less than a finger width from the tip of your shoe. Also check that the toe box is snug around the ball of your foot, but that your toes do not overlap.
Lastly, once the shoes are on, bend your toes as if you’re standing on rélèvé. Check that the sides of the vamp do not flare too much to the sides. While standing on a flat foot, try to insert your finger between your arch and the shoe. If your finger can fit, the shoe is too big.
In the end, womens ballroom shoes are supposed to be snug. Over time, they will stretch out. So if you’re trying to decide between a shoe that allows your foot to wiggle inside, or a shoe that feels slightly too tight, choose the tight one. Your feet with thank you.
Stay tuned for our Buyer’s Guide for Womens Latin Shoes!
We hope this was helpful! If you need help deciding on a great pair of womens ballroom shoes, we suggest Ray Rose Dance Shoes! From England, Ray Rose Dance Shoes are the shoes of choice for Simeon and Kora. Give them a try!
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