Mens Ballroom Dance Shoes - Vivaz Dance (2024)

FAQs

What makes a good men's dance shoe? ›

Dance shoes are made with different materials that make them more flexible. The suede or leather sole also helps to give your foot more freedom to move, while securing your heel. When executing turns, this solid heel helps to provide stability.

The general rule of thumb is ½ size down for any closed toe shoes and a full size down for open toed shoes.

The heel height for Latin and ballroom dance shoes ranges from 1.5" to 3". For beginning dancers, you should choose a heel height that gives you the most comfort. If you are not accustomed to wearing heels, you may want to start with shoes that have a lower heel to start with.

Ballroom dance shoes may have different sizing than regular street shoes, so check the brand's sizing chart. Toe Space - Ensure there's enough room for your toes to move comfortably without feeling cramped or squeezed. Secure Heel Fit - The shoe's heel should snugly hold in place for stability during movements.

The heels of ballroom shoes look like wine goblets. The top of the heel is wide and narrows slightly flaring at the bottom . Usually the heel is a little more than two inches in height. Ballroom heels are sold according to type.

Men's Shoes

Men's Ballroom shoes are similar to men's dress shoes: - closed shoes with low heel and laces. Men's Latin shoes have a slightly higher Cuban heel (block heel). They are designed to keep the weight towards the balls of the feet for easier weight changes. Often you need some time to get used to a Cuban heel.

Male dancers typically wear white or black shoes depending on the color of their socks and/or costume. Ballet shoes are very lightweight and made of leather or canvas. Leather shoes tend to last longer, but are not as popular among intermediate and advanced dancers.

While Ballroom shoes do require a tighter fit, you generally won't find an equivalent to street shoe sizes. As a general rule for closed-toe shoes, drop a half size. For open-toe shoes, drop a full size down.

The Inside of the Shoe

Some dancers use foot liners or wear socks to protect the shoes, but this can alter the fit and is not always comfortable for long hours spent in training.

Do Capezio ballroom shoes run small? ›

They are not wide in toe box and heel. They have good ankle support without being too bulky. They are very light. As most dance shoes companies, the sizing is small, so you need to order at least 1.5 sizes larger than your street shoes.

Regular shoes usually have a rubber-like sole that grips the floor, which can be detrimental to dancers' ankle, knee and hip joints. Engineered to fit tight, the materials of dance shoes are made to stretch and mould around your foot to create a second-skin-like feeling.

Traditional Latin Dance Shoe Design

The shoes are often padded to protect the feet from straining and injuries. The soles are meant to grip the dance floor while the heels are designed for gliding, spinning, and tapping. The male dancers would often wear lace-up dance shoes made from leather with an inch of heel or so.

Generally, we wear our street shoes slightly larger to have some room to be comfortable, which is perfectly acceptable for everyday wear. Since we want our ballroom shoes to be more fitted all around, it is common for us to size down in dance shoes.

Character shoes are worn by both men and women in a variety of performances and dance styles, such as jazz, musicals, folk, ballroom, tap, ballet, theater productions, and even stagecraft.

Men: Tuxedo - black tie w/vest or cumberbund. Dark suit or sport coat with tie is acceptable. Ladies: Ballroom Gowns, long dresses or co*cktail dresses - best not to wear pant suits.

A full ballroom gown is a standard dress for ladies. Basic dress is usually solid colored and quite simple, without patterns, decorations, etc. The dress for ladies is generally a long full gown. Alternatively, a 2-piece combo (shirt and skirt) is suitable for low level competitions.

Latin shoes will usually be open-toed and much more 'strappy' than ballroom. It will be much more like a standard court shoe but with a buckle fastener across the top of the foot. What might be a surprise is that heels may have very different heights across any available range.