Shoes

The shoes a dancer wears is very important. The wrong shoes could cause the dancer to be uncomfortable or mess up if their shoes are too big or too small. Dance shoes are suppose to be close fitting and snug to the dancers foot. This enables maximum flexibility and movement for the dancer with out the shoe getting in the way. There's different shoes for every different style of dance. jazz, ballet, hip hop, lyrical, etc. Sometimes the fit and certain style just depends on the person, some are more picky about their shoes than others. But as you get into higher levels of dance, professionally or not, your shoes are more important and matter more to what you're doing than just recreational stuff that you use to do when you were younger. Having the right pair of shoes will help prevent injuries as well as help you perform your best.

jazz shoes are made out of leather or canvas and are either low or high rise styles. They come in slip on or with shoelaces and some have a split sole that allow the dancer to point their toes better. Ballet come two types. Ballet flats and ballet pointe shoes. Ballet shoes have the most history as  you can also read about in my blog post on Tutu's and the history of the tutu and how it evolved. Ballet shoes evolved by dancers wanting to look as weight less as possible. Pointe shoes are worn mostly by women. lyrical dancers often wear half ballet shoes, where half the foot is covered by a leather or canvas material. Although some jazz and pom teams and people wear half ballet's as well. It again, depends on the person or organization. hip hop normally uses a specific type of hip hop shoe which is black and bulky, they look like tennis shoes and have rubber soles with an easy turning bottom. For hip hop most people just wear regular tennis shoes or sneakers as well. Ballroom dancing shoes are very light weight and close fitting to the foot. A thin heal makes it easier to turn on, but a thicker heel provides more stability. it's important to have good traction as well on the soles of the shoes so they don't slip and cause you to fall but too much traction will cause knee injuries. As stated in the website about different types of dance(http://aboutdance.wagnerdanceandmusic.com/different-types-of-dance-shoes/) There are many different types of dance shoes that come in a variety of styles. It's important that you have the right size and fit for your shoes so they are comfortable and provide the most benefit to you.

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