Vivaz Dance Shoes Buying Guide

Tango Dance Shoes have higher (3.5 inch) & thinner (like a pencil) stiletto-like heels, generally higher & thinner than all other categories of dance shoes. They are made from unique and high quality fashion designer materials. Often Tango shoes look just like a fashion shoe, Tango shoes are all about the women looking great and feeling even better. They are perfect for women who demand to be noticed on the dance floor. Tango shoes are made with the latest designer fashions in mind, however they still perform at the highest levels when you need to dance all night. Technically they are also suitable for all other dance styles such as Rumba, Samba, Bachata, Kizomba, Zouk, Cha-Cha, Swing, Jive, and Paso Doble (rhythm/latin dance styles). Tango Dance Shoes can be bought with suede leather or regular leather soles (leather is much better wearing on street surfaces) meaning many women will buy them purly to use as a comfortable & fashionable shoe to wear out for dinner & dancing. Tango shoes are also great for parties and going out clubbing & dancing as they are far more supieror in comfort than any fashion shoe you will buy. They should fit snugly. Your big toe should be at the very tip of, if not slightly over, the edge.

With Vivaz Dance Tango shoes you can ditch the uncomfortable, inflexible plastic shoes they sell in the mall and step out with pure luxury that won't let you down no matter how hard or long you dance for!

Are suitable for Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, Zouk, Rumba, Samba (ballroom), Cha-Cha, Swing, Jive, and Paso Doble (rhythm/latin dance styles). Latin dance shoes have higher heels up to 3.5 inches. Latin dance shoes tend to have higher heels than ballroom dance shoes, shifting the dancer's weight onto her toes, which complements specific dance moves in the Latin dance styles. They are usually open toe, and have a strappy appearance. They should fit snugly. Your big toe should be at the very tip of, if not slightly over, the edge. You should always choose a heel height based on what you will feel confident wearing we recommend 2.5 inch if it is your first pair of Latin Dance Shoes. If you are not confident wearing high heels of 2.5 inches or above you can choose a broader lower heel such as the Marissa shoe with a 1.6 inch heel that still maintains a strappy Latin Dance Shoe appearance.

The colour, & type of material used on the upper is personal preference. Men’s Latin Dance Shoes should be a snug fit with your big toe touching (or very close to) the end of the shoe. Most of the men’s shoes are made from leather and can soften and stretch up to 1cm after approx 10 hrs of dancing. You don’t need a thumbs width space for breathing room!

Are suitable for Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, and Tango (smooth/standard dance styles). These dance shoes are mostly fully enclosed and most commonly are Tan, White or Black in colour. The heel size goes up to 2.75 inches. They should fit snugly so as not to fall off. Some styles don’t have a strap to secure the shoe to your foot therefore you may require a clear shoe elastic designed specifically to hold the shoe on.

Technically, ballroom dance shoes can also be worn for salsa, cha cha, rumba, swing, jive, and other latin and smooth dance styles.

Are suitable for Salsa, Bachata, kizomba, Zouk, Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, and Tango (smooth/standard dance styles). These shoes are determined by heel height, 1.0 inch is standard for men’s ballroom shoes. Men’s Ballroom Dance Shoes should be a snug fit with your big toe touching (or very close to) the end of the shoe. Most of the men’s shoes are made from leather and can soften and stretch up to 1cm after approx 10 hrs of dancing. You don’t need a thumbs width space for breathing room!

If you are practicing for a performance or competition the best shoes to practice in are the same or similar style shoes you'll be wearing when you perform or compete. A good option is to have a pair of practice shoes with the same fit and balance as the shoes you will be wearing on the competition floor. Most competition dancers will buy several pairs of the same shoe and cycle through them keeping one pair in good condition for competition, when the shoes become older they will be used for practice and a new pair will be purchased for performance. Vivaz Dance also offers a range of practise shoes specifically designed to be more durable and offer maximum support for practise. These styles have shoe laces and they are available with lower broader 2.2 inch heel to give better stability for the ankle. These shoes are often popular with teachers and dancers who are doing many hours on work on the dance floor. If you are a social dancer we recommend buying a pair of shoes that make you feel confident, are comfortable to wear and most importantly look great with your outfit!

Important feature of Latin & Ballroom Dance Shoes: The best performing sole on a dance shoe is made from suede. A well maintained suede solesgive the perfect amount of traction, especially on the standard wooden ballroom dance floors. Some people will refer to this as a controlled slip. To keep the sole in perfect working condition we recommend using specifically designed dance shoe brush on the suede to prevent the sole of the shoe becoming polished and slippery. This is due to small particles of dirt, moisture and oils on the surface of the dance floor and surrounding areas being absorbed into the porous fibres of the suede. We don’t recommend normal shoes with leather soles as they are often slippery and can lead to injury.

Are suitable for dancing of any style: Jazz, Contemporary, Ballroom Practice, Cheerleading, Line Dancing, Dance Fitness such as Zumba & Jazzercise, Hip Hop, Street & Social Salsa dancing and Pole Dancing. Basically any dance style you can think of. Dance Sneakers are specifically designed for dancing, they are very different and superior in design for dancing then normal running shoes that you can buy from your sport store. Your sneakers should fit firmly around your foot, you don’t require breathing room around the toes. Split sole dance sneakers will stretch in length more than a normal running shoe as they do not have one single sole structure preventing stretching along the length. Dance Sneakers offer maximum Dorsiflexion & Plantarflexion whilst also being supportive under the arch. The sole of the dance sneakers is made from a resin compound that will give the perfect traction also known as controlled slip across the dance floor. This is important to prevent jarring in the knee & hip joint when pivoting, spinning and turning. Dance Sneakers are made from light weight durable textiles specifically engineered to meet the demands of dancers young & old.

What accessories do I require? The most popular accessories to purchase with your dance shoes are heel protectors & a shoe brush. Each item serves a purpose and will generally prolong the life of your dance shoes. The shoe brush as described above is used to maintain the suede sole. Heel protectors are designed to achieve two tasks; Firstly, to protect the heel from wearing out prematurely and secondly to offer some protection from heel gouging damage that can occur on the surface of the dance floor.

Buying Dance Shoes Online at Vivaz Dance is Easy, Fast, Reliable & Secure: The team at Vivaz Dance understand that many people will have concerns about buying products online and we continually strive to provide the best online experience to our customers.