Character shoes

Character shoes are canvas with sole-leather soles. They are named for their use in theatre by actors/actresses performing "in character". They are also used by tap-dancers who attach metal taps to them. Women's versions don't look quite as classy as ballroom shoes, but they're far sturdier. I like the stronger heel, the weight and durability of the sole, the toe room. They take a lot of scuffing and abuse, but I just polish them and keep dancing. My ballroom shoes feel so dainty and fragile, and when they get scuffed or nicked it's painful because they cost so damn much. Although conventional wisdom holds that one should never wear one's dance shoes on the street, I find that leather soles perform BETTER if they've been "seasoned" by a bit of regular street wear. That's the only way they really become like an extension of my feet. Then I make sure to wipe the dance shoes soles well to remove pebbles & dust before setting foot on a nice wooden dance floor. The more you wear a pair of character shoes, the softer they become until they finally feel as comfortable as a pair of slippers! Capezio makes a number of styles of character shoes for men (K-370 is a very comfortable man's shoe) and women, with the women's shoes available in different heel heights and with or w/o straps. Men's character shoes I recently ordered a pair of men's character (or tap) dance shoes which I am _REALLY_ pleased with and I thought I'd share the info. They are: made in USA black, lace-up oxford style thin, soft leather uppers thin, sole-leather soles very flexible, very comfortable available in half sizes available in medium and wide widths built with a metal tang for arch support and best of all, ONLY 36.50 !!!!! (that is not a misprint - $36.50!) These dance shoes are a generic but otherwise identical copy of Capezio #441 shoes which normally sell for $60. They are perfect for night club dancing in those clubs where you wouldn't want to wear "suede" soled dance shoes. In addition, they are fine for street use too, so you can wear them to and from the club, without having to lug around a shoe bag. Best of all they are only $36.50. (And even if you don't dance, these are probably the most comfortable dress shoes you'll find!) Order them from Kinney Dancewear in Indianapolis. Their phone number is 1-800-93-DANCE. The stock number of the shoe described above is K-401. You may bond chrome leather (suede) soles to them, as described in a following section. Women's character shoes My favorite jazz shoes is one that I order out of a catalog. It's called a "flexible character shoe" and has a low heel (tapered, not a clunky-looking "Cuban-style" heel), ankle strap, and a suede sole. They're quite soft, pliable, and comfortable (fit like the proverbial glove). Here's the info: Flexible Character Shoe: All leather, 1 1/2" heel Soft flexible suede sole Ankle strap Medium width only Sizes: Women's 4-10 Colors: 506B Black 506T Tan Price: $37.00 (U.S.) Manufacturer: Danstar Dance Shoes [This manufacture is apparently long gone. See our dance shoes page for a Jazz shoe listing.] The company recommends ordering these dance shoes one size below your street shoe size (the representative on the phone can help to size you correctly). When I slip a pair of Dr. Schole's cushioned insoles inside, I can literally dance all night in these shoes.

Attaching chrome leather (suede) soles

As recommended in "The Ballroom Dance Pack" by world champion Latin dancer Walter Laird, you can bond chrome-tanned leather (suede) soles over the harder, vegetable-tanned canvas leather used on what we normally refer to as "leather-soled shoes". In addition, I have bonded a pair of "suede" soles on to a pair of dance shoes, and am very pleased with the results. Freed brand (made in England) chrome leather (suede) dance shoe soles are available for only $6 a pair from Kinney Dancewear in Indianapolis. Their phone number is 1-800-93-DANCE. They come in white or dyed black. You order them in a man's size 11 or 11 1/2. After you bond them on and the adhesive is dry, trim them to size with a razor blade. I spoke at length with a shoe repairman, and he sold me a tube of the rubberized contact cement that he uses. I tried it, and it works fabulously!! It's *MUCH* easier to use than Shoe Goo, and dries almost instantly as opposed to the 24 hours that Shoe Goo requires. The adhesive is "Barge All Purpose Cement", made by the Quabaug Corp, North Brookfield, MA 01535. The rubberized adhesive "Shoe Goo" was good for gluing on dance shoe soles. They have now come out with "Shoe Goo II" which is thicker and doesn't seem to work as well for this purpose as the original Shoe Goo. Shoe Goo II, distributed by Second Wind Co., Paso Robles, Ca., 93447-2300, can be purchased at Kmart, Wal-Mart, or even hobby and sporting goods stores for approximately $3 a tube. Each 3.7 oz. tube is enough for a couple pairs of jazz shoes. But try to get the Barge All Purpose Cement mentioned above - you'll be much happier. When boding chrome leather (suede) soles onto athletic shoes with very aggressive sole patterns, it helps to grind the tread down before gluing the suede on. I used a 7" disk sander (though a belt sander would work fine) with a 24 grit sanding disk to grind down the tread on the pair of dance shoes I bonded the suede to. Make sure you use very coarse grit sanding disk (or belt) or you will just end up making a lot of heat and melting the rubber. In use, chrome leather (suede) soles glaze over with the dirt and wax they pick up from the floor, so you must occasionally clean them with a wire brush, as you do for regular dance shoes.

Dance Shoes

Before you learn to ballroom dance, you need a good pair of ballroom dance shoes. These are shoes handcrafted by the world’s finest manufacturers.

A pair of ballroom dance shoes boasts of no slip soles with a metal shank on the arch of the foot for added support. These shoes are lightweight and flexible, enduring even the harshest of dance lessons. They can be worn by both amateur and professional dancers of foxtrot, tango, salsa, swing, Latin, and other ballroom dances. Stores that carry a high quality and large selection of ballroom dance shoes are usually online stores that ship the products to any destination for free.

Dance students are major purchasers of ballroom dance shoes. These students need dependable dance shoes to last them through rigorous years of studying this art form. They learn about notation, or the ways of describing human movements through the use of written symbols and abbreviations. They also study about labanotation, a system of notation that makes use of symbols to represent the exact position of each body part. It describes all human movements, ranging from large patterns that move dancers across the stage to the smallest gesture of the dancers’ hands.

Some of these shoes can be purchased at a discounted price from dance shoe outlets that also carry a wide selection of dance accessories and dance clothes at the best prices. Discount dancewear for adults and children are also available in these stores. Men and women, dance individuals, and groups can also purchase great buys from these stores. These stores carry everything for both amateur and professional dancers, from Capezio shoes and tights, to ballet slippers and jazz shoes manufactured by popular brand names.

Learning the five ballroom dances – modern waltz, tango, slow foxtrot, quickstep, and Viennese waltz can be fun and easy when you buy the right pair of ballroom shoes to match your every dancing mood.

Character shoes

Character shoes are canvas with sole-leather soles. They are named for their use in theatre by actors/actresses performing "in character". They are also used by tap-dancers who attach metal taps to them. Women's versions don't look quite as classy as ballroom shoes, but they're far sturdier. I like the stronger heel, the weight and durability of the sole, the toe room. They take a lot of scuffing and abuse, but I just polish them and keep dancing. My ballroom shoes feel so dainty and fragile, and when they get scuffed or nicked it's painful because they cost so damn much. Although conventional wisdom holds that one should never wear one's dance shoes on the street, I find that leather soles perform BETTER if they've been "seasoned" by a bit of regular street wear. That's the only way they really become like an extension of my feet. Then I make sure to wipe the dance shoes soles well to remove pebbles & dust before setting foot on a nice wooden dance floor. The more you wear a pair of character shoes, the softer they become until they finally feel as comfortable as a pair of slippers! Capezio makes a number of styles of character shoes for men (K-370 is a very comfortable man's shoe) and women, with the women's shoes available in different heel heights and with or w/o straps. Men's character shoes I recently ordered a pair of men's character (or tap) dance shoes which I am _REALLY_ pleased with and I thought I'd share the info. They are: made in USA black, lace-up oxford style thin, soft leather uppers thin, sole-leather soles very flexible, very comfortable available in half sizes available in medium and wide widths built with a metal tang for arch support and best of all, ONLY 36.50 !!!!! (that is not a misprint - $36.50!) These dance shoes are a generic but otherwise identical copy of Capezio #441 shoes which normally sell for $60. They are perfect for night club dancing in those clubs where you wouldn't want to wear "suede" soled dance shoes. In addition, they are fine for street use too, so you can wear them to and from the club, without having to lug around a shoe bag. Best of all they are only $36.50. (And even if you don't dance, these are probably the most comfortable dress shoes you'll find!) Order them from Kinney Dancewear in Indianapolis. Their phone number is 1-800-93-DANCE. The stock number of the shoe described above is K-401. You may bond chrome leather (suede) soles to them, as described in a following section. Women's character shoes My favorite jazz shoes is one that I order out of a catalog. It's called a "flexible character shoe" and has a low heel (tapered, not a clunky-looking "Cuban-style" heel), ankle strap, and a suede sole. They're quite soft, pliable, and comfortable (fit like the proverbial glove). Here's the info: Flexible Character Shoe: All leather, 1 1/2" heel Soft flexible suede sole Ankle strap Medium width only Sizes: Women's 4-10 Colors: 506B Black 506T Tan Price: $37.00 (U.S.) Manufacturer: Danstar Dance Shoes [This manufacture is apparently long gone. See our dance shoes page for a Jazz shoe listing.] The company recommends ordering these dance shoes one size below your street shoe size (the representative on the phone can help to size you correctly). When I slip a pair of Dr. Schole's cushioned insoles inside, I can literally dance all night in these shoes.

Character shoes

Character shoes are canvas with sole-leather soles. They are named for their use in theatre by actors/actresses performing "in character". They are also used by tap-dancers who attach metal taps to them. Women's versions don't look quite as classy as ballroom shoes, but they're far sturdier. I like the stronger heel, the weight and durability of the sole, the toe room. They take a lot of scuffing and abuse, but I just polish them and keep dancing. My ballroom shoes feel so dainty and fragile, and when they get scuffed or nicked it's painful because they cost so damn much. Although conventional wisdom holds that one should never wear one's dance shoes on the street, I find that leather soles perform BETTER if they've been "seasoned" by a bit of regular street wear. That's the only way they really become like an extension of my feet. Then I make sure to wipe the dance shoes soles well to remove pebbles & dust before setting foot on a nice wooden dance floor. The more you wear a pair of character shoes, the softer they become until they finally feel as comfortable as a pair of slippers! Capezio makes a number of styles of character shoes for men (K-370 is a very comfortable man's shoe) and women, with the women's shoes available in different heel heights and with or w/o straps. Men's character shoes I recently ordered a pair of men's character (or tap) dance shoes which I am _REALLY_ pleased with and I thought I'd share the info. They are: made in USA black, lace-up oxford style thin, soft leather uppers thin, sole-leather soles very flexible, very comfortable available in half sizes available in medium and wide widths built with a metal tang for arch support and best of all, ONLY 36.50 !!!!! (that is not a misprint - $36.50!) These dance shoes are a generic but otherwise identical copy of Capezio #441 shoes which normally sell for $60. They are perfect for night club dancing in those clubs where you wouldn't want to wear "suede" soled dance shoes. In addition, they are fine for street use too, so you can wear them to and from the club, without having to lug around a shoe bag. Best of all they are only $36.50. (And even if you don't dance, these are probably the most comfortable dress shoes you'll find!) Order them from Kinney Dancewear in Indianapolis. Their phone number is 1-800-93-DANCE. The stock number of the shoe described above is K-401. You may bond chrome leather (suede) soles to them, as described in a following section. Women's character shoes My favorite jazz shoes is one that I order out of a catalog. It's called a "flexible character shoe" and has a low heel (tapered, not a clunky-looking "Cuban-style" heel), ankle strap, and a suede sole. They're quite soft, pliable, and comfortable (fit like the proverbial glove). Here's the info: Flexible Character Shoe: All leather, 1 1/2" heel Soft flexible suede sole Ankle strap Medium width only Sizes: Women's 4-10 Colors: 506B Black 506T Tan Price: $37.00 (U.S.) Manufacturer: Danstar Dance Shoes [This manufacture is apparently long gone. See our dance shoes page for a Jazz shoe listing.] The company recommends ordering these dance shoes one size below your street shoe size (the representative on the phone can help to size you correctly). When I slip a pair of Dr. Schole's cushioned insoles inside, I can literally dance all night in these shoes.