Ballroom Dancing Shoes?

dewingedpixie

My planned shoes fell through, but its ok because I felt they wouldnt be formal enough for my dress and the theme of our wedding. Now I'm considering shoes again, luckily I've got 18 months of time on my side for this. I'm leaning towards colored ones to match my bridesmaids rather than ivory to match the dress. Unfortunatly I havent found any other shoes I liked till I started finding ballroom dancing shoes. Does anyone have experience with these? They have a lower heel and a cute strap to keep them on. I'm curious if they will have added supports in them as well because I wasn planning on ordering a shorter heeled shoe with an extra half size to put cushions in them. If they have added cushion for the pushin I may not need to add a half size. My feet dont care for high heels due to joint problems, and my husband to be likes me short, so they will only be about 3 inches tall.

B

Ividian

I used to ballroom dance, the two things with those shoes is that they don't tend to have a lot of padding at the balls of your feet, and the soles are usually suede, so you can't wear them outside. I'm not sure exactly what information you're looking for....

Peavy

If the suede soles are worn outside, it tends to slick down the suede.  That's why dancers don't wear them outside.  But if you're not wearing them strictly for dancing, then they can be worn outside.

gundy21

I had fun colored ones (green slingbacks) for the ceremony and pics and then changed into ballroom dance shoes for the reception.  My feet were happy.  I did take them off before we left since I was planning on using the for dancing after the wedding (and have a few times).

dewingedpixie

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_ballroom-dancing-shoes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:8f688f53-41d0-4386-939a-da6f90e12d95Post:2a7905c9-149a-49d7-817e-b6341ee0aebe">Re: Ballroom Dancing Shoes?</a>:
[QUOTE]I used to ballroom dance, the two things with those shoes is that they don't tend to have a lot of padding at the balls of your feet, and the soles are usually suede, so you can't wear them outside. I'm not sure exactly what information you're looking for....
Posted by Ividian[/QUOTE]

Good to know about the balls of the feet, all of the joints here in my feet are arthritic. I'll make sure to order them with room for pads.

Can the suede be removed by a shoe repair person?

Peavy

You don't need to remove the suede.  Dancers tend to be very particular about their shoes, hence they dont' wear them on a surface other than a dance floor so as not to mar the soles.  I also dance, and have many pairs suede soled shoes, but I'm not fussy and I do wear them outside.

rlavach

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_ballroom-dancing-shoes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:8f688f53-41d0-4386-939a-da6f90e12d95Post:8cc5fef5-47a6-4e91-b5de-7f3cf3b68847">Re: Ballroom Dancing Shoes?</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>You don't need to remove the suede.</strong>  Dancers tend to be very particular about their shoes, hence they dont' wear them on a surface other than a dance floor so as not to mar the soles.  I also dance, and have many pairs suede soled shoes, but I'm not fussy and I do wear them outside.
Posted by Peavy[/QUOTE]
Exactly. If your intention isn't for ballroom, then it doesn't matter. It won't affect how you walk or anything. I have several pairs of ballroom dance heels and never wear them off of the ballroom. It's not the end of the world, but they can be pricey so I don't want to risk damaging them.

JNV825

I have professionally daced int he open latin division since i was 7 and have had millions of pairs of ballroom shoes. Latin shoes are what i'm assuming your thinking, (strappy sandal looking things) where as smooth shoes (for a waltz, fox trot etc) are more your typical closed toe heel. Ballroom shoes can be incredibly comfortable, i completley second what everyone else said about inside outside wear. they also dye amazingly. I have always had my shoes dyed to a nude color  (to appear to elongate the leg) and you might want to consider going that route too!