How To Pick Heels For Dance Class?

"How to pick heels for dance class?"

“Where do I get the right dance heels?”

“How do I get the right dance heels”

“What do I need in the perfect shoes to train in heels?”

Do you have the same questions? Well, we got your answers here.

Although dancing in heels has been around for many many years. It started to become more popular recently. However, the market for buying the dance heels has not yet caught up. There are not a lot of brands that are tailored towards dancers or dancers who want to dance in heels. Which is why it's important to know the best way to find the dance heels for heels dancers.

We are giving you Six tips to help you select the best pair of heels for the dance class, that way you can focus less on possibly falling and more on performance and execution.

Tip Number 1: Get A Bootie! 

The First Tip and probably the most important one is to make sure that your heels have ankle support. Especially for beginners! Training in heels, we HIGHLY recommend getting a Bootie!

Because in heels dance, it requires you to pivot and change your weight multiple times within a time frame of anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 seconds. So making sure that you choose the heels that have support around the ankle to help you with stability is incredibly important.

As an advanced dancer, the ankle support can be a little bit less. However, if you are a beginner or if you are just starting to dance. Ankle support is EXTREMELY, extremely important because you have to BUILD the strength in your ankles. So that you can DANCE on top of your heel without hurting yourself. When you're looking for the proper bootie to dance in, you want to think about something that has a lace up, and a zipper on the side. So you can adjust your boots according to your feet with the lace. And once it’s comfortable and secure. You can put it on and take it off with the zipper. Which will be really convenient.

Tip Number 2: Get Open Toe Heels!  

The Second Tip for picking the perfect dance heels is having something with an open toe. When you dance in the shoes that has closed toe, your toes end up getting right on top of each other, and you can't spread them out. You want to be able to spread out your toes, so that you can feel the floor, and have perfect balance on your foot.

Tip Number 3: No Thick Rubber Soles!  

The Third Tip is “Do Not” wear thick rubber soles! Although it sounds like it's gonna help you slip less on the floor. It actually can make you stick to the floor. Oftentimes you're going to be dancing on sprung floors that are either wooden or Marley. Having a rubber shoe can make you stick to the floor more and if that happens then there's more chance of you twisting your ankle. When you're picking dance heels, make sure you pick the heels that have a smooth bottom on them, preferably SUEDE bottom, because it’s soft and bendy. So that you can have more freedom and mobility when you are trying to turn and execute all these extra moves that we like to do in a heels class.

Tip Number 4: No Platform ! 

The Fourth Tip is to NOT wear heels that have a PLATFORM. I know it sounds like a platform can be more stable. But you want to make sure that your shoes have a small thin layer and that is because when you are dancing in heels you want to make sure that your feet can feel the ground underneath. Dancing and learning heel techniques requires that your body have a sense of where it is in space. If you are not able to feel the ground you are more prone to slipping and falling. Heels without platforms also typically are more flexible so that when you are trying to point your feet you can create nice lines instead of having a hunky brick at the end of your leg.

Tip Number 5: No Chunky Heels!  

The Fifth Tip: Do not wear a chunky heel. For stiletto heels. there's not a lot of space in the shoes for you to move around. When you are wearing a chunky heel, it pulls your weight away from the balls of your feet. Being on the balls of your feet is what is required for almost all heels and technical dances. So if you are not on the ball of your foot you can't turn. you can't transfer your weight, and then you are at risk of falling. So making sure that you are picking a heel that is a stiletto. It will remind you to move onto the ball of your foot and it will also train the muscles in your feet to become stronger and your ankles to become stronger.

That is why even though there are shoes that do not have an incredible amount of ankle support. Advanced dancers still can support themselves because they have trained their ankles to stay on the ball of the foot.

In addition to wearing a stiletto heel, you also want to make sure that the height is the perfect height for you. Everyone has a different amount of flexibility in their ankles and their arches. That's what is going to determine how high of a heel you can wear. For advanced dancers/instructors, they would prefer to wear extremely high heels because it allows them to stay on the ball of their feet while also accentuating the curve in their foot.

If you do not have an arched foot then you need to have a lot of ankle strength. That will allow you to support yourself in the high heels. But if you do not have either strong ankles or a high arch or ankle flexibility, then you should probably consider having either a flared heel or a heel that is a little bit shorter. As you develop more strength and the muscles in your ankles then you can go to a higher heel.

So make sure that you have a heel that is a stiletto and isn't going to pull you back away from the ball of your foot. And having a heal that is the right height will not only allow you to dance better but will ensure that you are training the muscles in your feet and in your ankles to reach their optimal ability. This will help you to improve your dancing and help you feel more confident over time.

Tip Number 6: Choose The Right Size! 

The Final Tip is to make sure that your shoes are the right size. And you are probably wondering why would I ever wear the shoes in the wrong size. You actually could be. When dancing in heels, oftentimes if you have an open-toed heel. Your foot is going to slide a little bit in the heel. That is because of the pressure that you are using to execute those dance moves. We have to keep this in mind when we are picking the size of the heels. For example, if you wear a size eight or eight and a half in a street shoe - such as a pair of sneakers that you would wear to the grocery stores. In the dance heels, you might be a size seven or seven and a half. The reason is that you want the heels to hug your ankle extra tight and to avoid slipping which may happen. It is just a general rule of thumb that if you are going to pick heels that are specifically for dancing. You should pick either a half size or a whole size smaller than what you typically wear. It is also important to remember that you're going to be dancing in these heels for a long time and the fabric is eventually going to stretch and shift a bit over time because you are dancing in them. So to account for the extra stretch in the fabric it is also a reason why you should go with at least a half size smaller than your street shoe. Keep this in mind when you are selecting your dance heels. It will make sure that the ones you pick will last you as long as possible.