Dance shoe

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A dance shoe is footwear that is specially designed for dancing . In a narrower sense only dance shoes for which are standard dances and Latin dances called dancing shoes because other forms (tap shoes, pointe shoes, etc.) have their own names.

features

In addition to the visual differences, they are characterized by special leather soles , heels tailored to dancing , lightness and high deformability of the shoe itself and occasionally by an unusual, sensational look.

In addition to the customary range of shoes differentiated according to shoe length, dance shoes are often also offered in different shoe widths.
While the lady's personal preference is the only decisive factor for the shape and height of the heel in women's dance shoes, a distinction is made between standard and Latin heels in men's dance shoes. The heel of a dance shoe for standard dances corresponds roughly to that of an ordinary men's low shoe, but that of a dance shoe for Latin American dances is significantly higher. The high heel should support and emphasize the hip movement here.
The outsole must offer the right balance between slippery and grippy. That is why classic indoor dance shoes are soled with an outsole made of chrome-tanned suede (leather soles are usually made of vegetable- tanned leather that is less sensitive to water), which ensures low abrasion and thus a high level of durability. The outsoles are glued to the rest of the shoe bottom. Sewing through is out of the question because the thread cannot be sunk into it in a protected manner due to the thin sole and would therefore quickly rub through. Other sewing techniques are out of the question because they are too time-consuming or would additionally stiffen the floor.
  • Upper material
Depending on the price, the shoe upper consists of a leather lining and an outer material made of leather (smooth leather or nubuck or patent leather ; see below) or - often with women's shoes - made of satin, synthetic leather or velvet, as well as a synthetic fiber fabric (e.g. Cambrelle) as the shoe lining .
  • Deformability
Due to the overall high flexural elasticity of the bottom of dance shoes, the shoe adapts to the respective foot position better than is the case with normal street shoes. There is thus an outwardly visible difference between a foot position with the toes extended and one with the toes drawn up. Especially dance shoes for Latin American dances have this property, which means that the foot technique can be made more appealing.

Dance shoes for the standard dances

  • Women : Mostly open slip-on shoes with heels (pumps) and a usually long joint spring. But there can also be models with separate front and rear caps (deux pieces). The color is usually chosen to match the dress, with light-colored shoes being preferred.
  • Men : Their shape corresponds to classic low shoes (shaft with leaf or derby cut) with 2.5 cm heels. They are always black and usually have a shaft made of patent or smooth leather, rarely made of nubuck. Since a tailcoat is worn in higher dance classes , patent leather shoes are mandatory there.

Dance shoes for Latin American dances

Ladies Latin dance shoe
  • Women : These are sandals with a front part made of straps (or at least a toe opening in the front cap) and an additional heel cap that holds and guides the foot. In addition, the so-called articulated spring (a metal, wooden or plastic rail that reinforces the bottom of the shoe and is embedded in it) is shorter to ensure greater floor flexibility. The color is usually chosen to match the dress, with light-colored shoes being preferred. The heel height in the Latin sector is between 6 and 7.5 cm, in individual cases up to 9 cm.
Men's Latin dance shoe
  • Men : The heel height is between 3.5 and 4.5 cm. The upper is often made of nubuck and occasionally a combination of smooth and suede. The color is chosen to match the other clothing, with black being the rule. Leaf cuts dominate the shaft cut.

Care and preparation

Upper material

The care of the upper material does not differ for the usual types of leather from that for normal shoes. Only materials such as velvet or satin require more complex and special care and are therefore usually only worn to tournaments and not during training. In particular, the light-colored women's shoes made from these upper materials are difficult to clean and keep clean, which is why women's shoes in gold to copper tones are more common, and they also come close to skin tones and can be flexibly combined with different clothing colors.

Outsole

The surface of the suede soles becomes smoother and more slippery over time due to the stress on the (waxed) dance floor and the absorption of dust particles. To counteract this, these soles are occasionally roughened using brushes with curved metal bristles (special wire brushes) and / or dusted with suede brushes. The fine dirt particles caking the leather fibers are removed and the superficial leather fibers are set up, making the sole more grippy again. Since chrome-tanned leather absorbs a lot of liquid, the grip can also be increased by oiling or moistening the sole with water.

Other models

Tap shoes

Dance shoes for tap dance have the same look as ordinary low shoes for men with low heels. Women also wear shoes of this shape, but usually with a narrower cut. The special thing about tap shoes are sole fittings made of metal (American tap dance shoes ) or fiberglass or wood (Irish tap dance shoes ), which are located below the toe of the shoe up to the ball of the foot and on the tread surface of the heel. This produces clacking, castan-like noises during the short dance steps. They enable percussive expression. The metal fittings are also available individually and can be retrofitted to normal low shoes.

Others

Dance sneakers
  • Dance sneakers are sneakers ( sneakers , however) are very similar, have a split between the forefoot and heel sole, so that a maximal stretching of the foot is possible. The outsole material is typical for sports shoes (PU or a thermoplastic rubber) and, depending on the price, synthetic or leather (smooth and / or suede) is used for the upper.
Because of the different requirements for sliding behavior in different types of dance, there are also dance sneakers with the typical dance shoe chrome leather sole or chrome leather trim. Some sneakers are flattened at the top so that a short-term tip stand is possible.
  • Folk dance shoes in different designs and types exist worldwide to match the respective folk costume and culture.

Other use

Due to their properties, dance shoes are also widely used for organ playing . The high degree of adaptability and the cut close to the foot make foot techniques possible that are difficult or impossible to implement with normal shoes.

literature

  • Thom Hecht: Tanzschuhe, in: Annette Hartmann / Monika Woitas (ed.): Das Großes Tanzlexikon, Laaber 2016, p. 615f.


See also