Salsa City Forum » Salsa Music and Dance » Shoes!!

OK, I don’t know your venues but as a teacher when asked about shoes from a beginner I usually ask them if they have something like an old pair of boots with leather bottoms, probably My Era, but that’s what I used when I first started and had no money spare for shoes. Depending on what type of salsa you are dancing, and of course the venue, your footware might vary. If you are dancing cross body there are a lot of turns and you should have shoes with suede or leather bottoms or you may end up causing damage to your knees and ankles. Cuban does not really have this requirment and most turns are walked, bloch trainners are ideal. Any venue which is made available for dancing should be aware that the state of the dance floor is of extreme importance and keep it clean, sounds like a horrid place, think I’ll avoid it.

PAS says ballet shoes (even teacher training shoes) are a no no!!! Without a heel, the average woman uses a different part of the calf muscle than she might be used to with her everyday shoes. Ballet dancers are trained to use a great range of motion and work the muscles accordingly. I, remember I’m not a woman, would think a bit over an inch heel would help most women. Additionally I would probably take a second pair of “comfortable” shoes for later in the evening just to ease the demand on feet. Of course, exercising and extending the range of motion for a woman’s calf is not a bad idea at home as a maintenance program. Unfortunately, many fashionable shoes for women cram the toes, while dancers strive to be able to splay them. Furthermore, wearing heels all the time leads to shortened calf muscle range of motion. Guys are lucky. ..

You’ve put your finger on it, PAS. A heel is necessary to cushion the foot. The human foot evolved for walking on grass and earth and sand, all surfaces with a bit of “give”. Shoes have heels to enable us to walk safely on wood and tile and concrete. They attenuate the continual small shocks that would otherwise damage our bones and joints. Obviously, this is particularly important in a dance like salsa.

Forgive me if I’m being ignorant Hugh but in salsa are we not stepping on to the balls of our feet 99% of the time anyway? So why does it make a difference if we’re wearing heels or not? How is a shoe without a heel going to be more jarring than a suede-soled dance shoe with a heel, if the heel’s never the part that’s hitting the ground?

Hi Hazel

Just in case you still hadn’t decided which shoes to go for... I’ve found my Bloch sneakers really help with turns. Plus, with an added bonus that Andy hates the fact mine are pink! :)

If you’re still stuck on the decision though, I’ve found “Razzle Dazzle Dancewear” on Cowbridge Road in Canton are really helpful and have a good range to choose from.

Good luck!

Elena, the heel certainly does hit the ground (and fairly hard) on (at least) one out of four steps. This adds up.

Cheers Nicola,

I’ll think I’ll have a little look in there, it sounds to me like different things work for different people. I even tried dancing in socks in a lesson the other day (with a good floor!!). I found it quite handy to see where the weight was going as I stepped etc... found I need to adjust slightly.

Thanks to everyone else too, think I might try the ballet shoes idea as well as looking for another pair that suit me, it can’t hurt to vary the muscles we use???

Hazel, xx

Buy what you want. I have a feeling shoe shopping is sort of a “soulful” experience for women in and of itself. Just pay attention to the feedback your body gives you. Pain usually is a signal good or bad.

Muscles need to contract and relax. If you are dancing on the balls of your feet 99% of the time and your heel never lands. Your calves are contracting alot more than relaxing. You’ll have to make up for it in the hot tub with a little massage. Better yet, make that guy with the overly strong lead massage your shoulders at the same time. He owes it to you.

Hugh: mine don’t, unless I’m deliberately doing heel taps for emphasis. (When I tap between steps I normally use the ball of my foot.) What step are you thinking of?

It would not greatly surprise me to find that I’m doing something chronically wrong. But basically I step on the balls of my feet and I was under the impression that the sinking down from ball to heel was what helps to give the bum motion.

“sinking down from ball to heel”

That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t mean your heel hits the floor first (it never does). I mean your heel hits the floor (and could use some protection).

Footwork discussion continues here.