Those dancin’ feet
By Never teh Bride
The ever foot conscious Manolo made a wonderful point in his recent Washington Post column about the attractiveness and comfort of the professional dance shoe. I’ll admit that that I am not as graceful as I’d like to be when wearing high heels. I have wide, rather oddly shaped feet (thanks, dad!) and thus tend to teeter and totter in the most expensive and well made pumps.
Put me in a pair of dance heels, however, and I’ll shimmy circles around you. I do have eleven years of dancing under my belt, but there is more to it than that. Think about it. Dancers need a pair of heels that ensure stability. They need heels that look dainty and graceful yet cushion the feet as they pound and twist on hardwood floors. And they need heels that come in a wide range of colors and dye-friendly materials to match those flashy costumes.
Because the style range is somewhat limited, dance shoes are not for everyone. But if you’re a little unsteady in heels like me but still want to traverse the nuptial aisle in them, consider a white stage or character heel, or a ballroom dance shoe such as the Amanda by Glide. After hours on your feet, you’ll thank me.
July 14th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
I’m suprised everyone doesn’t do this. I ordered dance shoes for my wedding in 1998 and I have a very average foot. The logic of getting shoes made for dancers for the reasons listed in the entry were a no-brainer for me and I’m not a dancer. I think for most women, their wedding and reception is probably the only 5 (or more) hour performance of their lives. I know the only time I sat at my wedding was on the ride to the reception. Maybe bridal shoes are better these days, but when I bought mine, the dancing shoes were much more attractive than the bridal shoes offered.
A bonus of having an average foot was that my local dance studio let me order shoes from their catalog (huge selection of styles with the exact heel hight I wanted) in two sizes so I could pick the one that fit the best. Since they were white, classic, and an average size; they knew they would have no trouble selling the pair I didn’t want.
I recommend this to all the women I encounter that are planning their wedding.
July 14th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
If you’re going to wear heels at your wedding, this is definitely the way I’d suggest doing it. Dance shoes are available even for those of us with hard to fit feet, and the perfect answer for those of us who can fall off our heels even when wearing flats.
The only reason I didn’t get dance shoes for my wedding is that I was married in the woods. Heels would have been impractical. Then again, I did wear dance shoes; my dance ghillies. They looked great and kept me comfortable all day long.
July 14th, 2006 at 10:18 pm
Oh my . . . my comment got erased again
I will write one later but question: Twistie does Irish/Scottish soft shoe?
July 15th, 2006 at 11:14 am
Twistie used to do Scottish Country dance before her knees quit being her friends. It was a lot of fun.
July 15th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
I have a good friend who grew up doing highland dancing, and her calf muscles looked like Superman’s. In a good way. Twistie, you must have legs of steel! (Minus the knees of Satan. And I say that in a spirit of good fellowship, because I possess just such a pair of Satanic knees.)
I’ve done searches for dance shoes before, and they really do make so many fabulous styles & colors. And as my feet join my knees in the Third Ring of Hell, I think I’m gonna get a few pairs, and see if I can actually make it through the night without having to take 4 Advil and sit down for a good cry…
July 15th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Oops…meant to say Third Circle of Hell; but “Ring” has a nice wedding-ring (hah.) to it, doesn’t it?…
July 15th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Hee! Knees of Satan! Jenny, I think you just named my rock band if I ever have one.
July 17th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
To all those with Satanic knees: CosaminDS is apparently good for ‘em. I take it because I get knee pain and am doing all I can not to end up like my mom, who now has a robo-knee!
July 17th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
What a terrific idea! I think I might go with the Helga.
No idea what size I am in dance shoes, though. I range from an 8.5W to a 10M, depending on the manufacturer, the cut of the shoe, the foot (my left is 1/2 size bigger than my right) and the time of day I put them on.
February 5th, 2007 at 12:05 am
I knew as soon as I saw that girls were doing this that it was for me. What a great idea- I”m almost ashamed I didnt’ think of it myself! I did get a bit worried when I chose an ivory dress and couldn’t find an ivory dance shoe anywhere in sight! Thanks for posting this- now I have the ivory shoe in my favorites!