FEET & SHOE ADVICE


1. HEALTHY TECHNIQUES

Make sure you are using a good & healthy foot technique! There are unhealthy styles, that ruin your feet. And there are healthy ways of transferring your weight (making a step side, forward and back) and positioning your feet.

2. TRAIN YOUR FOOT MUSCLES

Train your foot muscles & your foot and ankle coordination. There are a few very simple excerscises, that will help you prevent pain, injuries and bunions.

3. WEAR GOOD SHOES

I advise ladies that love to dance a couple of (tens of) hours a week to wear comfortable FLAT SHOES in daily life. Only wear heels when you have a job and you can sit all day, if you have to stand and walk a lot, wear flat shoes.

Tango dance shoes should be:

- well fitting, supporting
- genuine leather
- stable around your ankles
- soft on your feet (no pressure points)
- the heel should not be too high
- they should make you happy and make your feet look pretty ;-)

I recommend maximum heel-height for different feet-size for REGULAR USE (that is dancing a whole night, several times a week). Of course, you can also have pairs that are higher, but save them for special occasions. If you dance on them night after night, you will ruin your feet before you ruin your shoes.

size up to 36: heels maximum 6,5 cm

size 37: heels maximum 7 cm

size 38-39: heels maximum 8 cm

size as of 40: heels maximum 9 cm

TRAINING SHOES

To train your muscles and to improve your coordination and flexibility I recommend you to train with flat shoes as well.

There are lots of great DANCE SNEAKERS on the market, ordinary black from regular ballet-brands, but also in different colours and models full of fantasy, from Argentine shoe brands (especially for tango).

If a dance sneaker feels too big on your feet, the Lyrical shoe PEDINI teachers shoe might be a good alternative. The only downside is, that the sole is really thin and it hardly gives support. For some dancers, that is an advantage. An alternative to the Pedini is the Jazz shoe, which gives a bit more support to your foot then the Pedini.

Capezio Pedini Lyrical Teaching Shoe

Capezio E-Series Jazz Oxford