Why are dance shoes so expensive? - Dance Saturday

Hello everybody and welcome back to another blog post, 

If you're a dancer, you'll understand how pricey dance shoes can get. In any style of dance really: ballet, jazz, tap, and street, the shoes you'll need are expensive. My black dance trainers that I use for street, cost around £30 and my  black dance shoes that I use for ballroom and Latin cost around £50. The previous pair of ballroom shoes that I wore when I started classes were sparkly, silver Freed's and although they were definitely really pretty, they were also really expensive and cost around £40-£50 so there is no doubt that dance shoes can make you spill your money a bit. 

However, there is often a reason for this and hopefully you'll find the right pairs of shoes for you, that will fit your price range as best as possible.

The other day, I was watching a video made by Freed of London, on how they make their dance shoes. All I can say is, the whole procedure is incredibly extensive. 

Unlike other dance shoe brands, Freed of London has individual makers working in their factories, to make shoes for dancers. They are handmade and for professional ballerinas across the world, they can also be customisable to suit their needs. When the workers make pointe shoes for ballerinas, they have a whole train line of workers making each part of the shoe. They have some people who are in charge of layering the fabric of the shoe with flour paste, in order to create the box, and then they have other people who are in charge of sewing the fabric together and some who are in charge of the packaging and the final touches. Similarly with ballroom and Latin shoes, which they also make at Freed of London, they have some workers who are in charge of making the sole and the heal of the shoe, and then they have some workers who are in charge of making the straps of the shoe and others who have to package everything up. 

Freed of London

I believe that most dance shoes are made not exactly the same but very similarly in the way to Freed's and that is because dance shoes in general have to be very specific. Even the Bloch dance shoe and dance wear company makes their pointe shoes by layering up the fabric and turning it inside out, like they do at Freed of London and that is because it can bend easily with the dancer. It will quite often be the case that ballet shoes in general, will always be quite expensive because they have to be made in a certain way, so that the dancer can properly dance.

However, the good thing is, for other dance styles you can probably get away with buying dance shoes from less well-known brands and that will mean that it's a lot cheaper to buy.  For example, you can order good jazz shoes or dance trainers off of Amazon, from a brand that is not heard of much. These types of shoes don't need to come from well-known brands like SoDanca or Bloch because no matter where you get them from, the quality of the shoe shouldn't affect the way you dance. Even sometimes with ballroom and Latin shoes, whilst a lot of them are handmade, I've seen some shoes sold for £22 on the DanceDirect website and they seem good quality. I wouldn't recommend going below £20 for a ballroom dance shoe because the quality does tend to drop after a while and that will affect your dancing but a standard ballroom shoe for men and women, for £22 seems reasonable.

It is also entirely possible to get second-hand shoes. I know that my dance studio and many other dance schools offer second-hand shoes if you're starting out and can't afford to get brand new shoes yet. If you also keep your eyes peeled, some charity shops sometimes sell second-hand dance shoes. I remember there was a time when nearly every charity shop that I went into, sold a pair of proper ballroom and Latin shoes so I think it's entirely possible to find something for you. I didn't get the shoes because I think at my studio, I have to wear a certain heal size but if you have the option to choose your own shoes and you happen to find a good pair at the charity shop, I would recommend getting them. 

However, the main advice I'll give to anyone who is going to buy brand new dance shoes is to look after them. There have been plenty of times when I've lost a good pair of dance shoes and had to buy another expensive pair, which wasn't ideal in the slightest. If you have a cramped changing room like mine, it is a good idea to get a bag to put your shoes in because then you shouldn't lose them. A dance bag has saved me a lot of bother, trust me!💜

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! 

Let me know in the comments below, if you have any tips on finding affordable and good quality dance shoes? I'll be sure to reply to them. I ♡ hearing from you! 

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Bye,

XOX, Juliette

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