The times when male and female dancers wore the same kinds of shoes have long passed. Nowadays different artists wear different types of shoes which suit their personal dancing styles. For example, it is hard to imagine women tap dancing in mens dance shoes since these are very different from female dance shoes. Historically, women and men wore different types of footwear. Starting from 1815 women had a greater choice of style, colour, heel and toe shape, while men had to stick with more conservative models. Dance shoes, however, stayed almost the same until the beginning of the 20th century.

Comfortable footwear is crucial in dancing, so there are many models of shoes made exclusively for this activity. Certainly, different dance styles require different footwear. Ballet shoes, pointe shoes, ghilles for Irish dances, jazz shoes, flamenco shoes, ballroom shoes, dance sneakers and tap shoes are designed with consideration for the specifics of movements which are individual for every dance style. Besides that, normally mens dance shoes and womens dance shoes for the same type of dance tend to look very different from each other. This is so because dance movements of men and women are often different.

Nowadays, one of the most common forms of dance is tap dance. Tap dance shoes are equipped with metal plates which are mounted to the bottoms of toes and heels. This is done for a good reason – these plates make trademark tapping sounds. Normally, tap dance shoes are made of leather, suede or canvas and are very similar to classic shoes. Mens dance shoes are very similar to classic Oxfords, while women’s dance shoes tend to have higher heels. There is a variety of tap dance shoes produced in different colours and styles. Beginners usually start with low-heeled hard shoes, while more experienced tap dancers are likely to go with high-heeled shoes which make louder sounds but are harder to control.

Ballet is another popular form of dance. Soft ballet shoes are very different from hard tap dance shoes, as they are normally made of leather, canvas or satin. Traditionally, mens dance shoes are white, while womens dance shoes are pale pink. Ballet dancers choose these colours since they don’t distract the audience from the dance. Normally, ballet shoes have leather soles that do not stretch with time. There is a specific type of shoes for dancing on toes, which are called pointe shoes. This technique is normally used by female dancers. Nevertheless, some men practise it as well. Pointe shoes are equipped with hard boxes on the front which protect toes of ballet dancers from blisters.

Shoes for urban dances are very similar to regular sneakers. However, they are not the same. Urban dance shoes are made of light fabric which allows good freedom of movement. Some professional models also have cushioning under the heel that absorbs shocks. Just like athletic shoes, urban mens dance shoes and women’s dance shoes are the same.

All in all, there is a wide range of high quality dance shoes available today. It is important to consult professionals before buying the first pair, as both women’s and mens dance shoes should feel like second skin.

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