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Your Guide To Buying Ballet Shoes

If your child is new to Ballet or Dancing, follow our guide to help you decide when buying ballet shoes for the first time. Click here to see our selection of the best Ballet Shoes.

Ballet Shoes with Ribbons

Years ago there were only a couple of good quality brands to choose from but today there are many new brands available, offering professional standard dance shoes. With more choice, you need to know what to look for when buying ballet shoes to help you decide.

Once you know which brand and size you prefer, you can find dance shoes at online retailers at much cheaper prices than the local store. When buying ballet shoes online, you can find some good deals if you know which shoes you are looking for! Brands such as Bloch, Capezio, and Sansha are quality names at affordable prices.

1. Prepare

If you are shopping online, you will need to measure your childs feet. Do this with both feet, as very often one foot will be longer than the other. If this is the case, you will have to go with the longer foot. Once you have their measurements, you can then check sizing charts at online shoe shops to determine which is the best size. Endless.com, one of the best online dance shoe suppliers, not only offer free shipping, but also returns! Once you've received the shoes, try them on with tights and do a few moves to make sure they are the correct fit, before wearing them to the dance class.

2. Material

Ballet shoes are made of canvas or leather. Canvas shoes are cheaper and can be put in the washing machine for ease of cleaning. However they don't last as long as leather, and also don't hold their shape and hug the foot as nicely as leather shoes do.
Firstly, before buying ballet shoes, check with your dance school if they allow canvas shoes. Some will only allow leather. Other schools will allow young children just starting in ballet to wear canvas shoes.
Ask your dance teacher if your child will be doing exams, there may be a requirement to wear leather shoes for these exams, in which case you don't want to have to go and buy another pair in the same year.

3. Choosing the Correct Size

A perfect ballet shoe should fit the foot like a second skin. It is designed to protect and support the foot and toes and to enable the foot to flex and point and to show off the technique to its best advantage. It should not be so tight as to restrict movement and to feel pinching anywhere, however, if it is too loose it will become baggy at the sides and you will not be able to perform the techniques so well.

Children are always having numerous growth spurts and it is tempting to buy a pair the next size up or much looser for them to "grow into". The main problem with doing this is they can trip over their own shoes whilst dancing. It can add to more strain to the foot and the foot will not be held in place with the support of the shoe.

As well as elastic that goes over the top of the shoe, there is a drawstring (normally elastic) inside the rim of the shoe. When you try on shoes, make sure this is pulled up as much as possible, without creating too much loose shoe. As the foot grows you can loosen this drawstring to create more space inside the shoe.

When buying ballet shoes you need to try them on. Do a few ballet steps, can you spread your toes and stretch your feet easily. If you can't then they are too tight and you will have problems with balancing and dance steps.
Its also worth trying the shoes on at the same time of the day as you would normally be dancing. Feet swell throughout the day and can make a difference with how tight or loose a shoe feels.

4. Soles

Ballet shoes come with 2 different types of soles, split sole or full sole. For a young child just starting ballet a full sole is the most common.
As your child gets older and more experienced, it then becomes a matter of preference. Some dancers prefer the split sole as they have more flexibility in the foot to execute a sharper point. A full sole is a strip of material, usually leather or suede, that runs from the heel to the toes. With a split sole the sole is split between the heel and toe.

5. Elastic

The last thing to remember is the ballet shoe will have a piece of elastic over the top of the foot to help secure the shoe to the foot. Not all shoes are sold with these already on.
If you buy a pair of shoes that needs the elastic to be attached, click here to learn how to find the correct place on the shoe to attach elastic. Its really easy to do and it ensures the elastic is in the best position to support the foot.

Check out this great selection for buying ballet shoes online. Click on any image or link for more information. They come in many sizes and often different colors!

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