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| Shoes at The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, April, 2013 |
Like most belly dancers, I love the look and
feel of dancing barefoot. It’s
traditional for our art form, so it gives us a connection to our
foremothers…but since we’re modern chicks in a modern world, we don’t usually
get the chance to dance on the gleaming polished marble floors of temples, or
the soft earth of our village square! We might be working in a theater where
the stage floor is splintered or the backstage area isn’t optimally clean, or
in a restaurant where shards of broken glass from wine goblets or even another
dancer’s beads can get into our soles, or even at a street festival on the hot
pavement… SO WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR
FEET!
Under the umbrella of belly dance, there’s a
myriad of performance styles- but luckily, there’s also an abundance of
footwear options that will go with any sort of costume you have. Here are some ideas for shoes that will both
preserve your tootsies, as well as look great in performance.
Ballet Slippers
Soft and pliable, these shoes come in full
sole or split sole, and there are many options and styles to choose from. Made
with uppers of soft leather or durable canvas, ballet slippers will mold to
your foot, and feel as flexible as though you were barefoot, while keeping your
feet clean as well as protecting them from any debris that may be on your
performance surface. Some styles have straps attached; some have elastic straps
you can sew on yourself. Ballet slippers
have suede sole, which allows for clean, smooth turn while still providing a
bit of traction. If you are using ballet slippers for restaurant or club work,
you may want to take them to a shoemaker and have a thin layer of “dance rubber” put on over the suede sole in
order to make them a little more durable. This will give the shoe’s sole more
traction, and further protect your foot, as well as make the shoe itself last
longer. If you get a pair in classic “ballet pink” or beige, the shoes can be
dyed to match a particular costume, and they can also be easily embellished
with appliqués or rhinestones to jazz them up a bit. Ballet slippers can be purchased on line, or
at any dance store
Egyptian Dance Slippers
Similar
to ballet slippers, these Egyptian imports are usually constructed along the
lines of ballet slippers, but with an elasticized edge that fits around the top
of your foot, as opposed to straps that go across your arch or ankle. They are usually cut low in the vamp and made
with a slightly pointier toe than ballet slippers- this makes for a nice visual
line. These suede -soled soft shoes are usually available in a range of
metallics and colors, and the soles are slightly thicker than ballet slippers-
some even having half-inch heels. The uppers are made of leather or man-made
materials, and come in a variety of colors; some are beautifully embroidered or
beaded.
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| Egyptian Dance Slippers |
You can find Egyptian dance slippers carried
by vendors at dance festivals, or sometimes on line, available through belly
dance costume and supply websites. A word to the wise: most Egyptian dance
slippers run a little snug, and are usually sized in standard European sizes (but
sometimes marked in Arabic numbers!) so take this into consideration. If you
are buying the shoes online, make sure you know what your Euro- size conversion
is!
Jazz Shoes
These
are similar to ballet slippers, but have a full vamp that usually laces up,
like an oxford. Jazz shoes don’t look
too glamorous on stage, but because
of their thin soles and very small, flat heel, they offer a lot of support and
are great for teaching. There are now many varieties of jazz shoes, including
lightweight, pliable jazz boots and sneakers, which are great under long skirts
or pants. These offer ankle support, as well. Most standard jazz shoes have
prices comparable to ballet slippers.
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Ghillies
Popular
for use in Irish dancing, Ghillies are also a great option for belly dancers.
They are soft, pliable slipper-type shoes made of suede or leather, with a
flexible suede sole that resembles a sort of hybrid of ballet slippers and
sandals, due to the lacing that begins on the vamp of the shoes and continues
up to tie around the ankles. These shoes could look great with a variety of
costumes, from Cabaret to Tribal, to Goth. The lacing, usually made of cord or
rawhide, could be swapped out for ribbons that match or contrast with your
costumes. Once again, you might want to
add dance leather to increase the shoe’s durability and lifespan.
Hermes or Grecian Sandals
These sandals have always been a popular
choice among belly dancers. Made of thin, pliable neutral or metallic leather
with flexible suede sole, Hermes Sandals look like Grecian Goddess or
Gladiator-wear. They are basically a
thong sandal fitted with small leather loops around the sides of the sole, and
long laces that criss-cross along the top of the foot, wrapping around the
ankles - or up the leg as the case may be, similar to the way pointe shoes
would be tied. Hermes sandals offer protection to the bottom of your foot, but
not a lot of support, and many dancers don’t like the binding feeling of the
ties wrapped around the ankle.
Lyrical Shoes
Sometimes called “sandalettes” lyrical or
modern dance shoes are a hybrid of a shoe and sandal, often with an open or
partially open soft sole. Usually constructed of ultra-pliable suede or
leather, with elastic or elasticized leather or suede straps. The thing that differentiates them from other
dance sandals is that either the ball or heel of the foot- and sometimes both-
is left bare, so at least par of the foot has full contact with the stage.
Dance Sneakers
Unless you’re doing hip hop or some other kind of athletic fusion, you
wouldn’t wanna wear these onstage, but DAYYUM…they’re great for teaching! They offer full support, and have soft,
springy soles that are literally shock absorbers- which is great if you’re
going to be on your feet all day in a studio!
Dance Paws/ Footies
Dance Paws are a soft, snug covering for the
ball of the foot. The tops of are usually made of some type of stretchy
material, with little openings that fit around each toe, kind of like gloves
for the feet. The soles are lightly padded, and can made of be suede or
synthetic. Flesh tone dance paws are
nearly invisible on stage, but they also
come in a variety of colors and prints.
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| Custom Made Character Shoes |
Character
Shoes
These study, closed-toe workhorse shoes go
well with almost any style of dance. Within the character shoe category are
standard tap shoes, Tango shoes, and T-strap and Mary Jane vintage-look “chorus
girl”- type styles that would work well with a range of costumes. Usually available in flesh-toned tan and
black, they also can be custom ordered in a range of colors and metallics. They
are equipped with a hard, thick heel (heights range from about 1.5-3”) and
grooved leather sole, which also takes well to a thin application of dance
rubber. The oval-shaped toe-box, while giving a streamlined look, fully
protects your feet and is unusually roomier for dancers with wider feet. Built
for optimal support, these shoes can really take a beating. They work well for
all styles of dance, and offer variety- depending on which style you choose,
they can work for anything from straight ahead belly dance, folkloric, classic,
even a 1920’s or Victorian Gothic flavor. I even have a pair of Capezio
Tango-style character shoes that I bought for stage use, but because they were
so darn comfy- and foxy – that I
wound up wearing incessantly in my “civilian” life! Expect to pay anywhere from
about USD $20.00-$250.00 for character shoes, and they are well worth the
price!
Boots
With the popularity of belly dance fusion,
many performers like to wear boots onstage, and many dancewear manufacturers
offer wide selections of dance boots. These can range from lace-up cancan
booties with small Louis heels to flat, soft-soled boots that would fit right
into a pirate or medieval-themed performance. Many dancers even opt to wear
street boots, but once again, these do not offer the support of those
specifically made for dance.
Ballroom Shoes
Hands-down
the most glamorous and showy choice for dancers, ballroom shoes offer complete
support to the entire foot, and yet look amazing. They come in a mind-bending
variety of styles and colors, including loud animal and reptile prints- a
veritable rainbow of metallic leathers, shiny fabrics, contrasting colors and
sometimes-even rhinestone buckles. Style-wise, ballroom shoes can be open toed,
close-toed, ankle straps, tie-straps, and made with many different heel heights
and widths as well. The uppers are
usually strappy, but though they look flimsy, these shoes are constructed with
dancing in mind.
The
soles are suede, and let you really feel the floor, but there is usually a
steel shank embedded in the arch of the shoe leading up to the heel, which
offers optimal support. Again, you can have the suede soles covered with dance
rubber, but it’s not necessary. Ballroom
shoes are available “out-of-the-box” but
many dancers have theirs custom-made, mixing and matching styles, colors, and
even heels shapes and heights to their own personal choice. Either
way, expect to pay a lot for these babies.
What they ARE NOT is cheap, but they are constructed so well, it’s
always a great investment.
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| Ballroom Shoes |
When I first started dancing, at the
recommendation of my teacher, I bit the bullet and paid $98.00 for a pair of
gold and silver ballroom shoes to use for belly dancing. At the time, I thought
I was nuts- why did I spend that excessive amount of money on a pair of shoes
when I could put it towards buying a costume? But I wore them incessantly, and
it was TWELVE YEARS (and four sets of-re-soling) before I finally had to retire them, due to wear and tear. A dozen years of
wearing them three to seven times a week- you do the math! Nowadays, the prices
on ballroom shoes range anywhere from USD $30.00- $400.00, depending on what
type you get. Do what I did- bite the bullet, you WILL NOT regret it!
In general, professional dance shoes are
designed to look good onstage while they protect your feet, and that’s a really
smart investment in your dance career!
If You Opt To Dance Barefoot
Make sure you have a clean performance
surface. If there are other dancers working the stage before you, asks someone
to sweep up between performances, so you don’t get a bead embedded in your
foot, which is a classic- and very typical- belly dance injury. Carry a package
of baby-wipes with you to clean your feet before slipping back into your street
shoes, and bring a pair of flip-flops along to get you to and from the stage
safely. You may want to bring some band-aids along too, in case of emergency.
And check your tootsies- nothing wrecks your gorgeous stage appearance like
dirty, calloused feet with a chipped pedicure!
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