Dance Shoes

As I left for a dinner date after a dance lesson saying "Hang on a minute while I change into walking shoes", it occurred to me that "walking shoes" sounded like an unnecessary adjective. Aren't all shoes for walking? But no, they're not. Some are for running, some for appearance despite crippling discomfort, etc. So what makes a shoe a dance shoe? Well, that depends on the type of dance, but for partner dance, three things. Comfort, a leather sole, and a strap or laces to secure it to your foot. Heel height depends on how dressy the event, and your own comfort. The primary difference between a dance shoe and a walking shoe is the leather sole. For dancing you want to be able to pivot smoothly on a hardwood floor. For walking you want traction, which is why non dancers rarely have leather soled shoes in their closet. You can buy dance shoes, or you can put leather on the soles of any shoes you'd like to turn into dance shoes. If you don't like the selection of shoes available in dance stores or on line, any shoe from your favorite sneakers to dressy pumps can be turned into dance shoes as long as they stay on your feet when you stand on tip toe. A shoe repair can do it, or I can do it, or you can go to Tandy Leather in San Leandro and buy a scrap in their remnant bin and do it yourself. Barge cement, the dancers companion, will do the trick and will affect an emergency repair if it comes loose.