Archive for » 2008 «
Most of the big Spanish flamenco shoe stores will happily sell you shoes by mail order. They will ask you to send in an outline of your foot, the idea being that they can look at your foot and advise on the correct size. Unfortunately, I’ve known many people who ordered shoes this way and still didn’t get shoes that fit.
A better solution when you’re starting out, is to buy shoes locally first if you can find them. This may take some research, but you may be surprised by what is available. Ask other students—where did they get their shoes? Does the school have second-hand shoes for sale? Check your local dancewear shops, and even your local shoe shops. I found flamenco shoes in a shop that specialised in imported Spanish shoes, mixed in with fashionable sandals and street pumps. Or try eBay—you still can’t try them on, but if you buy them from a local supplier, at least the cost of returning them won’t be so high if you get it wrong.
Don't assume that Spanish flamenco shoes are always best. I’ve seen shoddy shoes that were made in Spain, a very serviceable pair that were made in Australia, and a beautifully crafted pair from Argentina, which were the equal of good Spanish-made ones. Use the following criteria to assess each pair. If they don’t pass the test, don’t buy them!
- Pick up the shoe firmly by the heel and toe box, and try to twist it sideways (not too hard!). A good flamenco shoe should be rigid.
- Look at the heel. It should be between 3cm and 6cm (just over 1 inch to 2.5 inches). Lower is better, at least to begin with. Cabaret dancers often wear a higher heel to make their legs look longer - but watch flamenco videos and you’ll notice many of the best dancers choose the lower heel, because it’s better for balance and control. The shape of the heel is a matter of taste, though a very narrow heel is harder to balance on and because it gives less support to the shoe, there’s more risk of breaking the shank.
- Check the sole. It should be good, thick rubber, to protect the feet and to create the sound. Immediately reject anything with a wafer-thin leather sole – you’ll end up with a bruised foot!
- What is the material? Flamenco shoes are usually made of leather or suede. Leather takes longer to “break in”, but will look good for longer. Suede shoes come in some gorgeous colours, and are a little softer on the feet—but of course, that means they will wear out sooner. Don’t buy synthetic—they don’t breathe, nor will they mould to the foot.
- Now for the tacks. There should be a generous amount of them, on the tip of the toe and all over the heel (if not, you won’t get a good sound). If they are overlapped, they will be less likely to fall out in use. Run your finger over them. If they are smooth, it’s a sign of a good craftsman.
If the shoe passes these basic tests, it’s worth trying them on. Don’t assume that because a shoe is “your size”, that it will automatically fit! Walk around. Does the fastening (elastic, buckle) keep the shoe on, even if you stride? Try dancing a little. Do they feel good?
Remember, everyone's feet are different - go with what works for you, not with what other people tell you is the "best" shoe. It’s quite meaningless to talk (as many do) about Gallardo shoes being “the best” flamenco shoes, or raving about Corals. Gallardos are beautifully made and almost indestructible, but if their lasts don’t suit your foot, you’ll hate them! Coral shoes have a beautiful streamlined look, but that won’t do you any good if they’re the wrong shape for you (even their wide fitting is too narrow for my foot, for instance). My favourite flamenco shoes of all time were made by Mayo of Sevilla, which no one else has ever heard of. Trust your own feet!
It’s very important that your new flamenco shoes fit properly.
All dance shoes must be snug, but flamenco and Irish dancing shoes are the hardest to get right. Ballroom and ballet dancers can buy shoes a fraction too tight, knowing they’ll stretch to a perfect fit with wear. However, flamenco shoes are rigid and have less “give”, so if you buy a pair that’s slightly too small, they may never be comfortable. Too-small shoes will affect your balance, because you don't have a secure platform to dance on if your toes are curled up.
Shoes that are too big can be even worse because they can cause injuries. If your foot is able to slide around inside the shoe, you're more likely to go over your ankle or step out of the shoe while you’re dancing. The movement means your foot will rub against the inside of the shoe and cause blisters. If your shoe doesn’t feel like part of your foot, it’s distracting, too.
Unfortunately it’s not as simple as looking up your street shoe size on a conversion table. We all know clothes sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and shoes are no different. Similarly, people with the same size of foot can have surprisingly different foot shapes, in much the same way as two women may wear the same size jeans, but one may be able to wear slim fit whereas the other needs relaxed fit.
For instance, you can have two people with the same length of foot, but the ball of one person’s foot will be further back than the other’s. Since that’s where the shoe has to bend, that can be important. The width of feet varies, too, but not necessarily through the whole length: some people have a wide forefoot and narrow heels, and so on.
Of course, shoe manufacturers can’t cater for all these variations, so they build to an average instead. Each manufacturer makes their own choice as to what constitutes “average”, and make their lasts (the forms on which they build their shoes) accordingly. Have you noticed that some makes of street shoe always fit you better than others? That’s because that manufacturer’s lasts happen to be more like your foot.
If you're buying shoes on the internet, be prepared to send them back if they don't fit. Better to pay a bit of extra postage than be stuck with shoes you can't wear!
Dance shoes made for most other dance styles are often very unsuitable for flamenco – worse than dancing in ordinary shoes, in fact!
Ballroom, jazz and character shoes are designed to be flexible, so you can bend your foot and point your toe. Soft, flexible shoes like these are absolutely useless for flamenco – you need rigidity and strength!
If you have tap shoes or Irish dance shoes, they are much better, but not if they’re flat-heeled. In flamenco, even men were heels for a reason—they make it much easier to do any footwork involving heel strikes.
For men, a pair of cowboy boots or riding boots may be a better option than dance shoes—anything with a Cuban heel.
On balance, women may be better off wearing a pair of sturdy street shoes. The picture on the right shows a typical woman’s flamenco shoe. It’s obvious that Mary Janes (the style with a bar strap) are a good match, but look at the strength of the shoe, too. You want a shoe that isn’t too bendy. If you have a pair of plain pumps with the right strength, sew on an elastic strap, or make circles of elastic to slip on over the shoes.
Most beginners underestimate the importance of the right shoes. It’s understandable: genuine flamenco shoes are hard to find, except in Spain and in major international cities – and they’re expensive. Why spend over a hundred dollars on shoes you’ll never wear again, if you discover flamenco is not for you?
But in fact, wearing the right shoes can make or break your success in flamenco. Wear the wrong shoes and challenging footwork can become impossibly difficult, to the point where you may be tempted to give up—which would be a great shame! So it’s worth taking the time to make sure you have the right “tools of the trade” before you start.
By all means, delay buying the proper shoes until you have studied for a term or two, while the footwork is still slow and simple - but don’t leave it much longer. As the footwork gets faster and more complex, you’ll find it harder and harder to cope in any other shoe, unless your feet and ankles are naturally very strong. It would be a shame if you became needlessly discouraged.
I myself almost gave up flamenco only a few months after I started, because I felt I would never master a fast redoble. Then I acquired a pair of second-hand flamenco shoes, and suddenly the footwork came easily—and from then on, I never looked back.
So, for those first couple of terms, what should you wear? Many people assume that dance shoes - any kind of dance shoes - are better than street shoes. Wrong! In my next post, I'll look at the options.
