Mexican Folklorica Shoes for Flamenco

Thanks to the many Californians who've told me that Mexican Folklorico shoes are a good - and economical - substitute for flamenco shoes, for those on a budget. Although I've never examined a pair of Mexican dance shoes, I can understand why they would stand up well to the rigours of flamenco. I remember some years [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume

Adding Nails to Character Shoes for Flamenco

I've had several enquiries about adding tacks to character shoes - including a couple from people who were sold character shoes as flamenco shoes, and didn't discover their mistake until too late. I have bad news, I'm afraid - you can't add nails to character shoes, or any other normal shoe for that matter. The [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume

How to Break In Flamenco Shoes

Another question I've had recently is "how do I break in flamenco shoes?" The idea of "breaking in" flamenco shoes is misleading.  You don't want your flamenco shoes to lose any of their rigidity or strength.    They're not like pointe shoes, where some dancers do crazy things like crushing the toe in a door and [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume

Flamenco Shoes in Australia

I've had several enquiries about where to buy flamenco shoes in Australia. Of course, you can always order from us!      Just select "Australian auctions" in the drop down box and you'll see a list of all the international sellers who ship to Australia, as well as local sellers. However, if you want to [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume

Where to find flamenco shoes

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 [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume

How to Choose Flamenco Shoes

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 [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume

Fitting your Flamenco Shoes

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. Dancers often buy ballroom and ballet shoes a fraction too tight, knowing they’ll stretch to a perfect fit with wear. However, flamenco shoes are rigid and have [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume

Alternatives to Flamenco Shoes

Dance shoes made for most other dance styles are often very unsuitable for flamenco – worse than dancing in ordinary shoes, in fact! Character, jazz and ballroom dance 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 – [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume

Why You Need Proper Flamenco 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 [...]

Dress For Flamenco - All about Flamenco Costume