- Incredibly comfortable dance shoe version of a classic mid-century sports sneaker.
- Suede bottom sole
- Very comfy: thick, molded, removable insole
- Yes, your favorite sneaker is now your favorite pair of dance shoes! The casual styling looks great with everything.
- These are perfect for dancers of all skill levels.
- Aris Allen is known for making vintage style swing dance shoes and reproduction models that are more authentic equipment for dancing swing than ordinary ballroom shoes are. Their philosophy being that your dancing will look more authentic if you wear the same style of shoes the inventors of the dance were wearing.
- Please check the sizing recommendations below before placing your order.
- Item #: 1001-NV
- Canvas uppers, Balmoral construction, suede bottom sole.
- The molded foam insole makes these much more comfortable and supportive than most ordinary dance shoes and because they’re removable you can get a custom fit by replacing them (or add orthotics, etc.) or just wear them as is.
(Our returns show we are right about 90% of the time)
Our test dancers found that these usually run true to size. So order your usual men's dress shoe size. We have a very low rate of returns on these but when we did an in-depth analysis of returns we found that half the time they ordered 1/2 size smaller.
Check our Insole Measurement Chart in the photos on this page. It will show you the inside length and width of each size.
WIDTH INFO:
- Narrow Width Feet: happy
- Average Width: happy
- Wide Width: not happy - these are Balmoral construction which means you cannot adjust the width as much as with Blucher styles.
Still dancing in sports sneakers with rubber soles?
Fact: Sports sneakers with rubber-bottom soles are made for gripping the floor. If you wear them to dance you are not only straining your knees, but you do not have to “find your center” and your dancing suffers. Ask any dance instructor about the importance of this. (Hint: you will become a better dancer and will yank less follows' arms when you are not anchored to the floor by improper footwear!)
- These are made with suede soles which are wonderful to dance on but require occasional upkeep (it's usually a problem with catching the edge on a piece of hardwood that is sticking up on the dance floor).
- If you need to re-glue the suede many people just use crazy glue gel. We have also found that commercially produced shoe repair glue (available from the shoe repair shop in your local mall) works great.
- You're not supposed to wear suede soles outside but every swing dancer knows that you can make suede soles faster by wearing them everywhere to get them dirty, then dance in them until they're shiny on the bottom.
- If you prefer them less zippy you can dull the “mirror finish” they can get by roughing them up with a wire brush periodically. Just remember that when they are wet from walking in the rain they won't spin as easily (if they're too slippery just spill your drink on the floor and step in it!).
