As you are choosing some things from your closet or a store, here are some things to keep in mind:the sole of the shoe

• For leaders and followers, shoes MUST have a smooth sole, no rubber, no grippies.

• The best sole is suede. most shoe repair stores can add “dance chrome” (fake suede) to any pair of shoes. (Don’t wear these outside or you’ll wear out the suede fast.) At the hardware store you can buy a wire “suede brush” that will restore the texture of the suede when it gets matted.

• Many people use a leather sole. that’s fine too. It wears longer than suede, but it can be more slippery than suede. (some dancers carry leather and suede, if they don’t know how the dance floor will be.) Many current shoes have a “man made” sole that is smooth, but not leather. That will probably work fine for you now, and you could add suede later.

flexibility

• Both leaders and followers need to be able to point their toe. This means that the arch of the shoe should have some flexibility. If it is a women’s high heel, this is less important, because the shoe is essentially already pointed. If it is a flat shoe, then it must be flexible. If you are trying to figure out which shoes to bring, put them on and try pointing your toe.

• The shoes should not be boots, because your ankle is restrained and you will not have enough mobility.

shoe width

• Since our feet pass very close together it is important that the shoe be no wider than necessary. Some shoes have a sole that protrudes 1/4″ beyond your foot. that will be difficult for tango. Check out the photo below of some gorgeous kenneth cole shoes. The two on the left are narrow. But see how the sole protrudes on the shoe on the right?

pointy toes

• lately the fashion world has graced us with shoes that point an inch beyond our actual toes. some people enjoy dancing in pointy toes. before buying shoes like this for tango, try pointing your toe and changing your weight onto that foot. i think the point gets in the way of smooth movement, but this is a personal choice. and style.

dance sneakers

• Lots of people just LOVE dance sneakers.
• These are special because they “break” under the arch so you can have a lot of flexibility in your foot.

• Both of the online shops we recommend carry a good selection of dance sneakers. these feel like, well, sneakers. they are super comfortable. fortunately they’re getting more stylish too!

• Here are the selections from guaranteedfit and tango-wear.

• Dance sneakers have a special kind of rubber, with a lot of plastic in it, so that they don’t grip. they are pretty good on all surfaces.

the shoe on the left above is made by a company called Fabio which makes sneakers especially for tango. you can admire their shoes on their website. also we hear that tango-wear will be getting the entire Fabio line some time in march, 2008.

We don’t want you to feel you need to run out and buy real tango shoes right away. In case you want to do that we’ve put some links (look in the right hand column of this page) to places that have a nice selection of affordable shoes.

In the meantime, our best recommendation for a good cheap shoe to get you going is at the Garment District in Cambridge. They bought the contents of a tuxedo rental store including piles of very lightweight, flexible, men’s tuxedo shoes that would be great for tango. They’re charging either $6 or $8 a pair. If you like them, you can add suede to the shoes later on. Lots of cheap, sexy femme shoes there too.

Our students will be leading and following. Some leading women change their shoes as they change roles. This does not allow for the fluidity that we hope for in Queer Tango, so we hope you can learn both roles in a shoe you like.

• For following, it is more comfortable to have a heel on your shoe. Since the follower’s weight is almost always on the toes, when you lose your balance and start tipping, it’s a long way down to get the heel of your foot all the way to the floor. Having a high heel on your shoe means you catch yourself before you tip as far. With a very small movement of your foot you can use the shoe’s heel for support.

• It is possible to lead in high heels, if that’s your style.

• If high heels are not your style, then we recommend that you wear a men’s tango shoe. These come in a larger range of sizes than men’s shoes normally do, and they come with choices of heel height. Since you will be following and leading, we recommend you go with the tallest heel available (~3 cm, about an inch). That will give you the benefit you need when you’re following and you’ll be in a great shoe for leading.
• Men’s tango shoes are really elegant. You will love them! And you can get them in your size, so finally you can have a beautiful pair of men’s shoes. Many cost less than $100. They are made in Argentina. Guaranteedfit offers the 3cm heel only in “cuban”, which is slanted. Tango-wear offers 3cm in cuban or straight heel.

• Both of the online stores we recommend have shoes “in stock”. For not much more $ you can also get shoes custom made, which is great if you have narrow, wide, bunions, or anything else difficult about your feet. guaranteedfittangoshoes.com really is guaranteed. If the custom ones don’t fit they’ll give you back your $ or make another pair. This can take a while, so be patient. The other company we recommend, tango-wear, has more modern style and colors.

(We have no relationship with these shoe stores! But we spent some time looking on the internet for the nicest shoes.)