What shoes should I wear for Sean-nós Dancing? What shoes should I wear for Set Dancing? We could talk for days on this subject. There is no official “shoe” for Sean-nós or set dance. Many dancers like a variety of shoes. For years I danced in mens dress shoes that I got from the thrift store.
So let’s talk shoes!
People ask me all the time where can I get shoes for dancing? What shoes do you recommend? I usually start out asking a few questions:
- What’s your budget?
- Are you ok dancing in used shoes?
- What sound do you like to hear when you are dancing?
- What size are you? Is your foot narrow, wide or medium?
- Do you want to modify shoes or just get them and off you go?
Thrift Store: if you don’t mind getting used shoes, the thrift store is a great place to find high quality dance shoes, tap shoes, men’s and ladies dress shoes. This is where I got my first pair of shoes when I started set dancing. In fact I danced in thrift store shoes for years!
My dad, some of you may know, is the King of the thrift-store. He has single handily “shoed” the majority of my students and he is currently dancing in a $600 pair of Men’s Ferragamo’s that he got for $20.
If tap shoes are your thing, the thrift store is the place to get them! Many folks take a tap class or two and then down the road end up donating almost brand new shoes. You can get them for around $10-$12. If you don’t like the tap sound you can modify them. I have a whole section on modifying shoes later on in this article, but first let’s talk about a shoe that you can start dancing in right off the bat, it’s called the Babe.
Wanted – The Boyfriend – Babe: I have been on the search for an affordable shoe that students can start out with in class. I discovered this shoe when my dad found a pair at the thrift store and I danced in them. Amazing sound! They have a plastic sole. You may say, “What, I thought I had to have leather?” I thought so too, but then I experimented and some of my favorite shoes to dance in have a plastic soles. The other great thing about this particular shoe is that it is only $50 and comes is so many colors. A large number of my students are dancing in these shoes, and as of yet not one has the same color. Here’s links to all of the various colors the have:
Tap Shoes
Quite often tap shoes are easier to get a hold of than leather soles shoes, especially for women. Some people like dancing with the metal tap and others do not. If you don’t like the sound of the metal you can get a tap shoe without the tap or modify the shoe and take the tap off.
Capezio Tap Shoes: I have danced in Capezio’s for year and LOVED them! However the quality has dropped. Now if I get a Capezio shoe I look for an older shoe as the quality is far superior to the current shoes. I usually look at thrift stores to find the older style shoes.
- K360: I currently am dancing in the Capezio K360. I found three pairs at once on sale, so I will be dancing in them for quite sometime before I change. I have one with taps, one with neolight and one with no taps. I love the sound and fit of this shoe, however all three of them are falling apart only after a year. Very disappointing considering the cost! I feel the quality has gone down over the years.
Bloch Tap Shoes: These are affordable and easy to find. You can take the taps off and modify them. I don’t like the sound to the block metal tap, it’s too tinny for me. The link below is what I think their nicest shoe.
Jason Samuels Smith Professional Leather Tap Shoe
Miller & Ben: Many people love Miller & Bens. The are too stiff for my taste. But a lot of dancers swear by them.
Leo: I love love love the old leo tap shoe. I had a pair without the taps. The toe box is perfect. There are only two drawbacks, the shoe is heavy and they no longer make the shoe. The shoe also has a shank for those of you who like a shank in your shoe. I ended up breaking my shanks so that I had more flexablity. You can find them for sale online here and there and if you like a heavy shoe this one is incredible. Bellow I talk about Dancing Fair and Matt. Matt has made is own shoe called the GS1 and it has a similar toe box.
Just Tap: if you are ready to make an investment in a pair of shoes the “Just Tap” shoe is amazing. It’s a custom made tap shoe. When you order them you will have to measure your feet and you can have them in a variety of colors. You can also order them with or without taps. They run around $300. I first saw Matthew Olwell dancing in them. Nic Gareiss also dances in them.
Dancing Fair: Karen Cieminski first turned me on to Dancing Fair. I was staying with her and she told me about a shoe maker that was making a custom shoe for her based on her preferences for dancing. She asked if I want to go meet him. In my mind I pictured where I take my shoes to get them modified, which is a small shop with a walk up counter. She brought me to a warehouse full of shoes, equipment and supplies. The place amazing! I got to meet Matt Schroepfer the owner of the company. We talked about shoes for hours.
Dancing Fair has a variety of tap shoes available including Capezio, Leo, Miller and Ben, but my favorite shoe they offer is the shoe that Matt designed. The GS1. I love the toe box on this shoe!
Modifying shoes!
Having a good local shoe maker is a dancers best recourse. I have found many shoes and modified them to get the sound that I want. I’ve put extra leather on them, wooden taps, leather taps and neolight. My student have found many pairs of tap shoes and modified them with leather, wooden taps and neolite.
Extra Leather: Extra leather is a great option to get a louder sound from a pair of shoes. Any shoe maker can add another layer to your shoes. Some people have double or triple layers of leather.
Wooden Taps: Wooden taps have a great deep sound. The sound changes depending on the wood. I like rosewood, especially bubinga. Some dancers like ebony. I don’t like ebony as it has a higher sound compared to the rosewood which has a deeper sound.
The first time a saw a pair of wooden taps, Sara Cory was dancing in a pair. Kalia Kliban a clogger and woodworker had taught her how to make them. I have since experienced with making them, including having a guitar maker make me a pair out of maple lament. They have great sounds.
There are a few folks making costume wooden taps including:
Neolite leather: Neolite makes a great sound. Kieran Jordan first turned me on to neolite. I saw her dancing in a of shoes that sound beautiful and were just the right loudness for dance shoes. I asked her about them and she said that she had neolite added to the shoes.
In Portland we have the Oregon Leather Company and this is where I get sheets of neolite to put on my shoes. I found that it is best to buy it yourself and bring it directly to your shoemaker as you could wind up with something else. Erik Killops and I each had had a pair done and I explained that I wanted neolite on them. When I got them back they had the bumpy plastic on the whole sole, which made a great sound, but slicker then “snot”. They worked well on the dance floor, but don’t try to walk to your car in them. We both took a few near tumbles in those baby’s.