Should I put crystals on my dance shoes or not?
We all love sparkly things and vivid colours especially when it comes to dancing. BUT is it wise to have colourful shoes covered in crystals?
Imagine that you go to a shop and you need a new pair of dance shoes. Maybe you have never owned a pair before or you simply want to add a 10th one to your collection. However, it may be quite boring to buy the same shoe again so why not spice it up a bit and go for black colour or red and then add some sparkles to it... What do you think?
Whether you are a beginner dancer or a professional, the shoes you wear will have an impact on your look as a performer, and that's inevitable. But before you decide to go wild with embellishments on your shoes, think about the following 5 points.
NB. in this post I refer to "coloured shoes" as other than tan e.g. red, black, gold, green etc.
1. Everyone- look at my feet!
If you decide to put decorations somewhere, people will look that way. You have red shoes or vivid crystals over them, they will attract attention. Hmmm, but there may be a problem. Shoes on their own may look beautiful but is your footwork beautiful enough to be highlighted by the decorations or even a different shoe colour?
If footwork is not your strongest asset, do you really want everyone to look at your feet? This is regardless of your level of dancing, but this point may be particularly important for any dancer who doesn't have very much experience and strength in their feet.
Photo: Laurie Young Photography
2. "Diamonds are forever"
Well, no they are not. Unfortunately, the crystals on your shoes may not be as durable as you would expect. Some of them will fall off, some will be scratched and some will lose the sparkle. Suddenly, your shoes don't seem as exciting and amazing as they were when you bought them...
Shoes are dancer's very important tool so you always want to be sure their quality is perfect. Perhaps you may not want to be fixing your shoes after each competition and keep re-gluing the crystals, or do you?
3. Red with pink or blue with green?
Once you decide to have coloured shoes, you need to remember that they may not necessarily go well with all your dresses. On the other hand, this could be a good excuse to buy a new pair of shoes to colour-coordinate with each dress... and who doesn't like that?
4. Money, money, money...
Dancing is already so expensive and dancers spend more and more on their looks. Of course, when you have shoes covered in crystals, the hard work of gluing them on is not cheap. Not only are the crystals themselves quite costly, but also asking for a clever design and execution is not free.
What would you say to saving the money on the embellishments and instead, putting it towards another pair of shoes or a dance lesson on footwork?
5. Work hard for it
At the young age, kids are restricted to wear plain shoes with no decorations for competitions (and classes/lessons!). For many this creates an ambition that "when I'm good enough I will have shoes with crystals on" (PS. if approved by coach). Make sure your dancing speaks for itself then focus on anything else. Maybe this could be your objective too.
Some time ago I wrote an article on "How to get beautiful dancer's feet". Did you read it? Well, if you didn't then have a look. The post gave you exercises to help you strengthen your feet and improve the look of your arch and instep.
I completely understand that coloured shoes and crystals are exciting. They make you feel special, like a million dollars. On the other hand, I believe that sometimes less is more. If you watch, most of the top professionals wear simple tan shoes. As a beginner dancer, you probably want to stay away from coloured shoes with excessive decorations.
Photo: Laurie Young Photography
Next time you buy new shoes, ask yourself this question before:
Do I want my feet and how I use them to be the highlight and main focus of my dancing...?
It would be interesting to hear what makes you decide what colour shoes you should have and whether to decorate it with crystals or not. Please leave your comments below.
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