Proper fitting dance shoes are an important part of your dancer's education. Children grow and feet expand at a rapid rate, but improper fit of a dance shoe does more harm than good. A ballet or jazz shoe should fit the length of the foot. The big toe should make comfortable contact with the end of the shoe. Toes curling means the shoe is too short, room between the end of the shoe and the big toe means the shoe is to long. When the toe is pointed in a ballet or jazz shoe the foot decreases in size and a shoe that is too big will leave a large amount of gapping fabic at the end of the shoe and the toes will curl up giving the dancer "elf feet". If the drawstring of the ballet shoe needs alot of adjustment, the shoe is probably too wide. Tap shoes can have a small amount of pinch room at the toe as this is a hard shoe and does not conform exactly to the foot.
Don't be fooled into buying a shoe for your child to grow into and don't be fooled by the satin house shoe display thinking you are getting a good deal on ballet shoes - these are not ballet shoes and you will have to purchase another pair of shoes to take the place of the house shoe. We employ a system at our studio to help with the turnover of shoes and to do our part in recycling. "Leave a pair - Take a pair" you take a pair that fits your child and you leave one for the next dancer - everybody wins!
Grayce DeWitt Dance Studio
3400 Rogers Ave.
Fort Smith, AR 72903
479-783-7748
www.graycedewittdancestudio.com
Fall Hours of Operation: Mon. & Tue. 3:30 to 8:00 pm
Wed. 3:30 to 9:00pm & Thu. 3:30 to 7:00 pm