What material is best for the sole of the shoe?
The most compelling reason for choosing the right sole is to avoid knee injury.Your choice of material for the sole of your dance shoe depends on your dancing style. You have three materials to choose from: hard leather, soft leather or suede soles. Soft leather shoes (e.g. Jazz shoes) are thin and allow you to feel in close contact with the floor. These soles glide well and are much cheaper than shoes with suede soles (e.g. ballroom dance shoes). However, any dancer with some experience will tell you that these soles are not suitable for social dancing for several hours at a time. Simply put, they provide very little support or comfort for your feet. Alternatively, hard leather soles usually have good built-in support for your arches and put a “spring” into your steps. They definitely are more durable than soft-sole shoes and on a smooth surface spinning and gliding across the floor is much easier. The sole of choice for most social and competitive dancers is, however, a soft-suede so
