Factors in Selecting Quality Kids Ballet Shoes

A child sees a ballerina on television, longing to learn the skills necessary to dance as gracefully as performers who have endured years of training. They ask their parents to invest in dance lessons, certain that their interest and excitement for ballet will not waver.

A parent, in turn, faces a dilemma, knowing their child will grow quickly through adolescence and may not endure the practice and training necessary to succeed. Outside of the lessons themselves, a parent’s most important and significant expense in ensuring a child’s safety and future ability becomes a quality pair of kids’ ballet shoes.

A child’s tender muscles need support to build strength in their ankles, calves, and legs. However, a shoe mustn’t be too stiff or too thick, preventing flexibility and a sense of touch to help them “feel” the floor beneath them and allow them to point and rise up on their toes easily.
The choices can be overwhelming, and without recommendations from an instructor, it would be easy to make an expensive mistake, in terms of money spent and the potential for injury that might easily quash a child’s initial interest.

What are the important factors, then, in determining a good ballet shoe from a bad one? How can one tell if a shoe fits properly? What sort of indicators separate quality from shoddy construction?

Here are a few tips to guide buyers in the right direction. First, a dance instructor may know specifically what type of shoe a child needs, so they would be the first people to ask. Having taught hundreds of children previously, they will certainly have at least some insight about things to look for when buying kids’ ballet shoes.

Even so, a parent (should) have their own kid’s safety foremost in their mind, and youngsters may suffer in pain needlessly as beginners, not knowing the difference between initial soreness and pain from ill-fitting shoes.

Ballet slippers for beginners, sometimes called flats, should fit more snugly than regular shoes, but certainly shouldn’t cut off circulation or inhibit the toes. The front of the shoe usually has cloth or elastic laces to pull the material over the toes.

A common mistake is to buy shoes too big at first, thinking a child will grow into kids’ ballet shoes. In reality, these early pairs are inexpensive, and the most comfortable shoes will have no gap or space on either side of the foot, or the back or front of the shoe.

More experienced dancers usually opt for “split sole” shoes, which are padded at the heel and ball of the foot. In contrast, a beginner will prefer a full leather suede sole that works the muscles fully and develops the pointe of the foot for later training. Also, pay attention to the stitching on these shoes, since they will indicate how durable the shoe will be in use.

Proper fitting kids’ ballet shoes aren’t the only things that will prevent injuries and discomfort for beginning ballet dancers, but they are the first line of defence in ensuring a youngster’s body and ability develops well and reaches the potential that dancers aspire to.

Europe's leading online retailer of dancewear - Dance Direct.For further information regarding our range of ballet shoes, please visit our website at http://www.dancedirect.com.