****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Great news, sizing is as expected. Purchased normal U.S. dance shoe size. I wear size U.S. (woman's) 9 in street shoes and typically purchase 8 or 8.5 in dance shoes. Bought these in 8.5. For the most control when dancing, dance shoes are supposed to be just a tiny bit shorter than your foot-no overage. I bought them as an inexpensive practice shoe for the summer months. I dance at weekly outdoor salsa event and that dance suface is not the smooth hardwood one of a studio and can be brutal on shoes. I didnt want to ruin a new pair of $100+ dance shoes that way. Plus heat makes my feet swell, especially when I'm active which sizes me out of my winter practice shoes- remember what I said about sizing: should be no extra room in a well-fitting dance shoe. Interestingly I bought these after deciding to never purchase dance shoes on the internet again. The fit for dance shoes is so particular to your foot and the model shoe/brand you purchase, or at least thats been my experience. I've had only mediocre success with dance shoes I've purchased online. Sadly there are very few places locally where I can try on and purchase ballroom dance shoes. One is over 30 miles away, another has unpredictable hours and the owner rarely answers calls, or responds to VM. The studios where I dance have small collections, but not a lot of size variety so as much as I didn't want to purchase dance shoes online again, I was out of options. I was looking for a wide (stable), low heeled shoe that was very open in the front. I wanted enough material/straps to keep my foot stable, but little to rub on my foot and cause blisters. The peep-toe shoes with the small holes in the front have caused rubbing and blisters to my big toe in the past. My foot will always slide to the front of the (peep-toe) shoe and the place where it 'peeks' out of the hole in the front of the shoe, it rubs during dancing. These shoes do not rub or cause me blisters. They are stable and cushioned much more than I expected. They actually feel a bit plush and ' bouncy' because of the cushioning in the sole of the shoe, which I liked. The clasp is awesome because it allows you to choose the tightness of your strap and once you lock that in with the buckle, you only have to slide the buckle piece in and out of the clasp making getting in and out of the shoe quick and easy. One of the earlier reviewers of this shoe wasn't aware that design is intentional and thought her shoe was broken.The fastening straps of the shoe can be cut if they are too long. I haven't cut mine, but I did punch some additional holes in the straps so they would be tight enough on the top of my foot. All this is normal when dialing in your personal fit in a dance shoe. I'm very happy to say they've suited the purpose I bought them for and are holding up well in the month or so I've been using them. I haven't gotten blisters with these shoes rubbing my foot in the wrong way. Yay! Best internet dance shoe purchase to-date. I can finally lay-off using the leukatape I'd started wrapping my feet/toes with in my other dance shoes. Long nights of social dancing usually meant blisters. All-in-all, I'm very pleased with this relatively inexpensive shoe. It is inexpensive, but not cheap. Also, they may not be show-stoppers, but they are pretty enough, and most importantly, comfortable practice shoes, which means I can dance longer and happier! The mesh is holding up well too. Oh, they also came with an inexpensive dust bag-perfect for carrying to practice or to socials. If it helps, my foot is: average width, flat, narrow heel. If you will be using this for ballroom dance and have a very narrow foot, I think this shoe may be too wide for you. Average to slightly wider feet (across the the forefoot) will likely fit this shoe best.
