Tango is nothing without the shoes. Shoes make the dancer. Or so the saying goes. When in our opinion, the dancer makes the shoes.
The reality of Argentine Tango is some people believe that you need a pair of shoes to complete the look of what you’re doing and to make things easier. The fact is that you can just as easily dance in socks and be happy for a wide variety of reasons. Not the least of which is that Tango shoes can be uncomfortable for both roles after a while. Especially for the Follower, and more specifically the beginner Follower that is not used to a tango heel.
Don’t get us wrong, tango heels for the Follower are seriously gorgeous if that’s your thing. They come in so many shapes, sizes, colors, and they sparkle! We like the sparkly bits. However, for the Lead you have no shortage of good quality shoes that are at once flashy, and very stable!
If, however, you are new to Tango, you’re going to want to get yourself a pair of tango shoes to go dancing in. While there are dance shoe supply stores in the area that we could recommend or a series of local or regional dealers to get a good pair of tango shoes, there is another option: Tango Festivals! This is a good place to get yourself a pair of shoes. However, do expect to pay anywhere from 125 to 250 PER PAIR of shoes at a Festival. There are a number of them throughout the year, so go to Festival and get yourself a pair, while at the same time getting in some good dancing with other dancers from across the country!
One more thing, it’s advisable to not wear ‘street’ shoes on the dance floor, it can hurt your knees.