Dance gear advice from someone who actually teaches.
Erin Born owns BORN Dance Academy in Lansing, Michigan, and has danced for over thirty years. These are the answers she already gives at the front desk, written down.
By style
Every style needs a different shoe, and the shoe is the part worth getting right.
- Guide readyBalletPink canvas split-sole slippers, and why the Amazon best seller is the wrong shoe for a canvas dress code.
- Guide readyTapBow-tie patent for the little ones, lace-up oxford for everyone after that.
- Guide readyJazz and hip hopTan slip-ons that fit like a sock, and why buying room to grow backfires.
- ComingAcroNo shoes at all. Clean bare feet, which makes this the cheapest class to kit out.
- ComingLyricalPink or skin-tone canvas half-soles, sized by foot length rather than street size.
- ComingContemporarySame half-sole as lyrical. One pair covers both classes.
- ComingMusical theatreUsually character shoes or jazz shoes, depending on the routine.
- ComingHip hopClean indoor trainers, worn for class only so the studio floor stays grit-free.
By level
What changes between levels is mostly the shoe. Clothing stays much the same all the way up.
- Tiny Tumblers. The easiest to shop for. Dance clothes of any kind are fine. Pink ballet shoes for girls, black for boys, and nothing else to buy.
- Minis. The first level with a specific shoe. Mini tap uses black patent bow-tie shoes, which fasten with a strap a small child can manage alone.
- Petites. The standard dress code applies. Shoes are chosen by style rather than by level from here on.
- Juniors. Tap moves to the lace-up oxford, which holds the foot properly once the footwork speeds up.
- Teens. Most dancers are in more than one style by now. Worth keeping a spare pair of tights in the bag.
- Adults. Wear whatever lets you move freely and safely. Shoes still follow the style you are taking.
The mistake worth avoiding
The best-selling ballet shoe on Amazon is leather. Plenty of studios, including this one, require canvas. Search “ballet shoes for girls”, buy the top result, and you may well have bought the wrong shoe. Checking the dress code before you order saves a return.
On sizing
Dance shoes do not fit like street shoes, and that is where most of the frustration comes from. A canvas ballet slipper runs well over a size small. A lace-up tap shoe sits much closer to street size. Every guide here says how that particular shoe runs.
If there is a dance shop near you that does fittings, use it for a first pair. Once you know how a brand runs on your child’s foot, reordering online is easy.