Where to buy dance shoes? How do they fit?

[sallysue66]

DD13 is taking a jazz class. She's a soccer girl who hasn't taken a dance class since 1st grade! Where is the best place to buy slip on jazz shoes and how do they normally run size wise? The closest dance wear store to us is 45 minutes away so I was hoping to buy the shoes online but be able to return them easily if they don't fit. Thanks!

 

[tinkx3]

My girls dance, have been for years...I would never buy shoes online, I always go to our local dance store. The ladies that own it are great. Dance shoe sizing can be difficult unless you know what to look for and how a shoe should fit. If you found a website that had a sizing chart and took returns with no problem, then you could order the shoes and have the dance teacher make sure they fit right. That is the only way I would be comfortable ordering dance shoes online. Every brand and style are different, so idk how true to size they are, but just to give you an example, my oldest has ballet, tap, jazz/hiphop and pointe shoes, and they are all 4 different sizes (and NOT by just half a size) and none of them are the same size as her sneakers Good luck, wish I could help you more.

 

[mtemm]

my daughter had danced for 5 years and is just now taking a year off. I highly recommend making the trip at least for the first time to buy the shoes in person. I found dance shoes did not always run the same as her other shoes. she had jazz and tap shoes last year and they weren't even the same size! I know its a pain to drive for it. we had to drive 25 minutes to the nearest dance store, but it was well worth it. once you figure out what fits and if she starts to grow out of those, you can always try to find the next size up on line.

 

[Hannathy]

If it is her first jazz class I wouldn't pay Dance store prices for jazz shoes. I would go to Payless. They carry Dance shoes that are just fine for early dancers. I got all my DD's shoes here or Walmart until she was into the advanced classes and she took from age 2 till she left for college.

 

[Emteach]

First thing find out what kind of shoes she is needing - there are more than one type of jazz shoes so the studio she is starting at may want a specific type. Would also recommend a dance store. That being said we found a perfect pair of $100 boys tap shoes last year (used) and paid $20.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Agree sizing is all over the place on dance shoes. My daughter's tap shoes are 2 sizes bigger than her street shoes. I think her jazz ones now are only one size bigger, but have been 2 in the past.

Does the studio not carry shoes (or at least some to try on?) Ours has sample sizes, then will order them for you. Another option to see if they have a swap box or place to post about folks who have them for sale. (Ours is on the Facebook page.)

If she needs pull on ones, I don't think you're going to find those at Payless. I've only ever seen ties.

 

[Dizisfun]

My DGD11 takes jazz and as the OP said you need to make sure she doesn't need a certain Jazz shoe. I can't remember the name of the shoe that I helped my DD buy for the 11 year old but they ran around $65 I think, it was a recital year and those were the required jazz slipper.

 

[disney fan4]

When I danced, I used to order my shoes from discount dance supply. A basic pair of jazz shoes runs about $25-$30. Their website does have a conversion chart from street size to the size you should need in that shoe. I don't remember how accurate it is, been my husband and 2 kids ago . I have never had to return anything there, so not sure about that. Hope your DD enjoys her classes!

 

[sk!mom]

Check Academy...ours carries jazz shoes. If you can't get them there then I would make the drive to have her sized for the first pair. Dance shoes need to fit well and the sizing is specific to each brand and unrelated to street shoe sizing.

Nearest store to us is 3.5 hours away. We try to have DD sized a few times a year and then I order from www.discountdance.com in between.

 

[Mirax]

I was a dance teacher for over 15 years, DO NOT BUY DANCE SHOES AT WALMART OR TARGET! They are made very poorly and because they are made incorrectly the teacher cannot properly correct the students feet which actually can cause injury. Dance shoes should fit snug, not to small but just right. Do not allow room to grow, again the teacher can not see the foot properly which could result in bad habits and injuries.


I always ordered from discountdance.com but I knew the size and make of the shoe I was ordering.
Payless has a nice selection of ballet shoes and tap shoes, not sure about jazz shoes. I do know that if they don't have your size you can order from them on line as well.

 

[ceecee]

Ask at her studio what kind they want and then drive to the dance store. Sizes vary from company to company and if you buy online you won't know if it's a good fit. Our dance studio has used shoes for sale the day of registration and I've seen new shoes for a few $.

 

[dsanner106]

It varies by brand name widely. you might get away with payless shoes initially but if she will do this longterm you need to make the trip to a dance store and find a good match. After that you can order that particular shoe online if you want but fit is very important.

Drew in Atl

 

[moonpie85]

I like allaboutdance.com because its free shipping both ways, always has discount codes, and tells you to either order over or under your street shoe size on each individual shoe!

 

[tlseege]

zappos.com
Free shipping there AND back. So order a few pairs, try them on, and send the rest back.

Best online shoe store EVER!

 

[Dizisfun]

I have to add that the dance store my daughter purchases from is a small private owned business....she buys both of her daughters leotards and dance shoes from them. It's just her way of helping to support this small business.

 

[chris31997]

Ask the studio where DD will be dancing what shoes she will need first. You will need to go to the place 45 min away to have her fitted. She may even get a discount from if that is the only place and the studio send all students there. IF not than AFTER all that you can order online at discountdance, but you will need to know what shoe and what size.

 

[scootch]

My girls 10 and 12 take jazz... they prefer foot undeez. They haven't wore the shoes for the past two years. They run small, so order larger size than needed. When they first started out, I bought ballet/jazz shoes at Payless.

 

[MsLeFever]

I buy for my kids at Discountdance.com. Great prices - nice variety of makes and models!

 

[tink576]

It's hard to buy dance shoes online if you don't know your sizing...they do tend to run off of typical sizing. If you do buy online though discount dance has great pricing and a great return policy, I've used them many times over the years. I'm at the point though where my size doesn't change so it's much easier to order new replacements.

 

[OperaMama]

If your D is just taking the class for fun, then I think you're fine going to Payless for a pair of jazz shoes. They should fit snugly, but since she's a soccer player, she'll be very aware of how the shoes feel and where her toes are (they should touch the end of the shoe). If she becomes serious about dance or takes a higher level course, then move to a better shoe if you need to. My D has been performing on stage since she was 11, and we never invested in expensive jazz shoes (she also had a nasty habit of leaving ONE shoe behind in a dark theatre after auditions!) but did spend $$ for her character shoes because of her high arches and narrow feet. Even now, as a senior in college, she buys her Capezio or Bloch characters on line be because of the big price differential and also because they don't stock the higher heel locally.
Spend your $$ on cleats at this point-there's really no way to economize in those if she's serious about the game- and see what develops from her interest in dance!