1. Jazz Shoes Need to Keep Up the Pace
Jazz dancing requires dance shoes that can keep up the pace. Jazz is a dance form with high energy and lots of action. Beginning students usually wear the standard jazz shoe. It looks like a flimsy lace-up shoe in tan or black. Better quality jazz shoes are made of soft leather with a thin rubber sole. It stretches and eventually molds to the shape of the foot, so it needs to fit snuggly with no extra wiggle room. These shoes are thin to allow for extreme flexibility in foot movements. The basic jazz shoe also comes in a slip on elasticized style, making it easier to get on and off quickly.
2. Options For Advanced Jazz Students
Advanced jazz students get more particular about their jazz shoes. Variations on the basic jazz shoe is a leather shoe with a suede sole that allows sliding across the floor, or the jazz boot, which is the boot version of the jazz shoe with lacing up to the ankle. Jazz dancers get really attached to their jazz shoes, it's not unusual to see jazz shoes taped all around holding them together.
3. The Jazz Sneaker is a Big Hit
The jazz sneaker has been a big hit in the jazz shoe world. Many of the big names in jazz shoes, including Capezio, offer a great selection of jazz sneakers. These look like a thin athletic shoe that allows for jazz dancing flexibility. The middle section is less structured than a standard athletic shoe, as it has strong elastic in the mid section. There's more arch support and it offers more protection to the sole of the foot. These come in ankle and boot styles. There are more color choices in the jazz sneakers, which adds to their appeal.
4. Modern Jazz Dance Shoes
Jazz dancing combines with other styles of dance requiring some changes in dance shoe selection. Modern jazz dance may require the need of a dance shoe that's traditional jazz or a lyrical sandal strap. It's a soft suede strapping that covers the ball of the foot, leaving the toes open. Another choice is the flat character shoe. These are a soft leather shoe with the toes closed in, the side sections cut out and either elastic or a soft buckle at the ankle with a thin leather sole and low heel.
5. Know Where to Look For Your Jazz Shoes
Dance supply stores are your best sources for purchasing quality jazz shoes that dancers need. Some of these stores carry their own brand of jazz shoes that are excellent quality, such as Bloch and Capezio. Many other dance shoe manufacturers offer top quality jazz shoes as well, including Art Stone, American Jazz and Danshuz.
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