My Disclaimer and other information.

I have created this blog as a tool for dancers and parents to learn about different dance shoes. If I had a dollar for every time a teacher told me to get a shoe or I had to cluelessly pick from a dozen models, I could retire happily in Bermuda.  I am not a career professional dancer, but I have danced my entire life. I have studied and continued to study several forms of dance. That being said, I have gone through a lot of shoes! I hope to one day teach before I destroy my body any more! I also apprenticed and worked in a custom leather shop in college, so I feel confident in sharing my opinions about leather quality, construction quality, etc.  I am a frequent Ebayer and professional costumer. While this blog is primarily focused on dance shoes, I will also provide reviews on figure skating boots.  Why have I been through and have so many shoes? Bad feet. My feet are almost completely flat, I've broken my arch, and also most of my toes through the course of my dancing. I have had nerve problems resulting in several cortisone shots in my feet.

And, I love shoes in general! What girl doesn't, right?

All that being said, here's my disclaimer:
This blog is the expression of my opinions and experiences.  It in no way endorses a specific product or condemns it.  It is one person's opinion. (I'm aiming for constructive, useful opinions). While I welcome comments and experiences, please refrain from any inflammatory remarks or language directed at anyone, period. That's not what we're here for.  And please, no comments with Viagra or other drug or "enhancement" products. 

I will list the following for each shoe posted:
*Brand/Model
* Price range (price based on current pricing from vendors I have used)
*Fit
*Quality
*Where to Buy/Service experiences with vendors used
*The features I liked/did not like about each

Another disclaimer:
You would think this is obvious, but to some people, it is not.  FEET ARE NOT STANDARD. Everyone has a different size/shape of foot.  And it matters, it really does.  Any time you can possibly get fit in person, please do so.  Sizing charts are a polite suggestion, but by no means a guarantee of fit for ANY shoe or skating boot.  I wear a size 9-9.5 ladies street shoe, US sizing.  I have a narrow heel and a wide, fan shaped foot with fairly square toes.  When I say wide, I am not kidding. I have hobbit feet.  I once had a skating boot retailer ask for three different traces, convinced that my foot could not be that wide across the metatarsal, and that I was messing up the trace. Things went a lot better when he realized that yes, that really was my foot.

I will list pricing as follows:
$ Inexpensive  $0-40
$$ Moderately Expensive $40-80
$$$ Expensive $80-150
$$$$ Very Expensive $150+

I have listed most of the pointe shoe makes and brands I tried over the years. Several I did not list as they are no longer being made or I was unable to find them online.  I will not list fit for these as initial fit is something that should really be done locally by a professional. I had most of my shoes fit in person, but tried a few online with mixed results. 

All in all, I hope you find this helpful and happy dancing!

Clogging Shoes: Ms Stomper with Stevens Stomper Taps $$

This was my first clogging shoe. I really like it. It has a hard leather sole with a shank, and while you can't do toe stands in it, it's a great shoe. The shoe is available in black, white, and red leather. I got the Stevens Stomper Buck Taps.
Quality: Great overall quality. The leather is a good quality, and the taps are great. All the nails were pounded in properly.
Price: $69.95 with taps installed.
Fit: I find them to be same as street, but Stevens Clogging has a great size graphic that helps you select a size.
Where to buy: www.stevensclogging.com, though I have seen them through other vendors and on Ebay.
Customer Service: Excellent. They tend to refer you to the size graphic for sizing, but they ship very fast and pack the product well. I was very happy with my experience and will order from them again.
What I liked: Durability, comfort, good taps.
What I didn't like: these run a tad narrow and are very pointy.

Irish Dance Shoes: Antonio Pacelli leather sole ghillies $$

I bought these as my utility ghillies. They are a leather ghillie with a harder leather sole.  I wanted something durable as my favorite ghillies are pretty expensive and I don't wear them to class often. I was not impressed with these. 
Quality: I was not impressed with the leather quality.  The pair I had seemed to be peeling in places after one class.
Price: $40
Fit: UK sizes, so the usual 1.5-2 sizes smaller than street shoe size. Again, I apparently have not learned my lesson and got these too big!
Where to buy: Irish dance vendors such as www.keilys.com
What I liked: The leather sole is very durable, while geared towards beginners.
What I didn't like: The leather sole hurt my foot right where it connects under the toes. I could feel the bulge. I wasn't happy with the leather quality either.

Flamenco Shoes: Gallardo Studio Leather $$$

Gallardo is a very respected name in Flamenco shoes. I had been wanting a pair of these for some time before I actually got them. If I had been smart, I would've checked into widths a bit more. Mine are a little narrow as a regular width.  This is a very stiff shoe and takes a bit to break in. I like Flamenco shoes a bit tight, but until the leather started to break in and soften on these, my feet looked like two sausages stuffed into the shoes. Flamenco world lists them as a professional level shoe.
Quality: Excellent.  The sole is stitched leather and the nails on the toe and heel are a professional quality. The leather takes a bit to break in. I expect to have these for a while.
Price: $180+
Fit: I take a 40, but even with liking a tight shoe, I would probably go to a 41 next time.
Where to buy: www.freedusa.com if you want basic black, 2" heel, and regular width, www.flamenco-world.com if you would like a wider selection of colors, heel heights, and widths.
Customer service: I got mine from Freed. While they are friendly and knowledgeable, they are still mainly a ballet supplier.  I would recommend Flamenco World. They accept Paypal, and the Customer Service is really good. Plus, the order form online is pretty extensive and offers a lot of options.  I ordered several items at once from them and didn't find the shipping to take too long from Spain.  I also felt their shipping rates were fairly comparable to what I pay here in the US, at least for what I ordered.
What I liked: Great shoe, very durable
What I didn't like: break-in time, width I purchased.

Ballet Shoes: Bloch Suprima $$

This was my favorite pointe shoe. It took a lot of abuse. While it was more on the narrow, tapered side for my foot shape, I still really liked the way it performed.
Quality: Decent shank. Not too stiff or too flexible.  These shoes tend to last a bit too. I didn't seem to have to replace them quite as often as others. The glue in the box seems to hold its shape for a while.
Price: $45+
Where to buy: most dance retailers that stock Bloch. www.discountdance.com
What I liked: Stable, responsive, comfortable.
What I didn't like: A little narrow.

Ballet shoes: Capezio Pavlowa Pointe Shoes $$

I had to list these as they were my first pointe shoes ever. They were the first shoe all of us got in town as there was one store and all they carried was Capezio and this one pointe shoe.  They used to be a scary cotton candy pink rather than the peachy European pink of a more professional shoe. These seem to be more pointed and tapered than most shoes.
Quality: If they're still making them like they did back then, you could probably run over them with a car.
Price: $40+
Where to buy: Most Capezio dealers. www.discountdance.com
What I liked: They were sturdy.
What I didn't like: At the time, the color. I was badly fit in an A width, so the outer part of my foot jutted out past the side wing of the shoe. It also caused me to knuckle over badly.

Ballet slippers: Bloch S0205L $

I got a pair of these just before I retired from ballet in 1998.  I STILL HAVE THEM.  I wear them for Middle Eastern dance now.  They are worn and starting to get holey, have no drawstring or elastics, but I can't part with them. I've had to file them a couple of times to get the studio floor snot off of them as they get kinda slippy. (I also wouldn't recommend getting too close to them at this point). These are your basic old-school pink leather, full-sole ballet slipper. I tend to like a full-sole over a split, but that's just me. Ballet slippers as a whole are great for Middle Eastern Dance, especially if you're like me and don't like to be barefoot on gross floors.
Quality: Good construction. As you can see, I've had them for a while, but Bloch seems to be very consistent about their construction.  I've worn a few different types of their shoes over the years and been pretty happy with them.
Price: Super Cheap! Typically around $12
Fit: Size guides say 2.5-3 sizes smaller than street.  I got a 7B and it works.
Where to buy: Any online dance wear company that carries Bloch. These are super-basic.
What I like: Cheap, decent leather. The fact that they have lasted forever. Reasonably comfortable.
What I didn't like: The fact that I will have to replace them before long. They also only seem to be available in pink.