What Are Zumba Shoes?
One of my Zumba participants walked into Lady Foot Locker and asked for Zumba shoes. The LFL sales team looked confused and responded, “What are Zumba shoes?”
How embarrassing! Someone is willing to walking into an athletic shoe store and drop $60 to $110 USD on a pair of dance shoes and the sales team at a store like Lady Foot Locker doesn’t even know what Zumba is?
In an athletics store, you are most likely looking for Nike Musique athletic dance shoes. Ryka also makes a couple of styles of athletic dance sneaker, Ryka Studio D and Ryka Sync, and from what I’ve seen, they are similar to the Nike Musique. This type of shoe is used by cheer and dance teams at the high school and college levels so they are somewhat easy to find. They are attractive athletic shoes, but obviously not built for most sports. You’ll find them on the edge of the athletic shoe section, not mixed in with the running shoes. Because they are not common, they are also easy to find on the clearance rack if you are a bargain hunter.
There is also currently a Nike shoe called Nike Huarache. It is more of a hip hop dance shoe so you might find it mixed in with the street wear.
If you have access to a dance studio or dance supply store, look for Capezio or Bloch athletic dance sneakers. These sneakers are also worn by dance teams and instructors so they are easy to find. Capezio and Bloch sneakers usually have a split sole which allows more foot flexibility during dance training and performances. To me, the split sole takes away some of the stability of these athletic dance shoes. The split sole is why I personally chose NOT to wear them for Zumba – I need stability and support. However, I do know plenty of people who DO wear them for Zumba.
In stores, you will pay about $30 USD for Zumba shoes on the clearance rack. Full price, Zumba shoes will cost $60-$110 USD. Online, you have more options and better prices. You will find Nike Musique and Huarache and Ryka Studio D and Sync online. Discount dance supply stores sell Capezio and Bloch athletic dance sneakers online.
I hate to order shoes online, but I like online shoe store prices so I use a little trick. I go find the shoes I want in a shoe store, try them on, and make note of the size, style, and color. Then I go home and order the same shoes online. It take a little more time, but I think it’s worth it.
If you have a favorite brand or style of shoe that you use for Zumba, I would love to hear it!
Filed under Zumba, exercise, group fitness | Tags: aerobic, aerobics, athletic shoes, bloch, capezio, Dance, dance shoes, Fitness, group, group fitness, group fitness instructor, huarache, instructor, musique, Nike, nike huarache, nike musique, Nike shoes, ryka, shoes, studio d, sync, what are zumba shoes, Zumba, zumba gold, zumba instructor, zumba music, Zumba shoes | Comment (0)Where to Buy Dance Shoes
I did it. I broke down and bought a pair of Nike Musique IV dance shoes for Zumba.
There are a wide variety of dance shoes available online, but I had been hesitating about making a purchase. I personally don’t like to buy shoes online for several reasons:
1. I like to try shoes on.
2. I don’t like to pay for shipping.
3. I’m afraid I won’t get around to making returns.
4. I rent an apartment, which can make receiving shipments difficult.
So last week, when I found a pair of Nike Musique IV dance shoes on a clearance rack at Famous Footware, I decided it was time to buy. The pair of dance shoes I found are metallic grey and cool blue – a little more flashy than I would like, but you get what you pay for. I paid $40, which is about a 30% discount off the $60 regular price.
My advice for those of us who are not online bargain hunters, watch for dance shoes on clearance racks at stores like Famous Footware, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, or regular sporting goods stores. They are out there and you will find them, sooner or later…
Also see my “Sticky Shoes During Zumba” and “Best Zumba Shoes” and “Good Dance Shoes for Zumba” posts.
Good Dance Shoes for Zumba
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I wear 4-year-old Nike Shox that are in good condition to Zumba. My new running shoes have too much traction for Zumba class and the soles are too big and bulky – I kick myself. My old Nike Shox are lighter, but the footprint is still large and cumbersome. I know that others in my Zumba classes are struggling to find the right Zumba shoes because class often sounds like a basketball court – full of squeaks as their Zumba shoes stick to the dance floor.
Tonight, I participated in a Zumba Master Class with Tony Witt, nationally acclaimed Zumba instructor. For the occasion, I pulled out my old pair of Nike Zoom Waffle running shoes. I think I may be on to something…
I was originally introduced to Nike Zoom Waffles in high school cross country. I trained in standard Nike runners, but raced in Waffles. Cross country shoes are like track and field shoes, without the spikes.
I loved my Nike Zoom Waffle running shoes so much, I also wore them as dance shoes during high school pom and dance team practice. They were attractive, light, flexible, and low profile – perfect for dancing.
When my first pair of Nike Zoom Waffle running (and dancing) shoes broke down, I bought a new pair. I quickly found out that new Nike Zoom Waffle running shoes had far too much traction for dance. I had worn my previous pair enough to wear down some of the traction on the ball of the foot – all this new shoe-traction made turns very difficult. I wore the new shoes daily to get rid of traction for practice for my university dance team. Practice was held on a rubber gym floor, which made turns difficult enough.
The pair of Nike Zoom Waffle cross country running shoes I wore tonight as dance shoes are the same shoes I wore to dance practice in college several years ago. The ball of the sole is worn nice and smooth.
My conclusion is that Nike Zoom Waffle cross country running shoes work well as a aerobic dance shoe – AFTER you break them in and wear down some of the traction on the sole. Cross country shoes are a relatively inexpensive athletic shoe – especially if you can buy youth or boys’ sizes. Avoid track and field shoes, which are very similar, but have spikes.
Of course, there are athletic shoes designed especially for dance. Look for a circle or concentric circles on the ball of the foot of the sole of the shoe to identify atheltic dance shoes. Also see my “Best Zumba Shoes” and “Sticky Shoes During Zumba” and “Where to Buy Dance Shoes” posts at Rencsi.com for more information.
