Pro Tips: Breaking in New Dance Shoes

Whether you're hoping to rock a killer pair of heels for your wedding or you decided to invest in some new dance shoes for your Argentine Tango lessons, shoes can be a nightmare to break in. Proper shoes can make or break a dance, so at Dance FX Studios, we recommend breaking them in (especially wedding shoes) long before you actually need them.

**Note: If you're into Country dance or taking Swing dance lessons, you're probably not going to need to break in strappy heels. However, I suggest practicing in your favorite pair of cowboy boots or going out shoes! Even if you don't need to break in a new pair of shoes, your legs and feet will want to get accustomed to dancing in them :)

Here are some helpful hints for these rough times ahead. Power through, though! A real pair of dance Latin dance shoes will make your Salsa dancing that much easier, I promise!

Vaseline and olive oil

One of the biggest problems new shoes brings are blisters. If you have a pair of strappy heels, rub a little olive oil along the inner lining of the straps before you put them on. This can lesson the friction between the shoe and the delicate skin on the top of your foot. Another option is to apply some vaseline on any part of your foot that will rub against the shoe - under the straps or on the back of your heels. The same concept applies! It won't solve all problems, but it will keep the blisters at bay while the shoes stretch out.

Socks and blow dryers

If your shoes are a little too tight, grab your thickest pair of socks. Wear your thick socks under your shoes and take a blow dryer to them. The heat from the hair dryer can help stretch out difficult shoes.

Ice packs

Here's another nifty way to stretch out a pair of too-tight shoes. Fill two ziplock bags with water and place them in your shoes. Pop them in the freezer over night, and the water expansion will gradually loosen your shoes. Big help!

Liquid bandage and blister covers

If your shoes are still giving you trouble and you get a blister, help the blister heal with some liquid bandaid or a blister cover. No matter how much you break in your shoes, sometimes you just need to break in your feet. They will eventually callous over, causing your feet to be UNSTOPPABLE. Seriously, if you get callouses, no shoe will phase you.

Dance FX Studios has a full time staff of instructors helping people grow through private social dance lessons and group dance classes, so we know a thing or two about dance shoes. But, if you have a shoe tip that we missed, let us know in the comments! If you're in the greater Phoenix area and want to rock your first dance on your wedding day, or just want to get comfortable and confident on the dance floor, come by and see us! We offer Two Step, Tango, and everything in between. Located just off the 60 and the 101, we are easy to access from Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Phoenix, and Scottsdale. Grab your new shoes and let's get dancing!