A beginner's guide to Latin dance

For optimum comfort, choose flared heels. A flared heel is thinner in the middle and widens towards the bottom, helping to distribute your weight more evenly and providing greater stability while dancing. This particular structure helps prevent falls and maintain good balance, crucial for the dynamic movements of Latin dancing.

Flared heels are ideal for beginners because they offer increased safety and make it easier to learn basic techniques without compromising the style and elegance of your movements. By reducing the risk of imbalance, they allow beginners to concentrate on learning tricks without fear of losing their balance. What's more, their design ensures a better grip on the ground, essential for pirouettes and fast movements.

Heel height plays a crucial role, especially for beginners. We recommend starting with 5 cm heels. This height is ideal for gradually getting used to wearing heels without putting too much pressure on your feet. Lower heels allow you to learn basic techniques in complete safety, minimizing the risk of imbalance and fatigue.

As you gain experience, you can increase the height to 7 cm or more, depending on your comfort and ease. Higher heels offer a different aesthetic and can enhance certain dance techniques by adding length to your lines and accentuating your movements. However, it's important not to rush this transition. Take the time to adapt to each new heel height to avoid injury and maximize your comfort.

Choosing the right heel height from the start helps you build a solid foundation and develop confidence in your dancing skills. As you gradually progress, you can find the heel height that suits you best, balancing aesthetics and functionality.

Suede sole (Insole)

The type of insole is also essential. Opt for suede soles, which absorb perspiration and prevent slipping inside the shoe. Unlike the plastic soles of dress shoes, suede soles offer better grip on parquet and tiles, ensuring better performance during your dances.

Beginners usually dance in schools, where floors are often smooth, with parquet, linoleum or tiles. Suede soles are ideal for this type of surface. They offer optimum grip, reducing the risk of slipping and enabling more controlled, fluid movements. This grip is particularly important during pivots, turns and fast movements, which are frequent in Latin dancing.

What's more, the suede soles help maintain balance by providing light friction against the ground, which is crucial for beginners learning to control their movements. They also provide extra comfort by being soft underfoot, reducing fatigue during long dance sessions.

Strappy dance shoes

Strappy shoes are highly recommended for Latin dance beginners. Thanks to their adjustable straps, they offer optimal foot support, reducing the risk of slipping and loss of balance. This type of shoe allows beginners to feel secure while learning basic movements.

The straps provide additional stability, essential for mastering movements and pivots. By enveloping the foot, they enable confident dancing, especially on smooth surfaces like parquet, often found in dance schools. This style is also perfect for avoiding accidental slips, promoting faster progress.

Strappy shoes are also designed to conform to the shape of the foot and provide uniform support. This distributes weight more evenly during movement, reducing fatigue and helping to maintain balance. As well as being functional, they add a touch of elegance with their sleek, feminine design.

Dance boots

For beginners who prefer more support, ankle boots are an excellent alternative. They provide greater coverage of the foot and ankle, offering added stability, particularly useful for those who want to train intensively without the risk of missteps. Ideal for learning, booties also bring a distinctive, modern style.