Can we talk shoes?

kw0205

Hi All,

I've recently started doing Zumba - love it, but my knees are not as happy as other parts of my body are. A friend suggested wearing Zumba or dance shoes - she said the sneakers grab the floor in such a way it may be bad on my knees (makes sense to me). So now the question is, which kind do you like? There seems to be a ton of choices out there, so any recommendations are appreciated. I have a wide foot and prefer to buy wides (even in sneakers) whenever possible.

Thanks (in advance) for your feedback!

missjeevious

new balance minimus, great for dancing and don't catch the floor- love em for step too!

dogacreek

My 1st & 2nd pair were Capezio dance sneakers - ugly as all get out. This last pair are Bloch dance sneakers - very pretty. :flowerforyou: Unfortunately, the Capezio are much better for MY feet. I'm about ready for a new pair, so I'm going back to Capezios. Go to a dance store and try on the shoes for the proper fit. If you wear a size 7 in normal shoes, you will probably wear an 8 in dance sneakers. I recommend not buying online for the first pair. Have fun! :happy:

kw0205

Trying them on in the store first is probably sound advice - I have an Amazon Prime account and I'm not afraid to use it, but prolly should not be so hasty here - LOL! I saw those Capezio sneakers and thought the same way - U-G-L-Y (and I'm a bit of a shoe 'ho, so it's hard to wear ugly shoes). But hey, if they're comfortable and do what you need them to do, I can get over that.

Thanks ladies!!

daphnemoon

I think shoes is such a personal thing - I tried using these funky split shoes dance shoes for Zumba but ended up with shin splints because they didn't offer enough support. If the class you go to is pretty aerobic-based with lots of jumps you have to be careful. I use a pair of Asics Gel Ayami which are really nice and light and offer really good support, I use them for Zumba, other dance classes and also body combat and body attack/weight training so they are pretty versatile!

WDEvy

Been using my Vibrams since beginning of January for Zumba but I've just ordered some Nike free 3.0 advantage. Minimalist shoes is a must for me.

salcha76

i use New Balance myself....but have heard Ryka is really good as well....

hmadrone

For dance, I like Nike Musique IVs. They have spin rings on the bottoms that make it easy to turn without wrenching your knees.

Also, if you aren't doing low impact, I suggest modifying to low impact as long as your knees are twingeing at you.

Heads90

Shoes are such a personal thing, so your best bet is most likely to go to a store and try several brands.... dance around in them, do what you have to for a good feel of the shoe, then select.

dogacreek

When I made my mind up to go back to Capezios, I did some research online. I am going to probably buy the white pair and paint them. I'm not sure what design yet, but anything would be better than the solid black or solid white. I have a girlfriend who is going to paint some canvas tennis shoes for me, so I may have her do the dance sneakers also.

Lexi507

I'm using the Bloch dance shoes and they are working great for me. I got them off Zappos which has free returns, and I did get a 8 when I usually wear a 7.5 or 7. They fit great.