If you look online today you will see a number of dancers wearing shoes to bellydance. Yes, you can dance with barefeet to bellydance but it is not wrong or taboo to wear shoes while doing so either. For me personally, I like the look of the shoe in terms of lines and I have also been in situation where wearing shoes have kept me from stepping in broken glass or onto something squishy (food yuck!)
There is no right or wrong shoe for bellydance but I wanted to offer up a few options in this blog post. Also, just in case you thought there were only two options- barefoot or heels.
– One type of shoe is the ballet slipper. Most dancers that I have seen will wear the nude version BUT they also come in silver and gold and then can match your costume colors too!
– Another type is called a foot sole. It has a strap or two on the front but allows for the bottom of the foot to be covered. It gives the look of a mostly bare foot
– I have myself worn toe soles for a stage performance where the chance of stepping on something is smaller but I wanted to be sure that I had full motion for turns and spins. They are barely noticeable, especially on stage.
– My favorite option is the ballroom heel. They come in all sorts of styles and colors and the heel heights range from 1 inch to 3 or 4. The suede sole allows me to grip the floor and still “feel” it.
– You can also wear heels if you choose. If you feel comfortable in the shoe and have full range of movement, there is nothing that says that it has to be a ballroom shoe. I know of some dancers who have had their heels turned into ballroom style by having a suede sole put in.
The whole point is to feel comfortable. If you have no problem dancing barefoot and haven’t had a bad experience like I did, then go ahead! If you’d like to wear shoes but heels scare you then feel free to try out some of the options I have mentioned. If there is something that I have missed, please feel free to comment below!