How to choose Flamenco shoes
What makes a shoe a “flamenco shoe"?
A flameco shoe has a sturdy wooden heel, nails on the bottom of the toe and heel, a steel shank and steel toe, and for professional models, a hand-stiched sole. There are many options from material, heel style and height and models.
A little information about Flamenco..
Flamenco is an all embracing magic world binding together dance, music, singing and rhythmic hand clapping.
The Flamenco dance, apart from being the most significant contribution to the Spanish culture, it is also the most complete and fascinating kind of performing art.
Dancing the flamenco sets you absolutely free converting your body into the stentorian voice of your soul.
It allows you to freely express all your emotions through your body movement (happiness, sorrow, enthusiasm, pain, relief etc), enabling the musicians (singer and guitarist) to perform at their best and boost energy and satisfaction for your audience.
Dancing either on amateur or a professional level, you definitely need a carefully handcrafted pair of flamenco shoes in to order to be able to give a thrilling performance and let your dance legacy have an extraordinary impact on others.
In Flamencista, you can always find a flamenco shoe option for you! Continue reading...
SO.. HOW CAN I PICK THE RIGHT ONE FOR ME?
There are 8 characteristics that make a flamenco shoe, the 'ultimate one'...
#1. COMFORT
Comfort becomes critical when it comes to a good pair of flamenco shoes. Wearing a comfort shoe will boost your confidence on stage and help you remain fully concentrated every single moment of your performance. This is why, all flamenco legends are using fully custom-made shoes adjusted to the shape of their feet for maximum comfort and top performing results.
#2. CORRECT SIZE
Getting your size right online may be challenging most of the times. Despite the conversion tables you may find on the internet or provided by the flamenco shoe maker, please note that many of them are generic. This means that they are not always accurate as they don’t take into consideration the special shape of your feet (e.g. low arch, bunions etc). Another factor that could possibly affect the fit is that Spanish sizes follow the old Spanish sizing system and therefore flamenco shoes are normally bigger than standard EU/US sizes.
I. Wide (A) /Extra wide (AA):
If you think that you have a fairly wide feet, then you most probably need custom footwear (extra wide shoes or extra extra wide in the front) to accommodate the shape of your feet. For example, if you are a nice and clear Flamenco shoe size 38 in length, you may need to have your shoes made with a width of size 39 (wide) in order to ensure a max comfort when dancing.
Try always to provide as many details as possible to an experienced online customer representative who will guide you through the whole process trying to ensure the best possible fit.
II. Rounded toe box:
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The most basic and traditional shoe shape is the rounded toe. This can be quite spacious and therefore very comfortable allowing extra room for your toes. Especially if you have broad or wide feet so that you avoid your fingers getting squished together which can be painful and prevent you from performing the flamenco at the best of your ability. |
You may compare the difference between normal round toe and more rounded toe box in Don Flamenco shoes:
#3. SOUND QUALITY
Dancing the flamenco is like producing high quality audio music with your feet practicing the flamenco footwork (Zapateado).
A flamenco dancer sets the pitch for the signer, establishes the mood of the singer setting also the tone and rhythm for the guitarist during the whole performance.
Therefore, a loud and deep flamenco sound is a critical success factor for creating a crystal clear, enjoyable and memorable flamenco experience for your audience.
A typical flamenco shoe always comes with numerous nails on both toe and heel.
Therefore, it can enable you to produce sound and you should acquire the flamenco footwork in order to adjust the produced sound to all different flamenco styles (palos).
The sound quality is rather an acoustic result of the overall construction using the finest materials than just the nail feature.
#4. ELEGANCE
THROUGH AN IMPECCALBE DESIGN..
A thrilling performance is always “what we produce” in terms of sound, emotion, energy and aesthetic pleasure. There is no doubt that elegance of movement depends on an impeccable shoe design that will speak our poetry with each movement. Try to choose the flamenco shoe design that makes you feel safe, secure and stable during the performance. A strapped flamenco shoe is an all time classic choice you will never regret as the leather strap can be always to your fit for great stability when dancing.
#5. MATERIAL
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(I) Normal Leather: If you are looking for flamenco dance shoes you will use for everyday practice then you may find leather as the best option for you. Leather by nature is more durable and dirt-resistant comparing with suede which is more delicate.
(II) Fancy leather: If aesthetic is of top importance, you can opt for a patent leather or a snake leather color which can help you make a goodfirst impression on the stage.
(III) Suede leather: If you have bunions you may find suede bunion friendly as they can eventually take the shape of your feet. A suede cleaning brush is an essential tool to help maintain your suede shoes in good condition. You can use the suede brush to remove dirt from suede after wearing and to re-fluff the suede pile. |
#6. HEEL SIZE AND TYPE
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(I) Classic|Normal style: Heel height and style are important for comfort and stability depending on your flamenco level of experience. As a rule of thumb a classic/normal 5cm – 5.5cm is most recommended by most flamenco shoe makers in Spain. (II) Cuban (Cubano) heel style: Beginners or dancers of the amateur level may find low cubano heel 4cm more comfortable for long practice sessions providing them with greater stability. 4cm is the standard heel size for Cubano heel. The Cubano heel provides your foot with a wide base of support while practicing the flamenco footword or performing on stage. You can also find cubano heel 5-5.5cm as a more sensual option with all the advantages of the Cubano heel style. (II) Carrete & Semi-carrete style: It is true that higher heels appears more feminine, fashionable and make women look more attractive. However, when it comes to the flamenco dance it could probably compromise stability or make the dancing experience “too- tiring”. Based on the feedback of professional flamenco dancers the higher heels cannot provide great stability due to heel inclination angle comparing with normal or Cuban heel style. |
#7. WITH NAILS OR WITHOUT NAILS
A typical flamenco shoe comes with nails on toe and heel for practicing or performing on a wooden floor. If you need an anti-slip effect for dancing either on tiles or cement, you can ask for a pair of flamenco shoes without nails. Experience has proved that sometimes nails can damage a certain type of wooden floor so you may be instructed by your flamenco teacher to buy flamenco shoes without nails as a proactive attitude to any possible dance floor damage in your Flamenco school.
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#8. FOOT PROTECTION
A proper flamenco shoe should take good care of your feet and ensure you can dance for a lifetime without any problem. It is always recommended to choose flamenco shoes which are handmade using leather material for both the insole and the re-inforce in front and back part of the shoe. This can enable shoe to work as an anti-shock absorber with extra cushion for your bounces and prevent pain from the ball of your feet and heel.
Why Choose Flamencista?
1. Wide variety of state of the art flamenco shoes
An authentic flamenco shoe that can ensure comfort, durability and top sound quality is made in Spain.
Choose always a flamenco shoe which is the result of incredible shoe craftsmanship and experience.
100% handmade and custom-made in Spain using traditional shoe-making techniques and the finest materials you can only find in the local Spanish market.
The result is truly stunning..
Elegance, comfort, durability and top sound quality
Take a look into the handmade process of making your flamenco shoes:
2. Peace of mind ordering online | Free replacement
For these reasons, you need an experienced personal customer representative of the online flamenco eshop of your choice, they will try to double check all the information provided on your order.
In other words, he/she will try to compare your measurements with your actual EU/US street shoe size and your current Spanish flamenco size.
So, when you decide to set aside a considerable amount of money to get a pair of flamenco shoes, you should only choose to buy from an online store that has a return policy guarantee in the unlikely event that shoes don’t fit well.
This can give total peace of mind that you can return (assuming only the return shipping cost) and get a fresh new pair at no additional cost.
READ MORE ABOUT OUR RETURN POLICY >
3. Lowest shipping cost worldwide | Flat shipping rate
In Flamencista we ensure the lowest shipping costs worldwide for all our Flamenco products.
We help you to achieve logistic optimization and save on shipping charges by offering a flat shipping rate based on your total order value.
Now you can enjoy and get the most out of your online shopping experience combining shipping for multiple items (1,2,3..or more)
and from different product categories (e.g. shoes, skirts, castanets etc ) with a minimum fixed shipping cost for the total number of items per order:
4. Word-class customer service 24/7
In Flamencista Dancewea, we provide the best Flamenco-Balet products
at unbeatable prices topped only by a world-class customer service.
We have many customers who have been extremely satisfied with the quality
of our products and our customer service and are happy to talk about it.
Here is what they say about us:
Customer reviews link: https://www.flamencista.com/