How can I tell whether my Irish Dancing soft shoes are the wrong size?

Question

I bought second hand shoes from a girl at my class and although they don't feel to small the sole really hurts the balls of my feet when I'm dancing. Does this mean that they're too small? I can't tell because my previous shoes were so battered that they didn't even have a sole(!) so I'm not sure if it is just because my feet aren't used to it.

Answer 1

you can tell if they are too small when your feet dont fit into them, doh!

Answer 2

Here, This might help

Irish Shoes

Irish "soft shoes" are called ghillies for girls/women and reel shoes for boys/men.  Soft shoes are required for all Irish dance classes.  [If you are a new beginner and do not yet own Irish soft shoes, you may dance the first two classes of a session barefoot.  However, all students are asked to please have the appropriate footwear by the third class of a session.]



Ghillies should fit snuggly so that the dancer's foot may show a clear point without extra material sagging in the toe or the arch of the foot.  These shoes will stretch.  (Kids' feet grow, too, so yes it needs to be snug, but don't fit a child's foot too snuggly.)  Click here for a printable handout of lacing and tying instructions for your new ghillies.  The Hullachan website also offers an instructional video of this.  [Some of the information in the Hullachan video conflicts with the Teelin handout, specifically about the option of wrapping the laces underneath of the arch.  Food for thought.]



Irish "hard shoes" are required of all students Level 2 and above, and possibly part way through the year for Level 1 students at an instructor's discretion.  Teelin recommends that student purchase hard shoes with either the Concord heels and tips or the "high tech" heels and tips.  These are available from several different brands.



Most Irish dance shoes use UK sizing.  Check with the vendor for size conversion.



Maureen Berry recommends Fays Irish Dancing Shoes.  Her preferred ghillies are the "Soft Shoes - Platinum Suede Soles", and her preferred hard shoes are the "Ultra Flexi" or the "Super Flexi" shoes with suede soles and high tech tips and heels (squared tips, if ordering the Super Flexi).  That said...



Different shoes fit different feet differently.  Therefore, there are many different opinions of "the best" brand of Irish dance shoes.  The shoe that a dancer feels is most comfortable will be that dancer's definition of "the best".  Flexibility in a shoe is important because it allows a dancer to point as sharply as possible.  This is true for both soft shoes and hard shoes.  Shoes with suede soles tend to be more flexible than those with the tan leather sole.



Here are a few ways to check comfort, fit, and functionality when trying on a new pair of shoes.  These tips work for both soft shoes and hard shoes:

    1.  Stand in dancer's fifth position.  This will help check the fit across the width of the shoe.

    2.  Walk around on tip toes, as high on the ball of your feet as possible.  This will help check the flexibility of the sole and the comfort across the back of the heel.

    3.  Do a few toe points.  This is a good way to check fit in the toe and across the arch.



The following links are some popular Irish dance shoemakers and suppliers.  Sizing and fit tend to vary quite a bit across the brand names.  If a dancer has a particularly wide or narrow foot, talk to the instructors and other parents of more experienced dancers who may have experienced pros and cons of the various brands for those "tough to fit" feet.

    Fays Irish Dancing Shoes

    Rutherford Irish Dancing Shoes

    Antonio Pacelli Irish Dance

    Corr's Irish Shoes

    Hullachan Irish Dancing Shoes & Highland Dancing Shoes



Attending a feis (Irish dance competition) is a great way to shop for shoes, as most feiseanna in our area feature at least one shoe vendor.  For more information about feiseanna, or to check the schedule, please visit our Feis Information pages.



Maureen Berry highly recommends purchasing Irish dance shoes either at a feis or online.  Fit and functionality are very important, and the companies that sell only Irish dance shoes know their craft.  It's worth going to the specialists instead of general dance supply stores.

Answer 3

My daughter's current shoes are second (or third) hand.  The insoles crumbled and fell out.  I salvaged the pieces, bought some Dr. Schol's insoles and cut them to fit.  She remarked how much more comfortable they are.  If they aren't binding your toes, they should be the right size.