There are many different types of sandals which can be used. There are sandals that are designed with the styles used for hundreds of years and sandals with more modern designs. There are even specially made sandals that are specifically designed with the dancer in mind. Sandals are good for outdor dancing, tribal dancing and for historical renactments such as dancing for SCA and Ren Fair events. To the right is a picture of a pair of dance sandals. To the left are two different everyday leather sandals.
Ballet Slippers
Ballet slippers are good for dancing on a stage especially if someone else has already danced on the stage. If you've danced. For those who have been in the middle or end of a show I'm sure you will be able to relate to this and for those of you havn't keep this in mind. We all know that coins, beads, sequins, charms, tassles, etc... fall off of our costumes during performance and if your the tenth dancer out there could be quite a build up of these potentially paiunfull objects on the stage. Ballet slippers altough they don't provide absolute protection from these do offer some protection to your feet. If you like dancing barefoot, these are pretty close to the same feeling they are flexible and light so they don't confine and prohibit your foots movement.
Chinese Slipers
Often Renaissance Festivals have gravel roads or dirt roads covered in wood chips, these can be quite painful to walk or dance on as well as dirty. These simple Chinese slippers are great in these cases. They have enough of a sole to protect you feet from the uneven jagged roads and when your done you can take off and throw them in the washer (usually! depends of the type of fabric their made of). Plus they are simple enough not to be "out of period" for those who are sticklers on their local Ren Fest and SCA guidlines for costuming. To the right you can see an example of these shoes.
Aladdin Slippers
You've all seen these in cartoons and old movies and shows they are those funny pointy toed shoes that they always had the sterotypical arab wearing. Altough they are not usually seen much anymore you can get them from some Indian shops. They are great for comedy as well as "I dream of Jennie" looks. They also work well for male dancers costumes.
Shoes fromIndia
I love wearing these shoes when I dance because 1. They can usually be obtained for $8 - $12, 2. They are highly decorative, and 3. They come in every color imaginable. The pair on the right are a typical design done on a machine; while the pair on the left are a higer quality, hand made pair. The only bad part is that sometimes the soles are to smooth and you have to sand them down a little so they can create friction between you and the stage or you'll go sliding around like your on an ice rink. Altough sometimes it makes dancing on carpet easier if you wear mor slippery shoes
High Heels
If you want to dance in high heeled shoes I reccomend buying the ones made for dancers as they are easier to work with. But if you buy a sturdy pair it souldn't matter too much. Some pople say it's easier to dance in heels because then your already on the balls of your feet. High heels will generally be used by caberet dancers unless your doing a fusion of MED with flamenco or gypsy in wich case you may or may not see heels then. I can't recall ever seeing a tribal dancer in heels, mostly, because to keep the earthy feel of the dance they try to stay flat footed. To the right is a pair of plain black dance heels.
