My Ballroom Dance Shoes

I think all fathers dream of their daughters becoming beautiful ballerinas, and though dancer is a bit of an impractical profession, I always encouraged my daughter to follow her dreams. It started with a simple tutu and a pair of girls tights in second grade, but by sixth grade, my daughter Stefani was dancing in school plays, performances, and competitions.  When she turned 14, she went to a national dance competition, and won second place in her division.  I think it was then I realized that she had a real future in dancing, and I continued to encourage her every step of the way.

More than a decade passed, Stefani graduated from high school, then college, then moved to New York to pursue her dream. In a couple years, she was donning her ladies dance shoes in major Broadway plays, and then later joined the cast of Cats. I never felt so proud of her as a father than when she called me and told me she was going to be a part of Cats. It’s a great feeling, and it started with just a little encouragement!

In ballroom dancing, as in a relationship, you must maintain control of yourself, take responsibility for your own actions and safety and stand on your own two feet wearing great ballroom dance shoes. If you don’t, your success as a dance partner and the likelihood that you’ll excel with your mate on the dance floor is unlikely. A common roadblock of this nature is having control issues, offering an example from my own experience: “I used to be afraid to let go of my weight during the downward whoosh of the waltz, a hallmark of the dance. My tightly controlled body movements were preventing my partner from swinging fully, preventing us both from swinging and fully performing the whoosh. Eventually, in order for us to be able to successfully perform the dance together, I had to learn to let go of my dysfunctional need for control.” Because control issues can interfere with forward momentum and excellence when dancing, you have let go of them. If you don’t, your success is doomed, just like it would be in a romantic partnership.

Like any sport, people can get as much physical exertion out of ballroom dance as they want to. Its vigorousness runs the spectrum from the leisurely stroll of a slow West Coast swing to the heart-racing workouts of the galloping quickstep and jump-intensive jive.
Still, even seemingly slow dance styles can work up a sweat. In addition to a good workou, wearing really high heals will build your calf and thigh muscles. 2 1/2″ to 3 1/2″ high heel ballroom dance shoes is a great way to build up your leg muscles.

Ballroom dancing is a partner dance and in most situations involves a man dancing with a woman. This isn’t always the case but the simple question of whether ballroom dancing makes a man more attractive to women is what I want to get clear.
A quick scan of dance partner websites or a conversation with companies who run dance holidays will confirm that in the dance world men are in demand. In my mind there is no doubt ballroom dancing does make a man more attractive to women. Men and women can coordinate their outfits and look really great together when they wear patent leather dance shoes with the outfits.

Another reason why a man may well become more attractive to a women if he ballroom dances is the ‘look’ of ballroom dancing. Admittedly not all woman prefer their men to be groomed and polished but even the more rough and ready man, not unlike the author, can ’scrub up’ when the occasion demands and this can often have a remarkable effect on the fairer sex. Indeed looking smart may well be one of the main reasons why ballroom dancing makes a man more attractive to women. Looking smart includes wearing black and white ballroom dance shoes. These smart looking shoes look great dancing a hot and steamy Latin dance.

For as long as I can remember I have been aspiring to learn how to ballroom dance, but I have never had a partner who was willing to go with me. I have now been dating the same guy for over a year, and I was finally able to get him to breakdown and agree to go along. The first night we went I was so excited that I could barely contain myself.

Although he was well-intentioned, my boyfriend was far from an adept dancer. The first night we came home and I had to soak my feet for hours due to his misplaced dance steps. Before we went the next week, I decided to invest in some closed toe dance shoes for an extra layer of protection.

It is often noted that women are attracted to confident men. Ballroom dancing demands that a man be confident and in control after all it’s a man’s job to lead the dance and ensure he makes his lady look nothing less than fabulous on the dance floor.  Wearing men’s ballroom dance shoes will indeed make the men look fabulous and the confidence to make the lady look the same. Again this act will indeed make a man who ballroom dances more attractive to women.