Tango Shoes:

Improve Your Mobility, Protect Your Joints

Tango shoes can be a significant investment, but choosing the proper shoe will allow you to pivot smoothly, which in turn makes your knees, hips, and spine happy and allows you to dance longer. Pivoting is essential for follows early in the tango journey, but after the beginner class series, leads begin to actively pivot too.

Things to Think About

Dancing in heels is biomechanically interesting. Check out Physio Dancer for some tips on how high a heel is too high and how to fit follow shoes.

• https://youtu.be/CTbbO_WjrTM?si=mmSWJwHBCTi3gkN1&t=73

Want to look at multiple brands?

The following vendors sell shoes in leaders’ and followers’ styles:

• https://www.axistango.com/ (All shoes here are acceptable for tango)

• https://www.strictly4dancers.com/ (ONLY the following brands: Tangolera, Necesita, Nueva Epoca, Moveimento. The other brands on this site are for other forms of dancing.)

Leader Shoes in Women’s Sizes

Leading with small feet? Fulana’s got you! (There’s a Fulana retailer in Denver. If you’re interested in trying on some Fulanas, let me know and I’ll connect you.)

• https://fulanashoes.com/

Wide Feet?

Regina makes shoes with a wider footbed. They also make a slim model.

• https://www.reginatangoshoes.com/

Have a Tricky Foot to Fit?

Mr. Tango makes custom tango shoes for leaders and followers based on drawings of your feet. Be mindful to watch all of the videos and follow the instructions carefully. Ask around in class, several of our dancers have purchased from them!

• https://www.mrtangoshoes.com/en/home

Looking for that Cinderella Moment without Returns?

Tango on the Rocks is a tango festival in Denver, held yearly over labor weekend. They bring in master instructors, attract friendly and accomplished attendees, and provide retail space for tango shoe and clothing vendors. This is the most local event to play Cinderella at and find your perfect fit. Stay in touch here:

• https://www.tangoontherocks.com/

Interested in Used?

There are MANY pre-owned tango shoe shops on Facebook. Here’s one to get you started:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435754810025580

On a Budget?

Amazon carries dance shoes for beginners. While they aren’t known for longevity, if you’re new to heels or not sure you want to invest in high end ones, they can be a great place to start. Search for “Dance shoes” and check to make sure the shoe has a suede or leather bottom. (Because I can’t personally vouch for any of these options and have seen many of them fall apart very quickly, no direct links are included here.)