Latin vs Ballroom vs Heels Class Shoes: What's the Difference?
The difference between Latin and ballroom dance shoes, and heels-class shoes, comes from the footwork each one is built for. Latin shoes are usually open-toe sandals with a flared heel for fast work on the ball of the foot. Standard ballroom shoes are usually closed-toe court shoes with a lower heel for heel leads and gliding steps. Heels-class shoes are usually ankle boots or strapped heels that hold the ankle through floorwork. Match the shoe to the class you take most often.
What are Latin dance shoes?
Latin styles such as salsa, bachata, cha-cha, rumba and samba are danced mostly on the ball of the foot. Latin shoes are usually open toe, with straps across the forefoot and an ankle strap. The common heel is a flare heel, angled toward the back of the foot; German dance-shoe maker Werner Kern lists the usual flare heel height as 5 to 7.5 cm (about 2 to 3 in) [1].
| Feature | Typical Latin shoe |
|---|---|
| Toe | Open, with forefoot straps |
| Closure | Ankle strap or cross strap with buckle |
| Heel | Flare heel |
| Dances | Salsa, bachata, cha-cha, rumba, samba |
Our Latin and ballroom sandals come in a 3, 3.3 or 3.5-inch flared heel, with a suede or street sole.
What are ballroom dance shoes?
Standard dances such as waltz, foxtrot, tango and quickstep use heel leads and long gliding steps. Women's standard shoes are usually closed-toe court shoes. Werner Kern describes the contour heel used on standard shoes as angled toward the center of the foot for heel steps, and its social heel at about 5 cm [1].
| Feature | Typical standard shoe |
|---|---|
| Toe | Closed |
| Closure | Court shoe, sometimes with a strap |
| Heel | Contour or social heel, often lower than Latin |
| Dances | Waltz, foxtrot, tango, quickstep |
We do not currently make low-heel standard ballroom shoes. Our closed-toe option is a pointed-toe pump with a 3.1-inch slim heel, offered with a suede or street sole, for classes and events that ask for a closed toe.
What are heels class shoes?
Heels choreography mixes walks, turns, poses and floorwork. Most dancers wear ankle boots or strapped heels that keep the heel in the shoe. A boot shaft limited ankle roll in a lab test of high-top shoes [2], but a 622-player trial found no difference in sprain rates between high-top and low-top shoes [3], so a boot is not a substitute for a heel height you can control.
| Feature | Typical heels-class shoe |
|---|---|
| Toe | Often open |
| Closure | Laces, often with a zipper |
| Heel | Slim or stiletto |
| Dances | Heels choreography, commercial, stage |
Most of our ankle boots come with a 3-inch slim, 3.75-inch or 4.33-inch stiletto heel. For a full guide, see how to choose dance boots for heels class.
Latin vs ballroom vs heels shoes: which should you buy?
| Your main class | Start with |
|---|---|
| Salsa, bachata, Latin | Open-toe Latin sandal, flared heel |
| Waltz, foxtrot, tango | Closed-toe standard shoe |
| Heels choreography | Lace-up ankle boot |
| Mixed social nights | The shoe for the dance you do most |
Sizing and care
- Sizing: measure your foot length standing and compare it with our size chart. Your heel should stay in the shoe when you rise onto the ball of the foot.
- Heel height: start at the lowest height you can control for a full class and move up one step at a time. Forefoot pressure rises with heel height [4].
- Suede soles: keep them indoors and brush the floor side when they get flat or sticky.
- Heel tips: heel protectors cover the tip and protect studio floors; ask your studio whether they are required.
See all Latin and ballroom shoes, classic pumps and dance boots.
🎁 Get 10% off your first order—enter discount code QUEENALIA10 at checkout.
Sources
- Werner Kern Tanzschuhe. Heel shapes. werner-kern.com
- Ricard MD, Schulties SS, Saret JJ. Effects of high-top and low-top shoes on ankle inversion. J Athl Train. 2000;35(1):38-43. PubMed 16558606
- Barrett JR, Tanji JL, Drake C, et al. High- versus low-top shoes for the prevention of ankle sprains in basketball players. Am J Sports Med. 1993;21(4):582-585. PubMed 8368420
- Speksnijder CM, vd Munckhof RJ, Moonen SA, Walenkamp GH. The higher the heel the higher the forefoot-pressure in ten healthy women. The Foot. 2005;15(1):17-21. doi:10.1016/j.foot.2004.10.001
