Heels Info

Ready for your first pair of heels? We’re here to help!

Purchasing your first pair of heels can be overwhelming. With so many brands, styles, heights, etc. it can all seem like too much. We want to ensure your first pair is something you love and will feel comfortable wearing.

Shoe Brands

Although there are many shoe brands out there, these are a few of our favorites.

Best for Beginners

7 inch or 8 inch platform, closed toe, shiny pleather, low calf ankle bootie

For our first pari of heels, we want a moderate height platform, good material for climbing and closed toed allowing the most coverage for our body parts while we’re learning .

A great example of this shoe is the Pleaser Flamingo 1020.

* If you have known body ailments, choosing a lower platform height may be best for your physical safety. These platform heights are a recommendation for those who are not currently experiencing any back, knee, hip or other bodily concerns.

Types of Shoes

Let’s talk about the different types of shoes and go over some common pros and cons. This guide is based on the opinions of a variety of dancers but that does not mean our recommendations will be a perfect fit for you. We encourage you to try all sorts of shoes to find what you like best.

Stiletto vs Boot

Shoe Material

shiny pleather | matte pleather | suede

We recommend shiny pleather for beginners as it will assist with sticking to the pole. Matte pleather will not stick to the pole and suede heels actually make climbing more difficult as it is more slippery than skin on pole.

Stiletto Ankle Strap

no strap | plastic | pleather

Closed Toe vs Open Toe

Since most shoe brands do not carry half sizes, we recommend an open toe shoe for anyone who wears a half sizes. This will allow you to size down (if that is a better fit) without your toes feeling cramped.

Boot Shaft Height

ankle | low calf | mid calf | knee high | over the knee | thigh high

Boot shaft height will depend on your personal preference. Although it can make things easier or more difficult, low calf, mid calf and knee high are a very similar style and great for beginners.

Heel & Platform Height

6 inch | 7 inch | 8 inch | 9 inch

Most brand heel heights range from 4 inch to 10 inch but we recommend somewhere in the middle. Beginners tend to lean towards the 6 inch heel and while it does seem more practical it is more difficult to maneuver. As the heel heigh raises, so does the platform height. Because of this, the 6 inch incline of the foot is steeper than that of the 7 inch. We’ve found that the steepness of the incline for your foot actually decreases consistently between the 6 inch and 9 inch. For this reason, we recommended starting with a 7 inch heel or an 8 inch heel.

Some brands, like Pleaser, have styles with thicker heel width (xtreme) while other brands, like Hella, offer heel styles with no actual heel at all!

Disclaimer: If you have medical concerns regarding heels, please do not purchase higher heels. We would recommend beginning with the 6 inch to see if dancing in heels is reasonable for your body.

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