Why "ballroom dancing" or "Latin dancing" shoes are not suitable (for dancers/followers)
I see five major reasons:
- Latin dance shoes (salsa type shoes) are too flexible for tango practice, this harms the essential balance of the dancer and causes fatigue,
- the "split of leather" sole (kind of coarse "suede") grips the ground too much, which is dangerous for the knees because of the multiple "slow" pivots that the tango dancer performs - except on a ground that would be ultra sliding,
- the foam present under the metatarsals is too thin and not at all shock-absorbing enough , which has an impact not only on the joints of the foot but also on all the joints of the vertical position. Due to the "milonguero" posture of the couple dancing the Argentine tango, the weight of the dancer's body is much more on her forefoot - therefore on her metatarsals - than for ballroom dancing
- often the heel is not high enough,
- and... they don't have the tango look . The dancers/guides are not mistaken! Many will hesitate to invite a dancer who wears such shoes and whom they have not yet seen dance, thinking that she is a beginner.
These defects are also found in brands of tango shoes whose design dates back several years and which have not always been able to evolve with the latest innovations in podiatry.