Amazing

I took my first tap class in forever a couple days ago and have come to a conclusion: after wearing them for almost a year, my tap shoes still aren't broken in. They are a lot better than they were when I first got them but they're still really hard. So instead of complaining more, I decided to go on a quest (ok, Google search) to find something I could do to my Miller and Ben shoes to help soften/stretch without killing them.

• Do not bend or break them in as you would with pointe, character and some brands of tap shoes. This is said to cause the heels to break off of some styles of the shoes.

• Wear them around the house. A lot. Of course, you will need to wear socks or tap wraps over them if you have floors that are easily scuffed or scratched or if you have pets that shed.

• Some people suggest to wear them in the shower. Even though this is how the Army breaks in their new boots, I strongly disagree with this method unless you need the shoes extremely soft extremely quickly. Still, there is a high chance that you will entirely ruin the shoe especialy if they are not solid black.

• Wear a very thick pair of socks, stand on a wood floor, and do a series of very fast simple steps like toe-heels, heel-toes, flaps, toestands, etc. for about ten minutes. Once the shoes are slightly stretched (this usually takes about 10-30 minutes depending on what brand shoe you are wearing and how much your feet sweat) put on another pair of socks over the first pair and repeat. Stuff the shoes with socks or newspaper while not in use. Note: this does not have to all be done at one time. If you prefer, you can tap for 10 minutes a day in your thick socks every few days adding a pair until the shoes are sufficiently stretched. Also, test the shoes with whatever you will normally have on your feet under them for your performance or class. If this is tights or bare feet, it might not take much.

• If the part of the shoe that covers your heel is very narrow or hard, follow these instructions before wearing your shoes to break them in. Place the heel of your palm on the bottom of this part of the shoe (close to where the heel and leather meet) while holding the shoe around the sole with your other hand. Press the leather down and forward with the hand on the back of the shoe and release after a few seconds. Do this multiple times with each shoe to soften the heels and make them easier to put on the first few times.

• Invest in a good metal shoe horn especially if you have very hard or professional grade tap shoes. This will be better for the shoe than untying them, shoving your foot in causing the leather behind your heel to bend or using your fingers and your hands will hurt a lot less.

If you have any other tips on breaking in dance shoes of any kind or have a topic that you would like to read about, click the link below this post that shows a number and the word "comments" to leave a comment on this blog.



Stay on your toes,



Selly