Tango Footwear and Feetcare

Tango feet - they are always hurting, and they are always in view. So footwear must be comfortable and beautiful. But shoe makers still dont get it. Most shoes out there are neither comfortable not pretty. What's a dancer to do? This advice is probably useful only for beginners.

Tango is typically danced in shoes with leather bottoms. Women wear shoes with three to five inch heels and with straps to keep the shoes on feet. Men use pointed toes leather lace-up shoes with leather soles. There is an endless variety of shoes designed specifically for tango dancers. Find shoes that support your feet, don't squish your toes, and are comfortable enough to dance in for several hours.

Suede soles are suitable for most dance floors – resin soles are recommended for very slippery dance floors only. Patent leather shoes tend to stick to each other so you may want to avoid these unless you're very confident. You can make the 'sticky' effect less by polishing the patent leather areas with vaseline.
Suede shoes are usually flexible but get scuffed easily.

Use pads (Dr. Scholls foam pads or Spenco) to make long hours in shoes more comfortable. Ballroom dance shoes are not suitable because they have little to no support and suede soles.

For practices and lessons you can use Jazz sneakers or dance practice shoes, or even just socks.