First of all, let’s dispense with the myth that there is one right tap shoe or brand or style that everyone should get. That’s like saying everyone should wear one particular brand and model of sneaker.
Having said that, there are some rules of thumb to follow when choosing tap shoes and we are going to go over what those are.
Rule #1
Don’t buy really cheap tap shoes.
Generally anything under $40 is not worth buying. They usually either fall apart or hurt your feet. Tap dancing is supposed to be fun, and it’s hard to have fun when you’re tap dancing in shoes that are poorly made. In fact, here are some actual quotes from reviews of a $23 women’s tap shoe at a popular online retailer: “Horrible Quality.” “Would Never Buy Again.” “These Are a Mess.”
Now the reviews weren’t all bad but really, why would you want to gamble on this? Generally anything above about $50 is okay but tap shoe quality varies widely, even within the exact same model. I’ve had students have the entire heel come off their tap shoe while another student had the exact same pair of shoes and had no problems at all. The rule of thumb is that the more you pay the higher quality you are likely to get – just like everything else in life!
Rule #2
Comfort is king.
I can’t emphasize this enough. If the shoes are uncomfortable DON’T BUY THEM! I will make a small exception for shoes that are just a little stiff. But just a little. It’s true the leather will loosen up and break in over time but if you get some really stiff shoes you may never make it to the point where they loosen up because they are just hurting your feet too much. Remember you’re stomping your feet against the floor over and over so you want something as comfortable as possible right off the bat.
Too stiff is bad but too flexible can cause problems too. There is a style of tap shoe called split sole which has just a really thin piece of leather under the arch connecting the toe and heel of the shoe. Now some people LOVE the feel of these shoes. They are super light, very comfortable, and they give you a lot of control over the shoe. They also have very little padding on the bottom of the shoe. If you are light on your feet these may work for you, but if you tap hard like I do, or if you’re not a particularly delicate tapper you may want to consider something with more padding, or get a slightly bigger size and put a gel insert in them (I use gel inserts in my shoes).
Also because they are so flexible, scrunching or flexing your toes can significantly change the angle of the toe tap and some people don’t like that. The bottom line is to find something that feels as comfortable as possible right off the bat.
Rule #3
Make sure your toe taps touch the floor.
This sounds a little ridiculous I know, but you’d be surprised how many people contact me to ask about this exact problem. If you set a brand new tap shoe flat on the floor and look closely at it you’ll notice that only a very tiny bit of the toe tap actually touches the floor. So when you try on a pair of tap shoes, tap your toes against the floor to make sure enough metal is hitting the floor to give you an audible sound. Sometimes the rubber behind the tap is just too thick and other times the curve of the tap shoe is just too extreme causing the toe tap to barely hit the floor. Granted most shoes will loosen up over time resulting in a little more of the tap hitting the floor, but if I were you I wouldn’t take a chance.
Rule #4
Pick shoes with a sound you like.
This may surprise you but I’m not particular about the “sound” or “tone” of my tap shoes. I know that’s blasphemy in the tap world but it’s true. Let me be clear, I believe in using all the different parts of the shoe to get all kinds of different sounds, but my toe taps don’t have to have a special sound or tone. My only exception to that is that I hate taps that have been loosened. This is a personal thing and I’ll admit that loosened taps are generally louder because they let the taps “ring” more. Unfortunately they also make it nearly impossible to consistently control what tone you get from your taps. A loosened tap can ring ten different ways from the same type of strike.
Having said all that, I know there are many beginners (and pros) who are VERY picky about the tone of their shoes. And that’s fine. If a certain tone bothers you, move on and find a different shoe. The only sound I recommend you stay away from is a “quiet” one. Some shoes are just naturally quiet. You do not want a quiet shoe. The whole goal of tap dancing is to make sound! And don’t let a salesperson tell you they’ll get louder once you break them in. Maybe they will and maybe they won’t, but if they don’t you’re stuck with a quiet shoe. The bottom line is to find tap shoes with a sound you like.
Rule #5
Mind your Achilles.
Some tap shoes have a V-shaped notch cut into the back of the shoe where it rests against your Achilles. That notch is to make sure the shoe doesn’t cut into your Achilles, especially when your heels are up off the floor. If a shoe doesn’t have a notch it doesn’t mean it’s a bad shoe, but you need to make a mental note to lift your heels up and down a few times with the shoe on to see if you feel like the back of the shoe is cutting into your Achilles. If it is, even a little bit, don’t buy the shoes. I’ve seen students’ feet literally bleed from their shoes cutting into the back of their Achilles. I’ve personally taken a pair of scissors to the back of a pair of tap shoes to fix that exact problem. Like I said, if they cut into your Achilles, don’t buy them.
Rule #6
Try doing toe stands in the shoes before you buy them.
Now I know this won’t apply to all of you, but if you are a person who wants to do toe stands, try doing them in the shoes you’re thinking about buying. Some shoes don’t bend enough in the arch to allow you to balance up on your toes. I’ve had students who ended up with shoes that couldn’t do toe stands and then they were frustrated every time their routines called for them. If a salesperson tries to tell you that once the shoes break in you’ll be able to do toe stands, don’t count on it.
So there are your 6 rules of thumb for choosing tap shoes. Now people always ask me what shoes I wear so here’s a list:
Currently: Jason Samuels Smith shoe by Bloch
Pros: sturdy (hasn’t broken yet), HUGE toe taps (the biggest I’ve ever seen), plenty loud, very comfortable
Cons: heavy, heels are a bit high for me so I had them cut down, did I mention heavy?
Previously: Capezio K360
Pros: light, comfortable – in terms of fit, not in terms of padding, easy to do toe stands
Cons: not so sturdy, not much padding, very expensive
Previously: Capezio Tap Sneakers (Oh yes I did!)
Pros: comfort, comfort, comfort (when I was teaching 25 hours a week comfort meant A LOT)
Cons: no arch support, curved heel taps that are dead quiet, too much rubber on the side of the shoe which makes hoofer’s shuffles and wings harder to do.
Previously: Converted sneakers and dress shoes (I added taps to them)
Pros: Comfort.
Cons: They always fall apart, they’re generally heavy, and they also sometimes feel weird on your feet. I do not recommend going this route.