Question on Heel High for Latin Shoes

R

Riva

New Member
So I'm going to be getting Ray Rose Latin shoes and I was trying to choose between 2.5" or 3" heels. I know that higher heels could lead to less hip action and may be hard for some people to use, but I have had lots of experience in ballet, so being on the balls of my feet is something I'm very used to. I also have fairly strong feet. I also tried on 3" heels once and it didn't feel significantly different. I also could still rise high on the balls of my feet. I currently have 2.5" heels (I think?) and they feel low, and they also look fat (I don't know why). What heels do you think I have from the picture?image201302210001.jpg
 
Those look like 2.5 inches to me. Supposedly the Ray Rose shoes have a heel placement that makes them feel not as high compare to other brands, so you could go for the 3 inch ones, I think. I have them and they feel fine to me. Helps add to a nice long leg line :)

Another option you could take is going to a slim heel, but you probably wouldn't want to get ones that are both higher and slimmer. I don't have any experience with slim heels, so maybe someone else could offer their thoughts.
 
I have a ballet teacher who converted to ballroom after her pro ballet career finished and she actually said that heels are worse for her feet then being in pointe shoes. At least in pointe shoes there is a fairly straight line between the toe contact with the floor and the ankle. So I would not take for granted that strong feet in ballet will translate to ease in latin heels - though it's most definitely going to help.

I wear RR slim heels, and I would not recommend them for a less experienced dancer in latin. There is much less surface area between the flared and slim heel in the RR line, so you have to have a lot of control and precise placement of your feet for stability.

The heel in the picture looks really low to me. I'd almost guess they were 2" heels, but it's hard to say without seeing the entire shoe and having some type of size reference in the pic. You can take a ruler and measure it.
 
I also think that these are 2''
I can't post the link :rolleyes: but have a look on the /guide/heel_guide on RayRose Website, it is very helpful.
 
oh those shoes aren't ray rose, but very fines and I think that style only comes in 2" slim or 2.5"
veryfineshoes[.com]/S9235BC2TanLightLeather <- i think its that style, not sure. I didn't buy them for myself.

Also, ballet is not just pointe, but also sometimes demi pointe (which is more like latin). I personally don't feel any discomfort in latin shoes. And I was going to go with flared for the more surface area reason too.
 
Those look like 2" to me. Check out what height they are - if they're 2" you may find that going up to 2.5" is enough. I wouldn't assume that ballet experience necessarily reads across - the stresses through your foot and ankle are different for Latin because the foot angle is different. In any case I would try on a few pairs of varying heel heights and designs to see what they feel like if possible. I find that heel shapes and style are at least as important as heel height actually. I wouldn't recommend slim heels for someone who's not that experienced with Latin, and a comfortable style that fits your feet well is probably the most important of all.
 
I wore 3" kalahari slim heel but when I switched partners in November I had to go down to 2.5" (and him up to 2") to even out our height. My ankles and toes are a LOT happier in the 2.5". I still prefer the look of the higher heel especially in slim, but the longevity of my joints was something I started to consider more seriously as I am getting older..... Lol ;-p
 
Personally, I actually think that you should NOT go to 3 inches, precisely BECAUSE of your ballet experience, and not just because demi-pointe is different than wearing heels... I think a very hard concept to master for ballet dancers who make the switch to ballroom is to stay grounded and into the floor, instead of light and up like you do in ballet.

Lower heels might help you to stay closer to the ground, and make it easier to stay grounded, whereas higher heels might only enforce the "bad" habit of dancing "up" in latin.

EDIT: yes i think they're 2" also, so a good compromise might be to go for a 2.2 or 2.5 heel, just not all the way up to 3.
 
I find Latin in 3" heels to be quite difficult. I can walk in them just fine, and I do AT in 4" heels, but I find Latin most comfortable in 2.5"...even though I love the look of 3" heels. If you you can try some on and dance a little in the store just so you get a feel for it, that would be a really good idea. I agree that the pic looks like 2", so a 1" increase would be huge.
 
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