Pole Dancing Shoes: Buying Guide

Pole dancing shoes are an essential part of pole dancing. Without the right shoes for your dance, you might find something lacking in your overall attires.

Pole dancing shoes seem a small part of the dance but it might be the most important. They convey your personal style and how you interact with the pole. Not only that, the right footwear will also make your pole work much more comfortable, protecting your skin from bruising, scrapes and carpet burns.

Pole dancing shoes

The standard model of shoes you should go for is the 6" stiletto heels with star lights. The reasons for investing is these high heels are:

* These shoes really stick to the pole. Pole shoes are a lot more grippy than bare feet, so you should find climbing or inverts such as the fang become a lot easier.
* The shoes are designed for dancers and are extremely comfortable. They have padding on the insoles and a curved end to help you pivot gracefully around the pole.
* Because they’re relatively heavy, pole shoes can help you get a deeper stretch across your legs when you invert. You should also be able to get a little extra momentum on spins when you kick out.
* Pole shoes will improve your posture and general ‘grounding’ as you walk around the pole. They also force your calf muscles to work harder – in essence you are on tip-toes the whole time.
* They make you look goooood. A pair of these shoes will do more for your legs and bum than 3 months at the gym!

More on pole dancing shoes

7" silver cone clear platform sandalPole shoes come in a wide range of heights from 3 to 10 inches (and beyond!). If you’re not used to walking in heels, start off with a lower platform. (Also if you’re a tall girl like me you’ll probably want to stick with shorter heels. I tend to go for 4" platforms to stop me towering over everyone else in the room.)

Avoid shoes with big buckles or metal studs on them as they may damage the pole or your feet.

If you choose a pair without an ankle strap, take two pieces of ribbon and thread them under the shoe arches, then up and around your ankle and tie securely (similar to doing up a ballet ribbon). This will make the sure the shoes don’t get kicked off in an aggressive spin – not good for you or any bystanders!
Respect your shoes

You may find inverts become difficult again the first time you wear pole shoes because of the extra weight on your feet. In fact it’s a good idea to take off your shoes when you’re learning a new invert or strength move – not only will it make the move easier, but if you land a little harder than you expect you won’t run the risk of spraining your ankles.

And make sure you don’t take a chunk out of your leg with your new 6" heels when you do the seated spinner or similar moves. You now have some potent pieces of footwear attached to your legs – respect them accordingly!
The emperor’s new shoes

Though pole shoes are great, many people find they are most comfortable pole dancing in bare feet. Particularly if you’re just starting out, getting the hang of moving round the pole is often enough without worrying about balancing on high platforms at the same time. And having bare feet is a good option:

* Though not as good as pole shoes, skin sticks incredibly well to the metal pole. It’s a much better choice than fabric or many plastics.
* You’ll get a lot more feedback through your body, helping you learn how much pressure you need to exert on the pole for each move.
* You will get to know the ‘feel’ of the pole much more quickly, helping to build confidence in your ability to perform new and existing moves.
* And, of course, there’s no danger of you scratching your pole.

Trainers

Leather trainersIf you going to be pole dancing for extended periods of time I’d recommend wearing plastic-coated or leather trainers. Libby and I wore these when we were filming the Pole Exercise DVD, and we often taught in them at the end of four hours of back-to-back classes when our feet were aching!

As well as being very comfortable, plastic-coated trainers do stick a little to the pole and will protect your feet from bruising. They won’t give you as much grip as bare feet or pole shoes though, so you may want to ditch the trainers if you’re learning something new. I’ve found that Adidas and Puma do a great range, though make sure they are fully plastic or leather and have no fabric on them (some like these or these).
Dance shoes

Professional dance shoes such as jazz shoes or blocks will give you almost no grip on the pole. They provide a great challenge for intermediate and advanced pole users, but would be very difficult – and probably quite disheartening – for you if you’re just starting out.
Shoe emporia

Some online footwear outlets to get you started.

* Pleaser USA [US] Manufacturers of the pole shoes featured above and many, many more besides, all illustrated with lovely pictures (wholesale only)
* Pleaser UK [UK] Same shoes, less good website
* Icon Shoes (aff.) [UK] I’ve bought in bulk from this company and find they offer competitive prices and good quality products
* Icon Stilettos (aff.) [US] Icon Shoes in the US
* Heels For You [US] Another US company with a wide range of shoes (and lots of yummy pictures)
* Amazon.com [US] Pleaser shoes on Amazon
* BananaShoes [UK] Site with a huge range of shoes, boots and other gear too (recommended by Shelly)
* High Heel Place Not a shop, but a “place where all the people in the world who like high heels can come together and share their thoughts.” Reviews, galleries and an active forum. Definitely worth a look if you’re seriously into your shoes.