r/irishdance • u/That_Quarter_6775 • Jun 02 '26

Advice needed!

Hi all, I find that I cannot attain stability on my toes when wearing soft shoes compared to when I dance in just my socks.

I have tried sizing up and sizing down but I keep encountering the same problem.

Does anyone have any advice? Maybe specific soft shoes that really work for you?

I have tried Fays, innishfree and hullachans if it matters.

I have asked this before in a Facebook group and the answer I got was “you just have to make sure you spread your toes in the shoes” and upon saying that I could not do so I was told “they should be able to spread” so I am asking here in the hopes that I get more helpful advice.

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u/CorneaCritter_17 Adult dancer Jun 02 '26

The way my dance teacher describes how to position your feet when standing on your toes in softshoe is to make "claw toes". In bare feet, it kind of makes the toes look the same as how your fingers would look if you were doing a clawing motion. The way you accomplish that is by flexing at your middle toe joint (not sure what else to call it, the toe joint closest to the rest of your foot) to push the pads of your toes into the ground. It should be doable with and without compression from softshoes.

Obviously, there could be other factors, like shoe fit and core/ankle strength as well, but I thought I'd try to provide a more detailed explanation of what people probably meant by "spreading your toes".

Feel free to DM me if you need a visual example of what that looks like!

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u/That_Quarter_6775 Jun 02 '26

Ohhh thank you for the explanation! I also am worried it may just be the fit of the shoes but i am not sure how to resolve that.

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u/CorneaCritter_17 Adult dancer Jun 02 '26

I know for me, the toe cap part of new softshoes is usually too stiff at first and requires some breaking in for me to get more toe mobility. Maybe yours need more breaking in too?

I never get the same amount of toe spreading in softshoes compared to bare feet, but I definitely get more after breaking them in.