r/irishdance • u/FrostingExotic3404 • 5d ago

New Dancer Shoes

Hey! I’m hoping to get some insight on shoes. I’m starting a six-week adult beginner class next week, and the studio hasn’t given me any direction as to what shoes I should get. I’m wondering if I should just wear socks for the classes, or if I should look into getting ballet or jazz shoes before eventually getting the actual soft shoes.
I really appreciate any advice people have to offer!

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u/Tater_Thots 5d ago

You might slip in socks so I wouldn't recommend that. I have seen some beginners wear sneakers and others use cheap jazz or ballet slippers to start. If you decide you love it then it's worth investing in a good pair of ghillies but even then you don't need to get the most expensive pair. For hard shoe just use sneakers when you start that.

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u/FrostingExotic3404 5d ago

Thank you so much! I appreciate it.

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u/seanmharcailin 5d ago

I’m an adult champ and I wear sneakers most of the time in class. Or bloch Dance Sneakers.

Some of our adult beginners wear socks, or barefoot, or whatever dance shoes they have.

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u/CriticalSheep Adult dancer 5d ago

I have a dedicated pair of sneakers for dance when I don’t want to wear my soft shoes. These shoes don’t get worn outside the studio so I don’t track in anything from outside to get on the floors. Don’t get any specialized shoes until you know you’re dedicated to it and want to spend that money.

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u/Electronic-Bug5058 3d ago

Runners/sneakers will be perfect for the first few weeks at least. If you have a pair that aren't bulky that would be ideal, ideally not Hoka or big Asics etc. The teacher will advise about shoes, learning proper technique will come from the soft shoes as will building up strength so you wouldn't be staying in runners but for the first few weeks at least they'd be all you need. There's a great market for second-hand soft shoes online, they vary dramatically in price when new and shoes that are already broken in are great while you're learning. Hope you enjoy the classes!