10 Things That Happen When You Wear the Right Tango Shoes
Like with beauty and clothing styling, it’s easy to overlook tango shoes, especially since the dim lighting at most milongas conceals your feet.
The right pair of tango shoes, however, positively impact the quality of your dance, in these 10 visible and invisible ways.
Your Stability Improves
Core exercises can only do so much if you’re dancing in the wrong pair of tango shoes, as footwear that’s a poor match for your anatomy, flexibility, and skill level throws your axis, or natural center of gravity, out of alignment, even when you’re standing still.
Regardless of where you are in your tango journey, you shouldn’t have to fight for stability; the right, balanced pair of tango shoes ensure you don’t have to.
2. Your Develop a More Authentic Style
I got lucky with my first pair of tango shoes; after seeing how I struggled in a pair of suede Nine West heels, an experienced tanguera donated her used pair of Comme il Fauts to my cause.
The heels served me well as I took my first baby steps and experimented with how to dress at milongas, but their vibrant fuchsia color and hyper-feminine stiletto shape clashed with my personal aesthetic, anatomy, and comfort preferences as I developed.
Upon acquiring a new pair of tango shoes that aligned with who I was, I learned that when you look authentic, you feel authentic. And when you feel authentic, other authentic people gravitate towards you.
3. Your Energy Changes
A mismatched pair of tango shoes usurps your energy; they pull it away from your connection to your partner and towards the sensations around your feet.
Such was the case when I continued dancing in the aforementioned Comme il Fauts; it was unvoiced and invisible, but I was so preoccupied with not wobbling or falling that a teacher pulled me aside at a recent milonga and asked me to try on a spare pair of shoes she kept in her go-bag.
Her suspicions were confirmed, and I lucked out once again; her spare pair of shoes happened to be a better match, one that correctly realigned my energy towards my partner.
4. Your Confidence Improves
Nothing gives you a confidence boost like knowing your dancing is supported by a new pair of comfortable, balanced, and eye-catching tango shoes.
Argentine Tango is alive; your shoes should grow when you do.
5. You Level Up
The perfect pair of tango shoes provide more than just a placebo effect; they help you level up as well.
You’ll outgrow multiple pairs of dancing shoes as you progress through your tango journey. Outgrowing your tango shoes, however, has little to do with size; it might mean opting for a higher heel, less insulated sole padding, or multiple ankle straps as your muscle strength and flexibility improve.
6. You Feel Accomplished
Unless you’re lucky enough to nab a used pair of tango shoes with the right specifications, chances are you’ll have to pay retail price for a new pair.
And while a new pair means paying up to 250 USD, setting savings goals and eventually making a purchase helps you feel accomplished and financially secure.
7. You Feel Committed
The right pair of tango shoes is like a wedding band; they signal that you’re dedicated and committed, not just to the dance, but to your community and its health as well.
8. Your Motivation Improves
Motivation has two facets when you’re a learning tanguera – intrinsic, where your desire to learn is driven by personal needs, such as to improve your flexibility and mental health, and extrinsic, where external rewards lead the way, such as making new friends, meeting a romantic partner, and travel opportunities.
Like with grade school students who learn in modern, well-equipped classrooms, the right pair of tango shoes provides the stable, functional foundation needed to foster and maintain both kinds of motivation.
9. You Feel Inspired
The muse doesn’t exist in a vacuum; sometimes she needs to be coaxed with a little something.
The right pair of tango shoes, ones that pair beautiful design with comfortable, durable construction, inspire you to create new memories and learn new things with new and old friends alike.
10. You Keep Tango Alive
Tango for the sake of art and connection is romantic, but let’s be realistic here – milongas, studios, and fashion retailers all need cash flow to thrive, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic.
When you acquire the perfect pair of tango shoes, your money supports the livelihood of those who have created careers out of tango and extends the life of the tango communities they call home.
