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Where and How To Buy Your First Pair of Ballet Shoes

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Do you need to buy a pair of ballet shoes but you are not sure where to look or find a pair?

You can buy ballet shoes from a dance wear store, your dance studio, online, second hand or even get free hand me downs from a friend or relative!

I was a dancer for many years and am now a dance mom, and I have bought, begged, and borrowed plenty of ballet shoes during my time and am here to give you the best tips on how to secure yourself a pair!

WHERE TO BUY BALLET SHOES

There are six main ways you can buy or get ballet shoes for you or your child and I will go over, how to buy or get them from each and the pros and cons in each of the the following sections.

1. Buying Ballet Shoes From a Dancewear Store

The first step in buying from a dancewear store is finding one.

You might search online, ask at your dance school or look in a dance magazine for stores.

Before going it might be best to call and check that they have a good range of ballet shoes in stock in the size you will need for you or your child and that they have several brands to try on.

You might also want to ask when the best time to come in is so that you know you won’t have to wait to be served.

A good fitting will include the salesperson measuring feet both for length and width and choosing styles of shoe based on this.

Make sure you let them know of any requirements from your dance studio or class such as color or sole type or your preference for the material.

Make sure you also know their return policy in case you need to return or exchange the shoes for any reason.

PROS TO BUYING BALLET SHOES INSTORE
Your child will be fitted by someone who has the expertise and experience of fitting children with ballet shoes every day.
You will be able to try on different styles, materials and sizes to get the perfect fit.
Physically putting the shoes on will let you see how the shoe fits.
You get the chance to ask the sales person about the process of fitting ballet shoes so you have more experience for next time.
The shoes are easier to return or exchange before they are worn if there is a problem.
CONS TO BUYING BALLET SHOES INSTORE
Flagship stores will only sell their own brand of shoes and these may not be the best fit for you or your child or be out of your price range.
If buying for a child, the sales person may influence you to buy a ballet shoe that fits now with no room to grow.
Some stores or sales clerks will be under orders to promote or get rid of certain styles, brands and shoes or get a better commission for selling certain brands and might push these on you.
You often walk in the door intending to just buy a pair of ballet shoes and walk out with tights, leg warmers, a bun kit, warm up booties and more!

2. Buying Ballet Shoes From Your Dance School Teacher

Buying from your dance studio and school will guarantee you get a shoe approved by them and can be very convenient as you don’t have to make an extra trip to the store.

But when buying shoes from your dance school my best advice is to set up your fitting appointment as early as you can before your child’s class.

This is because your dance teacher may not have the cash flow to have a huge inventory of shoes or if it is the beginning of the year, may quickly sell out in certain styles or sizes.

And if it is 10 minutes before class and you promised your child for example ballet shoes then you might have to buy a pair that only just fits, or are canvas instead of the leather you wanted for example.

Generally, your teacher will buy from one supplier and in bulk.

Our first dance teacher would buy in bulk from a manufacturer in China.

My now four-year-old is still wearing the shoes my nine-year-old had when she was four so they were good quality, but I can remember they were a little too big in width and as the lesson was about to begin and I had promised her ballet shoes, I purchased them.

Another time I again didn’t organize to get ballet shoes earlier for my then 9-year old I ended up buying a pair two sizes too big, because our teacher didn’t have a size smaller in stock.

The shoes fit ok, but were a bit puckered and bunchy. But as her class was that day and we live in a small town with the nearest dance store over an hour away and ordering in shoes was going to take a few weeks I purchased what she had.

This is not going to be everyone’s experience, but try and make your appointment for your shoe fitting with your teacher a few days before the next class so if you do need to try a dancewear store you will have the time to do so!

PROS TO BUYING BALLET SHOES FROM YOUR DANCE SCHOOL
They will be the right style, color, and type for your studio.
Your child will be fitted by someone who has the expertise and experience of fitting children with ballet shoes.
You will be able to try on different sizes to get the best fit for your child.
Physically putting the shoes on your child will let you see how the shoe fits.
You get the chance to ask your teacher all about the process of fitting ballet shoes so you have more experience for next time.
CONS TO BUYING BALLET SHOES FROM YOUR DANCE SCHOOL
Dance Studios and teachers tend to buy in bulk and only one brand of shoe from one manufacturer as this allows them to offer this service to you in a cost-effective way.
They may have limited sizes and widths available as they are not a store – and you might have to wait for them to order in shoes in your child’s size.
If they don’t have the size you need, but your child needs the shoes immediately you may have to just get what they have at the time, meaning you might have to buy another pair sooner rather than later.
You and your teacher might disagree on the best fit, creating conflict between you.

3. Buying Ballet Shoes From A Department Store

Target, Walmart, Costco, TJMaxx and Kmart all sell ballet shoes for kids.

They are generic and made to fit the most common feet sizes, made in regular shoe sizes, so they appeal to the most people.

They are generally not made by a company with alot of expertise in making ballet shoes.

An example of what I mean is the brand Danskin.

On their flagship website they don’t even sell dance shoes, they sell dancewear, but they are the brand behind many toddler and kids’ ballet shoes in department stores.

As a prior dancer and dance teacher, I would advise if your child is serious about dancing to skip the department store and buy your shoes from the other sources written about here.

However, if your child is only attending one class a week and you are not sure if they are going to stick with ballet or dance then these shoes may be a great option for you!

These shoes are also perfect to go with a Halloween or book week costume where your child will wear them out on the pavement rather than be used in an actual dance class.

PROS TO BUYING BALLET SHOES FROM A DEPARTMENT STORE
Convenient
Reasonably priced
Easy to return even sometimes if used.
Large range of sizes and stock
Sturdy and good for play and outdoors
CONS TO BUYING BALLET SHOES FROM A DEPARTMENT STORE
Generic and mass-produced
Can be stiff and not as flexible as shoes from dancewear stores
Not as much choice between sole types and material
Not always the right shade – too pink

4. Buying a Pair of Ballet Shoes Online

The following are some examples of shoes you can buy and order online. They are in order of apperance from Bloch, Capezio and the last one is a new brand Stelle.

(Please note the above are affiliate links which means if you choose to purchase through our links we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

To buy a pair of ballet shoes online you have several choices in the way you do this.

You might have been recommended a certain brand or have read many reviews about them and so if you go straight to the brand’s flagship website you should be able to buy a pair online from them directly.

Another way of buying ballet shoes is through a third-party website such as Amazon or eBay.

The great thing about these sites is that you get to read reviews by purchasers of the shoes which will help you decide which ones to buy.

Buying from an online business means the manufacturer can relay the discount of being an online business to you in the low cost of their shoes.

PROS TO BUYING BALLET SHOES ONLINE
Convenient
Reasonably priced
Can buy without leaving your house
Large range of sizes and stock
Simple to reorder once you find a great fit, seller, and brand
CONS TO BUYING BALLET SHOES ONLINE
You are not able to try them on before purchasing
Returning shoes can be a headache
Color may differ from what you saw on your screen
Sizing might differ when received to what was advertised
Have to wait for shoes to be delivered or posted
Not always the right shade – too pink

5. Buying Second Hand Ballet Shoes

There are several ways to get your hands on some second-hand shoes.

The first way is to ask your ballet teacher if they know of any parents selling them.

They might send you to a Facebook Group set up specifically for the purpose or have a storage bin in the studio that you can go through and give the money to the teacher who passes it on to the original owner.

Some sites such as CraigsList or Gumtree are also good places to search for second-hand shoes and there are Secondhand Dancewear Facebook Groups in most major cities as well!

You can use our fitting guide in our article How to Measure, Fit & Buy Ballet Shoes for Toddlers & Kids: Complete Guide to make sure they fit your child properly before agreeing to the purchase. In some cases if the person lives near you, you can try them on before handing over the money too!

Hand me downs are great too.

Let family members and friends know that you are on the lookout for ballet and dance shoes.

My sister regularly gives me all of my niece’s preloved leotards and dance shoes if they are still in good condition and I keep all of my eldest dance shoes to pass onto my younger daughter as they generally are worn out as her feet grow too quickly for that!

Even if they don’t fit perfectly now, these hand-me-downs can be stored for later and make a great backup for if things go wrong before a recital or ballet exam for example.

PROS TO SECOND HAND BALLET SHOES
Shoes are already worn in and comfortable
Reusing helps the environment
Budget Friendly
Can be convenient and easy to obtain if at your dance school.
CONS TO SECOND HAND BALLET SHOES
You are not always able to try them on if purchasing through an online listing
You can’t return the shoes, you need to onsell them if they aren’t right for you!
Can be unhygienic if shoes are not in great condition.
It can be time-consuming finding what you need.

6. Hand Me Downs

Hand me down ballet shoes that are in good condition are a great way to get a pair of ballet shoes.

Let family members and friends know that you are on the lookout for ballet and or dance shoes and in what size.

My sister regularly gives me all of my niece’s preloved leotards and dance shoes if they are still in good condition and I keep all of my eldests’ dance shoes to pass onto my younger daughter as they generally are never worn out as her feet grow too quickly for that!

Even if they don’t fit perfectly now, these hand-me-downs can be stored for later and make a great backup for if things go wrong before a recital or ballet exam for example.

PROS TO HAND ME DOWN BALLET SHOES
Shoes are already worn in and comfortable
Reusing helps the environment
Hand me downs are often free
If sized too big can store for later use!
CONS TO HAND ME DOWN BALLET SHOES
You are not always given exactly what you need.
You can’t rely on hand me downs – an older sibling may wear through the shoes and they might be unusable for further use.
You might need space to store them, and may even forget you had them in storage until it’s too late.

How much will a New Pair of Ballet Shoes Cost?

A new pair of ballet shoes for your child can cost anything from $15-$50 US taking into consideration the brand and materials used to make the shoe.

If you are buying second hand expect to pay $5 to $20 depending on the brand, material and wear and tear of the shoe.

Which Brand Of Ballet Shoes Is Best To Buy?

At the end of the day, the best brand of ballet shoes will be the ones that best fit your child.

But that isn’t very helpful to you, is it?

There are lots of brands of shoes out there that you can buy and so choosing can get quite confusing, especially if you start looking online.

There are some really cheap shoes out there, but many find that after a few wears they start to fall apart and so having a bit of an idea of quality brands before you buy is always helpful.

Some top brands found in most dance stores are:

Capezio, Bloch, Grishko, Freed of London, Sansha, Wear Moi, SoDanca and MDM

All of these companies have been around for a while and take pride in their product.

Feel free to choose some ballet shoes for toddlers and kids from our recommendations below they are in order from Bloch, Capezio and the last one is a new brand Stelle sold on Amazon.com All the links are affiliate which means if you make a purchase we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps us to keep this website up and running!

Further Reading