Shoes are an essential accessory when dancing flamenco, as the toe and heel are used to provide rhythm and enhance the sound of movements. Footwork is the rhythmic combination of sounds that the dancer makes using the toe and heel of the feet. Below we explain how your flamenco shoes should be and where to buy them.
How to Choose your Flamenco Shoes?
Shoes are an essential tool in this dance style. For this reason, when you go to buy your flamenco shoes, you should consider different aspects: durability, quality, and comfort.
In this type of footwear, the toe and heel are of great importance, as metal tacks – nails – are placed on both to make sound when dancing. If the shoe has been made by a good craftsman, the sound of the tacks will be soft, but at the same time will allow us to mark the rhythm of the dance with each movement.
Types of Heels
The heel of flamenco footwear for women is usually made of beechwood, although they can be lined on the sides with suede, nappa, or patent leather for better aesthetics. There are 3 types of heels:
Cuban Heel
This is a straight and wide heel that is placed above the sole. This is one of the best options for beginners in dance, as being wider, they provide greater stability. It usually measures between 3 and 5 centimeters. Thanks to the comfort of the Cuban heel, you will avoid ankle sprains in your beginnings in the world of flamenco.
Carrete Heel
This type of heel is wider at the union and base, being narrower in the center. This gives it a peculiar and quite striking and elegant appearance. The usual measurements are between 5 and 7 centimeters. They are recommended for professionals because it is a thinner heel than the others.
Garrucha
The garrucha heel is used for making flamenco shoes. It’s halfway between the Cuban heel and the carrete heel. It is usually used by professionals with a medium/high level of footwork. It measures between 5 and 6 centimeters.
Difference between a Semi-Professional and a Professional Shoe
Both the semi-professional and professional shoes are generally hard, which need to be broken in and made your own with use, as the leather itself will give way. These have numerous nails in the toe and heel to produce sound when dancing.
The main difference between a semi-professional and professional flamenco shoe is the sole, as the rest is made practically the same and they are usually hand-sewn.
Professional footwear has a double sole of a special thickness and higher quality than the semi-professional. This sole produces a better sound and offers greater consistency when dancing. In addition, they have non-slip fillers.
The Best Flamenco Shoes
There are different popular footwear brands in the world of flamenco dancing. These are the best known and offer excellent quality:
Gallardo
Gallardo is a brand popularly known by flamenco professionals. They have a store in Madrid and another in Seville, but also online commerce. Both their semi-professional and professional shoes are handmade. In addition, they are customizable, being able to choose between different leathers, colors, and heels.
Calzados Senovilla
This is a company dedicated to making 100% handcrafted flamenco dance footwear. They have a wide variety of colorful and original shoes. Their heels are made with rosewood, which gives them exceptional musicality. They have several stores: in Madrid, Jerez, Seville, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.
Don Flamenco
It is a boutique in Madrid that sells handmade flamenco shoes and other accessories for this dance such as castanets, earrings, and shawls. They have different shoe models for both semi-professionals and professionals.
Almoradux
It is a brand of flamenco dance shoes for amateurs and professionals. They are made in Valverde del Camino (Huelva) and can be found on their own website or in specialized stores. On the official page, they offer the possibility of making your fully customized model. A peculiarity is that you can even choose an embroidery on the leather.
As a final recommendation, we just want to remind you to consider your level and technique to choose the right shoes for you and for the use you are going to give to your flamenco shoes.
