need help with CHARACTER SHOES

[missmezzo88]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 10:12am

hey guys- I have been using shoes that look like character shoes for years and my director said we really need to have the real thing for this show I'm in.
I really like the look of the T-strap shoes, but I'm not sure if those are mainly used for tap, and Iwould be better off getting the regular character shoes? Furthermore- I always liked black the best but a friend of mine who does a lot of musical theatre said I should get tan unless I'm putting taps on the bottom (in which case I should get black). Can you guys help me with this- T-strap or no? Tan or black?
Thanks so much!! :)

[SarahBeth]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 11:04am

I have black ones and I find that I personally run into more situations where black is preferred. Mine also don't have the t-strap. Tan is good if you're going for a more neutral look. It's really your call.

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:24pm

i would get no t-strap, black.

also, why don't you ask the director what you need? maybe she WANTS a specific style/color.

i definitely suggest looking at discountdance.com for shoes. they're so much cheaper.

[Dancinqueen123]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 1:49pm

I agree sporti, discountdance is the perfect place to look

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 2:41pm

Tan, no t-strap.

[missmezzo88]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 4:34pm

Thanks so much for all your help, guys. Looks like I'll definitely be getting no t-strap and either tan or black depending on what my director says.
I'll check out discount dance, and thanks again!

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 6:37pm

I think tan would be better because some things just don't look good with black shoes, whereas the tan matches everything. Just my two cents.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 7:11pm

I agree with ILMD.

Plus, like your friend said, black is generally more used for tap (At least in my experience).

[missmezzo88]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 8:48pm

OK. Tan it is, then. That was all very helpful. Thanks again, guys :)

[flicker_]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 10:11pm

Also, you might want to consider getting rubbering on the bottom. Just go to any shoe repair and ask for it, they can do it in two days. The rubber makes them last longer and also prevents sliding on stage.

[anotherhundredpeople]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 10:46pm

I know it's a little expensive, but I just invested into a tan AND a black pair. I've gotten a lot of use out of both of them. I've done many shows where they want tan, and I've done many shows where they want black. Oh, they're no t-strap btw.

[lilprima2b]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 11:51pm

You're at Emerson, right? There is a Capezio retail store in Wellesley (not sure how close that is?) that could help you out with what you need and would have a bigger variety than Discount Dance, including a lot of higher-quality "professional" shoes - i.e., handmade shoes (ask about the 928, or if you end up going with a T-strap, the 800 or the 900) that aren't going to crap out on you if you're using them constantly. That's going to be a little more pricey, but it would be a good investment. They're modeled after LaDucas, but they're less expensive than that.

Check www.capeziodance.com for store locations.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 9:09pm

It's really best to invest in both a tan and black pair. You will need them both eventually.

[missmezzo88]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 11:42pm

Thanks for all your advice, guys! Lilprima, that was reallllly helpful. I'm going to check out a couple different stores. My director wants black so I'm going with black and I might get tan too depending on how much they cost. :)

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 10/15/06 at 12:04pm

I recommend the Manhattan style. The heel is more connected to the rest of the shoe than the regular character shoes.




The shoes on the right are regular character shoes. I have black and tan in manhattans, both rubbered and they work exceptionally well. Definitely look into Capizio. Great stuff.

[Melody2]

Posted: 7/2/07 at 2:42am

This is sorta off topic, but why shouldn't you get the T-strap? I was just wondering.

[stonewall2]

Posted: 7/2/07 at 6:14pm

discountdance often has such terrific sales that you can get a pair in each color! It really depends on what you need them for and then you get into T-Strap or cross strap, heel height, color.. My D has to have black, cross strap, 2 inch heels for Show Choir but in her last show, she used both her tan and her black ones, so if you are taking a class, ask the instructor what he/she prefers. You can't go wrong with basic black, cross strap, 1.5-2" heels though.
Many professionals prefer the T-Strap as they make ones calf and foot look better and elongate the line, but for now, I'd stick with as simple as possible. Since you are new to all this, you might want to spend a little more on your black ones and actually go and thy some different makes. We are lucky to have a store here that sells not only Capezios, but their own brand and they reacently "redesigned" theirs and my D adores them; she has a very high arch and instep and these fit her like they were custom made and have extra cushioning in them too (she no longer needs her orthotic in them, which is a big plus). You can always subscribe to the disountdance e-mail and they quite often have sales where you can pick up a pair of tan characters for as little as $5-10 IF they have your size in stock!

Updated On: 7/2/07 at 06:14 PM

[dramadude2]

Posted: 7/2/07 at 6:19pm

any pictures of Male's character shoes???