Over the past 20 years we have carried Evenin’ Star Dance Boots, Supadance, International and a host of other brands. We introduced our Ultimate dance shoes 8 years ago and Comfort dance shoes 15 years ago. With our brands we have created new products and improved the padding, quality, and comfort for our customers.

The Comfort Dance Shoes are all made with extra padding. This brand includes a full line of ladies coaching shoes and sandals in various heel heights to appeal to dancers from every genre. The Men’s styles include low and Cuban heel options in balmoral and blucher styles.

The Ultimate Dance shoes have always been made with extra padding and top quality materials. We recently developed a new lasting system for this brand to include the Men’s shoes and the Women’s practice shoes in both a 1′ and 1 1/2′ heel. The “last” is the mold that the shoes are made around and is the key to the fit. We created a “depth last” which allows us to add 4mm more padding to the insole of the shoes without affecting the look or fit. In addition, we also made it a combination lasting system, where we kept the heel cup normal, but added width and height to the forefoot to make sure that there is no pressure across the toe joints and toes. We also have our Unisex Hybrid dance sneaker that looks like a casual shoe or sneaker, but has unbelievable padding and a flexible leather dance outsole.

What most dancers don’t realize is that dancing is a sport where the foot is put into a very dynamic state. On a scale from 1 to 10, dancing ranks probably a 9, with a 10 being all out running. The constant impact causes trauma. Most dance shoes are made with very little padding if any, and unfortunately as we get older, we begin to lose the fat pad in the heel and the ball of the foot. The extra padding in the depth dance shoe will soften the impact of the heel and the ball of the foot area to help with various foot maladies such as metatarsalgia, bone spurs, and arthritis. In addition, the extra space in the forefoot will accommodate bunions, tailors bunions, hammer toes, mallot toes, neuromas, and also the socks with the extra padding in the ball of the foot.

Most people overlook the importance of a good sock. The sock is the gasket between your foot and the shoe, and is your first layer of protection. Unlike a 100% cotton sock, which holds moisture in, these socks are made of a special poly blend that wicks the moisture away from the foot and out through the shoe. It is manufactured for Comfort Dance by Thorlos, which is the leading sock maker in the US. These socks take care of moisture control, bacteria control, and have a special weave which eliminates the sheer. Sheer is the combination of both friction and pressure that causes calluses and blisters. The sock has extra padding in the ball of the foot, where everyone needs, but especially dancers. And finally there is also padding in the heel cup for extra protection.

We have finally developed a new lasting system for the Ultimate dance boots. They are made on combination depth boots lasts and so they are by far the most comfortable dance boots made. The extra depth allows for 6mm of padding and is cut wide through the toe box for more comfort and also accommodates foot maladies. We have sourced the best materials available for the Ultimate dance boots with top of the line leathers, lycra’s, wicking liners, pig skin heel cups, and the softest of all, sheepskin collars and pull straps. Building the lasts and patterns for the boots has been a 4 year project. Because a boot does not lace up like a shoe, getting the perfect fit throughout the entire boot is more difficult than the shoe, but we have finally achieved what we feel is the perfect fit through the toe area, ball of the foot, low instep, mid instep, high instep, throat and shaft. The new boots are now available in men’s and women’s, medium and wide widths.

As a Certified Pedorthist, I am licensed to manufacture custom foot wear and custom orthotics for patients with a doctor’s prescription. Our lab, Custom Orthotics Inc. specializes in manufacturing a European engineered custom orthotic, that is the very best available anywhere.

Our platinum series custom orthotic is engineered to address various bio-mechanical foot disorders to include plantar faciitis, neuromas, bunions, hammer toes, arthritis, bursitis, metatarsalgia and calluses. It transfers weight off the balls of the feet, and moves it to the arches where it belongs naturally. Like when you walk on the beach barefooted, and your arches fill up with earth and sand. That’s the way a human beings foot is made to function naturally. From the time we are born we are put in flat shoes and walk on hard concrete all day, and the foot takes a beating. Our Platinum Series orthotic is custom fit to all 5 arches and fits in all of your shoes, even ladies high heels. It supports the lateral side of the foot (outside) by cradling the 5th metatarsil bone and cuboid, and supports the medial side of the foot, which most people refer to as the main arch. But, it also is custom fit to 3 transversal arches to include the posterior and anterior metatarsil arches. By hand making this orthotic to fit just behind each metatarsil head (balls of the feet) we can tuck the ball of the feet under and bring the fat pad back in place over the balls of the feet where it belongs. By supporting all 5 arches we can improve your posture by balancing the mid foot and aligning your gait for relief in the ankles, knees and lower back. Most custom orthotics on the market are stiff and bulky, but ours are made with a surgical nylon blend, that is strong but flexible, so it works naturally with the muscles and tendons of the foot and in most cases can actually improve the arches. Because of the durability of nylon, we can make the heel cup paper thin, so it doesn’t affect the ft of the shoe, or lift your heel out of the shoe, like most other custom orthotics. We also have covers in black and flesh so that they can also be worn in sandals and look very natural. Our handmade Platinum series orthotics have a 15 year guarantee for fit and wear, and over 15000 dancers are now wearing them.

The systems approach includes the combination of all the things we have talked about. A moisture wicking padded sock for better protection. A well padded dance shoe or boot that reduces the impact to the heel and ball of the foot, but also has more space in the forefoot to accommodate the big toe joint and toes. And finally our platinum series custom orthotics, which transfers the weight off the balls of the feet and spreads it evenly across the entire foot bed, and puts the feet and body back in balance. The combination of all three products offers the dancers the best opportunity to dance for hours without pain. Even dancers that are not experiencing pain get the orthotics, padded foot wear and socks to help avoid injury and because they believe in preventive maintenance.