About Dance Direct

A British dancewear retailer selling shoes, uniform and kit across the main dance disciplines, supplying schools and individual dancers, with European sites alongside the UK one.

Dance retail is close to uniform retail. A school sets a required shade of pink, a particular shoe and a specific leotard, and the shop exists to have all of them in stock in September.

What they carry

Ballet, tap, jazz, character and ballroom shoes, leotards, tutus and skirts, tights, dancewear for boys and men, warm-up clothing, and accessories from hairnets to rosin.

Junior and adult ranges run alongside each other, and the grading for children's shoes is finer than in ordinary footwear because feet change so fast.

Fitting ballet shoes

A soft ballet shoe should fit closely with the toes flat and no bunching at the end, and there is no room for growing into it. A loose shoe bunches under the arch and teaches poor foot shape.

Shoe sizes in dance do not match street sizes and vary between makers. Use the maker's own conversion, and re-measure a growing child every term rather than every year.

Leather lasts longer and moulds to the foot; canvas is cheaper, washable and preferred by many teachers. Split sole allows more articulation; full sole helps a beginner build strength.

Pointe shoes, which are different

Pointe work is a decision for a teacher, not a shop or a parent. Going en pointe before the feet and ankles are ready risks lasting injury, and no online purchase should precede that assessment.

A first pair should be fitted in person by an experienced fitter. Brand, width, vamp length and shank strength all vary, and the right pair is specific to one dancer's foot.

Practical points

Buy two pairs of tights rather than one, since a ladder before a show is the most predictable emergency in dance.

Using a Dance Direct discount code

Put the term's kit into one order before applying the code, and check whether school-uniform lines bought under a schoolwear arrangement are included.