what are the shoe requirements for tango/latin/ballroom shoes (females)?

Question

more descriptive than just "a shoe w a heel"

Answer 1

Like WWD said, most important is a suede sole and a metal shank. Metal shank gives your shoe the proper stability and prevents the heel from getting loose. You are asking for shoes for two different dance styles - one is Standard/Smooth (Includes Tango, Foxtrot, Waltz) and the other style is Latin (ChaCha, Rumba, Jive, Swing, Samba, Mambo/Salsa) The difference in shoes come from difference in dance styles. For latin, you want to be able to point your toes, you want softer shoe. For standard, you want your shoes to be somewhat harder: when you are going backwards, you want your toes to "release", you want roll over your heel; for that, you need less flexible shoe with a longer shank. For Tango and other dances ballroom like Waltz, Foxtrot you want closed toe shoes. They are called Court shoes or Pumps, or alternatively you can get Smooth shoes. Here you can find some pictures of what they look like:
Court: http://www.dance-shop.com/acatalog/Dance_Shop_Ladies_Ballroom__Standard__Shoes_22.html
Smooth: (select "Smooth" or "designer's" on the left )
http://www.dancesport.uk.com/shoes/index.htm
Here are some pictures of Latin shoes:
http://www.dance-shop.com/acatalog/Dance_Shop_Ladies_Latin_Sandals_18.html
http://www.featherdanceshoes.com/xcart/home.php?cat=7

If you are not ready to buy two pairs I recommend buying a pair of Social shoes (looks like this)
http://www.featherdanceshoes.com/xcart/product.php?productid=993&cat=4&page=1
or Practice shoes (looks like this)
http://www.dance-shop.com/acatalog/Dance_Shop_Practice_and_Teaching_Shoes_25.html
You will be able to dance both styles - Latin and Standard in those shoes.
Those websites I gave you have a lot of info on fitting and sizes - click around. Be aware that some shoe makers go by British size that is 2 sizes smaller than American size, some go by some other sizing convention. Be sure to check. Good luck with shoe shopping. If you still need more detalis or explanations e-mail me.

Answer 2

We guys know diddle about ladies' shoes, but let me try. The most important part is the steel shank, which you wont notice, and the very thin sueded leather soles, which you will. They seem to have a 2 or 2 1/2" heel. The latin shoes are open-toed, and your toes may actually extend slightly past the end of the shoe. Most ladies seem to prefer the latin shoe for general use until they get into competitions, where the closed ballroom shoe is more appropriate for standard/smooth. If you're planning to invest in a pair, there are all sorts of people selling them online, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind: First, if you wear them even just to try them on for a few minutes, you'll wear the sueded sole and they'll be unreturnable; and second, many are from UK, and British sizes are about 1 1/2 to 2 smaller than US sizes, so if you wear a size 6 US you should try a 4 UK.

Answer 3

Well, for tango, salsa, merengue, you want a shoe with a heel. You do not want anything to high like stilettos or you will be REALLY uncomfortable the whole time you are dancing.

Answer 4

for practice, closed toes dance shoes with suede sole.
http://www.latindancestore.com/practiceshoes.html
for dancing, open or closed toe is fine.
http://www.latindancestore.com/womens_dance_shoes.html