The recent list posted on the Siempre Tango website (signs that you’re addicted to tango…) made me think about something I’ve been meaning to do for a while – putting some notes down about shoes. Lately, with more and more people showing the classic signs of tango addiction, I’ve had more people asking about shoes. Where should I buy them from? What makes a good tango shoe? What heel size should I get? The great thing about tango (ok, one of the many great things) is of course the opportunity to go shoe shopping! I don’t profess to be the expert on this matter, so have done some research about it which I hope might help…. All the people mentioned here have promised they are happy to field enquiries about the particular shoes they wear.

At www.cambridgetango.com they have this to say about the perfect shoe: “Leather is very good for the sole (no jokes) as you need to be able to pivot when dancing tango (as a leader or follower), and works well on wooden and stone floors. Make sure that the leather sole supports your foot in a comfortable way and is thick enough to give your foot some cushioning. Wooden floors usually provide some spring and shock absorbancy for your feet, but good quality insoles can help. For both following and leading shoes it is important to NOT have the sole sticking out beyond the dance shoe (ie ridges), otherwise Barridas are a little difficult.” www.2heels.com note that there is a clear difference between street and regular shoes “One may wonder whether there is any difference between dancing shoes and regular street shoes. The answer is yes. Dancing shoes are lightweight and better constructed to take the pounding a dancer gives to them.” I like the straight forward advice at www.tejastango.com where they recommend finding shoes that “support your feet, don’t squish your toes, and are comfortable enough to dance in for several hours” – because of course we never buy shoes that feel awful just because they look fantastic…..

This of course raises the question about where to buy shoes from, and perhaps the best answer to this is to speak with local dancers who have purchased tango shoes from specialty makers. Of all that I’ve been looking through, Comme il faut look just gorgeous, but the lack of a web site is frustrating. Patricia Petronio has recently purchased Comme il faut shoes while in Buenos Aires and found them to be the most beautiful of everything available, if a little more expensive than other tango shoes in BsAs. However, if you order them directly, rather than going through distributors, they are still very affordable. commeilfaut@netizen.ar and Jennifer Bratt of Close Embrace in New York sends out regular updates on what’s available www.close-embrace.com Comme il faut staff speak English, too, so negotiating your requirements by email is made easier. Jairo Sanchez Rivera, Director of Tangueros in Sydney, is now distributing Comme Il Faut tango shoes also. If you are interested in finding out what Jairo has available, you can email him through tango@tangueros.com.au or phone him on 0423 844 049. Through Jairo the shoes cost $220 per pair.

Patricia also dances regularly in shoes from Susana Villarroel www.shoes-susanaartesanal.com and has found the quality excellent, customer service including mail service to be most reliable and a very affordable product. Sizes tend to be a little generous, so if ordering by email, do send an accurate outline of your foot. Their website shows only a limited selection of colours, materials and heel options – these are negotiable because Susana makes to order at no extra cost, as well as selling ready-to-wear. Adrienne Gill from Southern Cross Tango has long been a fan of Tara Tango shoes, www.22tangoshoes.com which are well known for their comfort factor with padding on the sole of the shoe, and has purchased them regularly on her trips to America. On a recent trip, however, Adrienne purchased Comme il faut shoes with a 4 inch heel, and while not as comfortable as the Tara Tango shoes due to the heel height, notes that the balance of the shoe and positioning of the heel is excellent – making them classy & fun tango shoes to wear for performances & extra special tango events.

Imogen Selley recently went through the process of ordering shoes over the web from Arika Nerguiz, and found the customer service to be excellent www.arikanerguiz.com. Closer to home, Tiziana and Mark Stojani both have shoes made from local manufacturer Strobel on Unley Road. Strobel make ballroom and orthopedic footwear and it is perhaps helpful to go in with a strong idea about the style that you are after. Ben Thoman also originally purchased a pair from Strobel with a half-Cuban heel, however found the positioning of the heel made balance difficult. A subsequent pair bought from Arika Nerguiz have not resulted in the same problem. As a result, Ben recommends trying on your shoes first if possible, placing your weight on the heel and checking whether there is a tendency for you to roll outwards. If buying over the web or from overseas, make sure you check the returns policy – most seem to be good as long as you have not scuffed the sole, but you will be required to pay the return freight (sometimes $40 US). Remember when trying them on that you want them to be a good fit as, if made from leather, they will stretch. No point buying sensational looking shoes if you can’t balance in them or they end up being too loose!

The heel height is of course a tricky question for the first-time shoe buyer – it helps to try different shoes and to get used to the feeling of dancing at different heights. Back to Cambridge Tango for this: “For high heeled dancing shoes (typically used for following) the shoe heel needs to be situated squarely under the heel of your foot to provide good balance. The height of the heel is a personal decision, but you can try standing on the front of your foot, in bare feet, and see how high your heel is off the ground when you feel comfortable. This is probably the height of heel that will naturally suit your foot.” I love my Fattomano shoes which are good for people with oddly thin feet, and have found them to last well, but they do have quite high heels. www.fattomano.com.ar Generally I’ve heard it suggested that if you have wider feet, it’s best to go for an open toe style.

There are many, many more places on line that sell tango shoes, but I do not know anyone who has purchased from them. I only came across Feliz Primavera recently, and they have some crazy designs! www.primavera.com.hk If you just scroll through some of these sites even briefly, you will see very similar shoes popping up repeatedly (eg Arika and www.tangoshoes.us or www.thetangoshop.com and www.guaranteedfittangoshoes.com) – definitely worth going through a number of sites to find the best deal on price and service, as it would appear many source from the same factory then apply their own branding. NeoTango shoes opened their doors in 2003 and have some vivid designs www.neotangoshoes.com look at the orange pair right at the bottom of the ladies selection. Anyway, enough from me – feel welcome to add comments to this so that others can learn from your experience and wisdom too! And a special thanks to the people mentioned here who all provided feedback, particularly Adrienne, Patricia and Ben.

And an addendum...having now visited Buenos Aires, I can add my own voice to these opinions! I loved the Comme Il Faut store – and recommend visiting multiple times if you are there for a while, as the stock changes regularly. They are definitely not the most comfortable shoes, and while I adored some of the styles I bought from there, I far prefer dancing in the Neotango shoes that I bought, although I only found a couple of pairs in a style I really liked… Megan, April 2006.

Footnote: Australian Customs, couriers and the importation of shoes

Something to bear in mind when importing shoes from overseas (including purchases over the internet, but excluding bringing them back in your baggage after international travel) are the Australian Customs’ schedules. Guidance for Customs Officers states:

1. Goods received by post shall not attract a formal inspection charge if the value is less than $1000.
2. Goods received by freight (e.g. courier) shall not attract a formal inspection charge if the value is less than $250.
3. Duty and Tax will, generally, not be collected if the total owing is less than AU$50.

The formulas for determining how much duty and tax are owing is:

Duty = Shoe Value * 10%
GST = (Shoe Value + Duty + Freight Charge) * 10%
Total = Duty + GST

(No, that is not a mistake, you do in fact pay GST for the privilege of paying Duty).

The formulas above show that duty on shoes is currently 10% (this changed in January 05) and GST is also 10%.

You need to do the sums to ensure your Total is less than $50, otherwise Australian Customs will charge you for it.

A word of warning when using couriers such as DHL, FedEx, UPS etc., as a matter of course they will attempt to clear your items as quickly as possible (to provide a prompt service and also for their own efficiencies). This may mean that they pay Formal Customs Inspection charges even when they are not required, they will then bill you for this (which when added to duty and tax, could be a large sum of money). Generally speaking, they will contact you before they do this – however if you are sending the shoes to a business address and they have that business has an account with the courier, then they may simply clear the shoes and charge the business account. Be warned! Always send the shoes to a private address!

If you do have problems and need to speak to a Customs Officer, make sure you tell them the mode of freight – Air or Surface. The importation process seems to be different in each case, and it also makes a difference to the way they handle your enquiry.

This information is provided for your information only, please check the Australian Customs Website or phone them to confirm the details above, or to clarify any additional points. Errors and Omissions Excepted.