Zumba shoes?

[Seachanger]

So I've gotten addicted to Zumba and need some good shoes for it. Tell me what you Zumba in or what you would recommend. And why didn't anyone warn me about how addictive it is?!  I can't stop!

[Rachel-Eyes]

Tonight is a Zumba night for me too. It is addictive! But a good kind of addictive because it's exercise but it's also dancing!

I never thought about getting special dance shoes for it though. I just wear regular old sneakers. I don't know if they still make them, but there used to be this Payless brand called Airwalkers that were sort of fakies of Converse or Vans. All the kids back in the day were wearing those two brands but I couldn't afford them... the one brand of Converse that I ever had ended up falling apart on me. In a foreign country. These Airwalkers I have had for about five years and I Zumba and everything in them.

Something along those lines should work fine.

[kaoskat]

I didn't even know you needed special shoes! Hopefully someone can suggest some.

[melodys_angel]

umm...

From what I remember, all you need is a pair of runners with some soul still on them so you can grab at the floor and dont go flying.

Or was it dont wear shoes at all?  Gosh its been awhile!  But I do know that you do not need something special for it^^

[ZennaBug]

Oooh, Ask kCherry!  She is a Zumba instructor and paints/customizes her own Zumba shoes 

[Knibitz]

Oooh, Ask kCherry!  She is a Zumba instructor and paints/customizes her own Zumba shoes 

I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY!

"Cherry?! Where are you!?"

[Vertefae]

Oooh, Ask kCherry!  She is a Zumba instructor and paints/customizes her own Zumba shoes 

I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY!

"Cherry?! Where are you!?"

Oooh, Ask kCherry!  She is a Zumba instructor and paints/customizes her own Zumba shoes 

I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY!

"Cherry?! Where are you!?"

You two beat me to it! I'll email her this link.

[Rachel-Eyes]

Oooh, Ask kCherry!  She is a Zumba instructor and paints/customizes her own Zumba shoes 

Oooh, I knew she was an instructor but I had no idea that she customized her own shoes! That's so cool!

[kCherry]

Here I iz!! I loves you gals!!

  Seachanger, if you'd have seen my previous Zumba thread (see my siggie) you'd have been very well informed on how addictive Zumba fitness is!!

  As for your question on the proper footwear, yes, it is very important to have the correct type of gear for most any kind of dance! While it is not a bad thing to Zumba barefoot at home (This is how I started, barefoot on carpet) you obviously don't want to head to a class in just your feet! "Regular" sneakers can cause injury due to the shape of the sole. If it's all you have just be extra careful to not twist an ankle when dancing in this type shoe!!

  For most Latin/ hip-hop type dance styles you want to have nice rounded edges that help to encourage a smooth "roll" or "rock" as you dance. I have two pair of split-sole sneakers that I love for dancing in and I'd recommend both brands.
  The more economic brand is by Capezio. I bought them at WalMart for approx $20. However, I have already had to apply shoe-goo to the soles after only six months of moderate wear (3-4 a week for 1-2 hours sessions) Other than that they are holding up fine.
  The more quality shoe is by Sansha and I love, love, love them! I paid approx $45 for them and they have not given me any problems what-so-ever, although they were a tad bit harder to "break in." They are a very solid shoe and are definitely my favorite pair thus far!

  I just recently invested in my first pair of "Zumba" brand 'Z1' sneakers and I'm still testing them. So far I like them just fine, but I'm still waiting to see if I'll learn to love them like I do my Sansha brand sneakers.

  Have some pics of the Zumba brand shoes that I have customized thus far! Enjoy and Zumba like No One is Watching!!!!!

Sold
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These will be up for sale on eBay tomorrow evening. They are a size six if anyone is interested,
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Also a size six and available tomorrow on eBay,
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These are mine and are NFS.
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You two beat me to it! I'll email her this link.

LOL Thanks for the heads up, Verte!!

[Seachanger]

Holy cow! Those custom shoes are amazing Cherry!  Thanks for all the info and advice. I'll have to look into those shoes. I've just been doing it at home with the wii game. I'm thinking I'll go try a live class even though it's a little intimidating.

[Rachel-Eyes]

Thank you so much for the info, Cherry. I didn't even think about my sneakers being a possible issue, since they were not made for dance. I will be checking out Capezio and you say they can be found at Walmart?

Mom and I will also be stalking your eBay for a while. We do it together and those shoes are so cool! You do such amazing custom work!

[rayedelsol]

umm...

From what I remember, all you need is a pair of runners with some soul still on them so you can grab at the floor and dont go flying.

Or was it dont wear shoes at all?  Gosh its been awhile!  But I do know that you do not need something special for it^^

I see you've already gotten an answer, but I just wanted to warn against this. ^ Shoes with soles that are too grippy will cause you to not be able to spin, and might cause you to pull out your knee or your ankles. I am also a Zumba instructor, and I just wanted to make sure this gets mentioned.

I tell my students that older shoes or dance shoes are good. I used a pair of cross-trainers or Nike makes the Muzik shoes that are pretty good.

[DonkeyGrl2002]

I have the official Zumba shoes but honestly I really love my Ziggs by Reebok. Lots of support and easy to move in! I teach Zumba here in Indiana and from concrete to carpet the shoes work for me  

[Eviecorn]

I was going to say Sanshas, Cherry ... I wish they made them without leather/suede, but I hear they're awesome!  When I've done Zumba and capoeira, I wore Ryka Transitions and they were good to me!  I still wear them as a lightweight trainer for general purpose work outs as well.

[ZennaBug]

I really want to try Zumba when I'm up and moving again    Only 6 months until I'm clear to exercise!