Two types of shoes are worn in step dancing: hard shoes and soft shoes.The hard shoe is similar to tap shoes, except that the tips and heels are made of fiberglass, instead of metal, and are significantly bulkier.The first hard shoes had wooden or leather taps with metal nails. Later the taps and heels were changed into resin or fiberglass to reduce the weight and to increase the footwork sounds.The soft shoes, which are called ghillies, resembles a ballet shoe minus the hard toe, the ribbons for laces, and the pink color for black. Gillies are only worn by girls, while boys wear a black leather shoe called a reel shoe, which resembles a black jazz shoe with a hard heel.Boy’s soft-shoe dancing features audible heel clicks.Buying irish dancing shoes is not cheap and you would want to get the best quality you can afford.Once you get your shoes – you would want to take good care of them.Here are 10 tips for your use:1. Always use a wax polish rather than a liquid polish as this stops the leather from drying out. A liquid polish can actually encourage drying and increase the chances of damaging the leather.2. Use a preservative like ‘Hide Food’ to soften and preserve the shoe.3. Do not soak shoes when cleaning, a damp cloth is sufficient. Do not store shoes in hot or dry areas as this will dry out the leather.4. Always undo laces, before and after wearing shoes, as forcing you foot into a shoe that is laced up can damage the heel stiffener.5. Use a shoe horn if you have difficulty putting on a shoe, as ‘wiggling’ your foot into a shoe will inevitably damage the shoe.6. Always dance on appropriate surfaces, such as a sprung stage or dance hall. Dancing on surfaces such as concrete will not only damage the shoe, but also significantly increase the chance of personal injury.7. Do not let other dancers wear your shoes, as everyone’s feet are different.8. Try to buy shoes, which have a leather insole as it helps the foot breathe and reduces perspiration which contains salt, which would otherwise dry out the shoe.9. Put your name on the bottom of your shoes to reduce the chance of another dancer accidentally taking your shoes and stops them getting lost if submitted for repair.10. Wear new shoes around the house before wearing them to a class or feis. You should spend at least 2 hours in your new shoes to break them in. Also another way is to fold the shoe from heel to toe from the laced side up and leave under a heavy object, or use your elastics to hold the bend in place.

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