Vegan Dance Shoes

Sources for Vegan Dance Shoes

Online shopping makes finding vegan dance shoes considerably easier than it used to be. Many companies have good Web sites from which to order and excellent customer service to assist with any questions or concerns.

• Cynthia King Dance makes a ballet slipper of polished canvas uppers and synthetic suede soles. The slippers are supple, durable and easily dyed. They are available for both children and adults.

• Ethical Wares, a UK-based site, carries a men’s dance shoe and women’s practice shoe in their Last Dance range. Both shoes are black and covered with synthetic suede.

• Alternative Soles, another UK-based site, has ballet, tap and jazz shoes in children’s and adults' sizes (when ordering from outside the UK, remember to check the conversion chart to get the correct size). The tap shoes come in either canvas or PU with man-made soles, in either black or white. There are also silver PU shoes. The ballet shoes are made by Grishko and Alternative Soles orders them once a month, allowing six weeks for delivery. They come in children’s, girls' and adults' sizes and you can choose between canvas and satin and full or split soles. They have a V-shape low vamp, high side quarters and a cotton lining to absorb moisture and allow the foot to breathe. The slipper has an anatomical form and provides for an elegant line. They come in black, pink or white. The jazz shoes come in children’s and adults' sizes. They are glitter-covered canvas and are available in red, black, silver and gold.

• Discount Dance has a large selection of canvas ballet slippers as well as canvas jazz shoes, like the Split Sole Canvas Dance Sneaker by Dance Now, the Adult Canvas Dansneaker by Capezio or the AERO Split Sole Jazz Boot by Leo’s.

• Dance Paws make spandex pads for modern dance that are specially designed to cushion the foot and wick away moisture.

Custom Vegan Shoes

For the vegan ballerina who requires strong and well-built pointe shoes but does not want to compromise her lifestyle choices, the afore-mentioned Grishko makes satin and canvas shoes in a variety of sizes and can do custom orders. They are a Russian company that has been making ballet and other dance shoes since 1989. It is recommended that you shop via their Australian Web site, Grishko, as it is easier to read and navigate. Bear in mind that not all of Grishko’s shoes are vegan and you have to specify your request in your order. The two models that can be made with synthetic soles are the 2007 and Maya.

Capezio, the leader in dance footwear, will make vegan shoes via special order. They take six to eight weeks to ship and you must know your size. If you don’t, you can go into any dance shop and try on a pair. They make standard canvas slippers, but don’t indicate the sole material.

Consult With Other Vegans

If you haven’t found your perfect vegan shoe, try signing on to forums at sites like Veg Source or Vegan Represent to post queries. Both of these sites have archived discussions about dance shoes.

Even if you may not agree with some of their actions, you'll find that PETA maintains a decent list of outlets for vegan shoes, as well as many other products. You can also do some shopping on their own site, PETA Mall.

While you may find the process of shopping for vegan shoes arduous, it will be worth it both to your conscience and pocketbook, as the shoes can often be less than half the price of leather shoes.