subject: How Dance Sneakers Came Into Existence [print this page] Dance has always been an electrifying form of self-expression. Its existence can be traced back to as far as the ancient times. Then dance was a part of religious rituals and social celebrations. Dance movements were not as sophisticated as they are today. In the time of kings and queens dance forms were amplified with folk, social, ballroom and experimental dance. And only a long time afterwards, in the early sixteenth century ballet as we know it today emerged. At that time it was used to achieve harmony with nature and arts and was a true embodiment of grace.
Since the early twentieth century classical ballet had been considerably revolutionised. Modern choreographers and dancers brought new ideas and developed new techniques of this form of dance. Then postmodernism came with its new values when ballerinas could be seen in dance sneakers which was unheard of before. This revolution helped evolve such modern styles of dance as jive, street jazz, tap dance, break dance, disco dance and many others.
Altogether with dance evolution there can be traced an evolution of dancewear as well. For example, such an important part of modern dancers' clothing as dance sneakers also has an interesting history. The first rubber soled shoes were produced by the Liverpool Rubber Company in England in the 1830s. Initially, people wore them to the beach, hence they were called sand shoes. Later on they acquired the name of plimsolls, probably because the side of the sole resembled a Plimsoll line, a marking on a ship's side showing the limit of submersion. They were rather clumsy as there was no distinction between the right foot and the left foot. So obviously they could not be used as dance sneakers at the time.
In 1892 the U.S. Rubber Company slightly improved the design of plimsolls and came up with a more comfortable version with canvas tops called keds. These rubber soled shoes were so quiet that a person wearing them could sneak up on anyone, hence they acquired the name sneakers. Henceforth, sneakers started to be produced for the masses. Different types of sneakers hit the market - football sneakers, tennis sneakers, basketball sneakers, hiking sneakers, running sneakers, even dance sneakers.
With the development of different dancing styles, dance sneakers have become an inalienable part of dancewear. Designers of dance sneakers try to make these shoes taking into consideration all dancers' requirements. For instance, they should be flexible and comfortable to move in. Some designers employ such innovations as the dynamic resistance or air pump making the shoes breathable enough.
Dance sneakers are most popular between hip-hop dancers or break dancers because they are considered to be the safest footwear for this style of dance. They may prevent the dancers from slipping or hurting themselves. As these dances are performed on hard surfaces it is important to have good sneakers to reduce the risk of getting injured.
By and large, any dance requires skill and practice but these skills can be enhanced by wearing high-quality and comfortable footwear. And sometimes it is useful to find out what has been done in the past to improve the footwear of the future. For any dancer seeks the best for his or her performance. And often these are dancers themselves that bring major improvements to their footwear.
