subject: A Short History Of Street Dance Footwear [print this page] Unlike all the other dance footwear, dance shoes sneakers can be worn not only for dancing but also for everyday wear. This is not surprising since the whole history of urban dance is the history of people dancing in what they wear regularly rather than wearing something special for their dance.
It is hard to say for sure which dance was the first street dance. The term itself is not very clear, but, to put it simply, a street dance is a kind of dance which is developed in urban areas outside theatres and dance schools. In this manner the American traditional jazz dance can be considered as the first dance to be widely performed on the streets of large cities. So it can be said that the first dance shoes sneakers were jazz shoes.
Similar to jazz, hip-hop culture evolved from the African American culture. Different dance styles emerged from it such as break-dancing, popping and locking. Break-dancing, being very different from all other types of dance in the sense that it includes such movements as putting the whole bodyweight on the dancer's head, became very popular around the world by the middle of the 90s. In the same way, the clothing that hip hop stars and break-dancers used to wear was popularised. Multicoloured big dance shoes sneakers became irreplaceable in the wardrobe of any hip-hop music lover.
Another type of street dance is house dance. Similar to hip-hop this dance was created by African Americans and was spread around the planet quickly. It incorporates many movements from other dances such as Capoeira, tap, jazz, bebop and salsa. Developed in the night clubs of Chicago almost at the same time as hip-hop, house dance incorporated some movements from it. Just as in the case with break-dancing comfortable footwear is important to the dance and casual dance shoes sneakers serve as an important part of the club look.
Other popular street dance forms evolved around rave culture. Those are glowsticking, candy walk, jumpstyle, hakken, kandi stomping, hardstyle shuffle, x-outing, tecktonick and many other types of electro dance. All these dance styles involve intensive footwork, similar to that of an athlete. Usually it was hard to spot anybody dancing in anything other than differently-coloured dance shoes sneakers at rave parties, primarily because of the comfort and stylish looks they provided.
The bottom line is that just like street dance is all about improvisation, dance shoes sneakers can be of any style and any colour. The brand does not really matter. People can dance in anything they want providing that their shoes are comfortable.
However, since the evolvement of tournaments and dance competitions within many of previously underground clubs, more sophisticated and professional dancers may choose something different from casual footwear. In such cases professionals are likely to pay special attention to the weight of the shoe and its flexibility. Some brands nowadays even develop specifically designed dance shoes sneakers made exclusively for dancing and not for walking. Such sneakers are usually made of high-quality canvas or leather and normally feature ankle straps and special heels designed for greater cushioning during jumps and stomps.
