Students often ask about the shoes that instructors wear, and what we would recommend for Jacki’s program.

Please read Things to look for in an aerobic shoe at the end of this article.

For myself, I’ve worn Ryka shoes for the past 15+ years. Their Studio Flex model (http://www.ryka.com.au/products/studio-flex) is designed for indoor aerobics and is very light-weight, so is perfectly suited to Jacki’s Dance classes. Another big plus for me is that these shoes are available in black, and since I generally wear black pants I can achieve a “longer” look. Pairing dark long pants with white shoes visually cuts you off at the ankles and makes the wearer appear shorter. At 5’2″ I don’t need any help to look short!

Ryka shoes (from the USA) are made specifically for women’s feet and feature a narrow heel with a wider front. Ryka change their styles from year to year, so I’ve worn plenty of different models, but all work well for our classes. The Athlete’s Foot carry a limited range of Ryka shoes but they are expensive.

Many students have mentioned that when they are shopping for a new pair of shoes for aerobic dancing classes, the shop assistants always recommend a cross trainer. This occurs, I think, because the retailers do not know what aerobic dancing exercise is, and they think that a cross trainer will do the job simply because it is a general all purpose type of exercise shoe. However, because the design of the cross trainer is non-specific (for any particular sport or activity), this means that functionality may be compromised in other areas.

I would recommend a shoe designed for netball, squash or tennis, since the moves in these sports are quite similar to those used in aerobic dancing classes — swivelling and lateral movements in amongst the jogging and lunging actions of the dance routines.

The good news is that this style of shoe is readily available in many brands and price ranges. And I’ve even seen them in black. 🙂