I don't know anything about men's shoes , but I think the main difference between regular and danceshoes (in both ladies' as men's) is the kind of support it gives to the feet. In dancing you need the shoe to be a perfect fit, have it support the right areas, be comfortable and last but not least: fashionable! In other words: there are much more requirements in danceshoes than there are in regular shoes, requirements which are of great importance in performance as health. (Wrong shoes cause bad posture, backproblems, blisters etc.)

Ladies do not necessarily have to wear (high) heels if they're not comfortable with it. I've seen different kinds of shoes on the dancefloor SOCIALLY, however, in competition they do require some kind of pump (whether 1" or 6" heel). Personally, I would recommend the lady (if she just began dancing) to wear at least 1" heel, not because it looks fancy, but it helps with dancing: women's danceshoes are usually very tiny and it's hard to keep balance (since you dance mainly on the ball of your foot!), having a heel will help you to "fall back" whenever you tend to lose it (at least, in my experience, my shoes are very tiny). Also, if you decide to dance on "high" (say 3"-4") heels in competitions, but practice in flats, you will find it difficult to dance, since you're used to placing your heel accustomed to a flat heel, not 3"-4". I myself used to dance in 3" heels, but recently bought a pair with 3.5" heels. Although they only differ 0.5", I had great difficulty adjusting to my new shoes.

Just like TheDitz, I didn't purchase my danceshoes until one year after my first dancelesson. My new shoes not only improved my performance (I can move around better because of the, mainly, great support), but when buying them I knew exactly what I wanted. It made the purchase more valuable and lasting.

Good luck on finding the right shoes!

"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." - Horace

You mention practice shoes as though you were going to keep practice and competitions/social dancing separate shoewise. One has to be careful with this. I had a hard time finding a pair of Latin shoes that really fit me perfectly, only to discover that after using them for a couple of days, I developed blisters on my heels. Now that I've worn them with blister patches for another two months, they're absolutely perfect. I almost wouldn't want to wear them for practice, but I know that this would compromise my performance at competitions, even if it means they won't look like new at comps. I may not be such an issue if you're ballroom dancing in a social setting - you may well find that practicing in a different pair of shoes may not affect your ability to dance well socially, but make sure that your shoes are worn in - once you get used to dance shoes, dancing in anything else will feel awkward and you don't want to be sitting at the edge of the floor watching others dance while treating your blisters!!!
Oh, and having a pair of Latin and a pair of ballroom shoes makes a difference, although you'll have to learn to change shoes quickly for some situations. I'd advise against Latin shoes for anyone with hip problems, or risk groups (e.g. the more seasoned dancers). Your partner can use the same pair of shoes for both Latin and ballroom, and there are practice shoes for ladies with an even lower and wider heel, but they can make some steps more difficult whilst generally making dancing easier.
Much depends on the level of your dancing! If you want to enter competitions, better get used to the right sorts of shoes. Quite often, dance sneakers (some people like to wear these for salsa and jive) aren't allowed in competitions. They look like trainers (does that say it all?)

Okay, 'nuff nonsense about shoes. Now get on the floor! ;]

polle

What makes dance shoes dance shoes is usually the suede sole. The suede allows the dancer to turn easily or grip the floor with pressure from the toes. Most men's regular dress shoes just have hard leather soles or plastic.

But my question would be how long have you been dancing? If not long, any shoe that is comfortable and allows you to do a complete 'controlled' spin on one foot should be okay. Don't want shoes that are too slick.

Dance shoes are an investment. I waited until I had danced a year before I bought my first pair, and they were flats. So, if you've truly got the bug, and danced for about a year, it might be time to make the investment. One tip, I've heard for men is to get a 'hard'-heeled shoe, versus 'soft', especially for smooth and standard shoes. But a good salesperson should know what the best shoes for your dancing would be.

As for the ladies, my Smooth competitive dance friends suggest getting a lace up shoe with an one-inch heel for practice, and then the weeks leading up to a competition dance in the higher heels. I prefer to practice the Rhythm dances in a two-inch heel since it's tough to get the nice hip motion and leg lines with a flatter heel.

Hope this helps