Does anyone out care to comment on "dance sneakers" and how helpful they are, as compared to normal leather-soled street shoes?

I have a foot problem that requires othopedic shoes and inserts. Our dance club had been approached by a vendor interested in selling us dance shoes in a bulk order, including custom-made shoes. Upon looking at the tracings of my feet, the vendor was suggesting a dance sneaker instead. I've never seen a dance sneaker except for Internet pictures. The vendor is proving hard to connect with, as he's located on the other side of the country. How comparable are these to dance shoes or how much of an improvement over regular leather soled street shoes?

Failing that, does anyone know where I might obtain "orthodpedic" dance shoes? For the sake of clarity, I specifically need men's 7, 5E wide with a deep toe box (I have toes crossed on top of each other, and the ortho inserts an add additional depth need). I figure I can't be the only out there dancing on weird feet, so if anyone else has solved this problem at an acceptable price....

But I know of several dancers that a dance sneaker is their street shoe. They love them that much.

I own a pair of Capezio dance sneakers along with several pairs of ballroom and latin dance shoes. As the name implies, they are sneakers designed for jazz dancing. They have a split sole for flexability but the design still provides for good foot support. You should be able to find them at any dance supply store (ie. ballet, jazz, tap etc.)

I like them for social dancing, especially at venues where the floor is dirty (i.e. clubs). However, they are a bit too casual for wearing to semi-formal or formal dances. I don't like them for practicing for competition because they feel too different from my competition shoes.

On another note, there does seem to be some differences between brands of dance sneakers in terms of how they fit. I had to try on a couple of different brands before I found a pair that fit properly.

If you are going to have shoes custom made, I would recommend that you deal directly with the manufacturer rather than some distributor. My partner has had good luck dealing with Elegance Shoe Company from LA for custom made shoes.

Good Luck,

Blair