Heel Height for Lindy Hop, Balboa and Solo Jazz

Ask ten swing dancers what heel height to buy and you will get ten answers, and every one of them has worked for somebody. Heel height is a matter of fit for your dance: it changes where your weight sits, and different dances like it in different places.

We build heels from 2 cm to 6.5 cm, straight or curvy, on every model. Here is how to think about the choice.

What a heel actually does

A heel moves your weight forward onto the ball of your foot.

That is the whole mechanism, and everything else follows from it. Weight forward means you are already positioned where most swing footwork happens, which is why a small heel can make you feel quicker and more responsive. More heel than you need simply gives the calves extra work, so the sweet spot is personal.

The right heel is the one that puts you where your dance wants you, and that you can still stand in at two in the morning.

Lindy hop

Lindy hop covers a lot of ground. Swingouts travel, Charleston bounces, and you spend the evening moving in and out of a partner's space.

Most dancers land somewhere in the middle of the range: enough heel to stay quick, with a base steady enough to land the big movements. If you are choosing your first pair and you dance mostly lindy, the middle of the range is the safe place to start.

Balboa

There is a persistent idea that balboa means flat shoes. It does not.

Balboa happens almost entirely through the front of the foot, in a small space, at speed. A moderate heel keeps your weight where the dance already wants it, which is why experienced balboa dancers generally choose a heel rather than a flat.

In our range that means 4 cm rather than 2 cm. If you dance balboa seriously, this is the height to look at first, and if you dance both balboa and lindy in the same night, it is the height that handles both.

Solo jazz

Solo jazz gives you no partner to balance against. Everything is your own weight and your own control.

Some dancers want a lower heel for the stability. Others want a heel precisely because the weight-forward position suits the footwork, and because solo jazz is often performed, so the line of the leg matters. Both work beautifully, which is why the choice stays yours.

If you are learning solo jazz alongside lindy, one pair in the middle of the range will do both.

Straight or curvy

Every heel height comes in one or both of two shapes.

Straight heels put the load through a wider base. They are more stable and more forgiving, and they suit anyone who is on their feet for a long night or who is still building confidence at height.

Curvy heels follow a vintage line and are what most people picture when they imagine a 1940s shoe. The aesthetic is the point, and at lower heights the difference in stability is small.

The half-and-half sole

Worth knowing if you are choosing a lower heel: we offer a sole that is leather at the back and rubber plastic at the front.

You keep the slide where you pivot, and the rubber at the front gives you something to stop against. It never becomes as slippery as a full leather sole. For a lot of dancers this is the combination they should have bought the first time.

If you want one answer

Dancing mostly lindy hop? The middle of the range.

Dancing balboa, or balboa and lindy in the same night? 4 cm.

On your feet all night, or new to heels? Go lower and straight. Being comfortable at 2 cm beats being careful at 6.5 cm.

Buying your second pair? Take a different height from your first. Most dancers who have been at it a few years own more than one, and the reason is that a floor, a night and a dance all ask for slightly different things.

Every pair is handmade to order, in any size from 34 to 48, in narrow, standard or wide. Choose your heel from 2 cm to 6.5 cm, with the sole and colour you want.