Pair of Very Fine Dancesport Melody women's ballroom dance shoes

Whenever someone in the studio purchases a new shoe, everyone hears about it. While everyone has their own preferences for what works for their dance style, Very Fine Dancesport’s Melody shoes strives to be a shoe for everyone. In this review, you will learn about how this is good shoe for beginner and intermediate ballroom dancers, and why it’s only an okay shoe for rhythm and latin dancers.

What Very Fine Says About the Melody Shoe

Very Fine’s shoes typically feature an overall premium construction, lauding the handmade nature of each pair. The Melody shoes are marketed to discerning dancers as a shoe for all styles of dance. Featuring several quality of life design decisions, these shoes focus on style, comfort, and quality.

  • Quick Release Clasp: The buckle features a hook for quickly fastening and unfastening the straps between songs. As an added feature, the buckle and clasp are nickel free, resulting in a hypoallergenic construction.
  • Wide Heels: The heels have a relatively wide base that tapers outwards slightly, which assists with stability to prevent wobbling and slipping.
  • Memory Foam Insole: The insole is made of memory foam, perfect for long days on the competition floor or at a dance-a-thon.
  • Arch Support: A built-in shank between the heel and the ball of the foot provides additional support for the arch of your foot.
  • Professional Suede Sole: The suede bottom is the perfect material for the shoe to grip the floor when not matted, but still smooth enough for graceful glides across the floor.

Infographic of Very Fine Dancesport Melody women's ballroom dance shoes

What Dancers Say

Comfort (5/5)

The Melody is a comfortable shoe with the memory foam insole and wide base, which helps to distribute your weight when your on your feet for extended periods of time. Despite the additional materials for comfort, the shoes are lightweight to prevent tiring throughout a long day of dance. Dancers especially note that this shoe is good for flat arches, thanks to the built-in shank.

Support (4/5)

The flared base of the heel provides stability when stepping, especially during heel leads and heel turns. While Very Fine Dancesport claims these shoes are good for all dance styles, the closed toe design lends itself to smooth and standard styles of dance. Both rhythm and latin styles typically benefit from a narrower heel – which forces you to place your weight in your toes – and open toed design – which allows for better awareness of the floor during toes leads and turns.

Sizing (4/5)

Like most materials, satin will stretch over time. Unfortunately, there is no way to cinch the toe of the shoe tighter once the outer satin has stretched, which may lead to a loose fit later on. However, the toe of the shoe can accommodate wide feet, even with its closed toe design.

Longevity (3/5)

Dancers report quality control issues with the Melody. Specifically, the holes in the strap are not evenly spaced, or are close to the edge. As you wear these shoes, the strap will stretch, and using the next hole will be inconsistent or risk tearing if close to the edge of the material.

Pro Tip: Keep a leather hole punch handy; you’ll likely need to add a new hole to the strap to keep the fit secure as the strap stretches.

Style (4/5)

The style of this shoe is both beautiful and elegant. However, the color in the pictures is a soft pink, but may vary in real life. Either a darker pink or more of a champagne color, these shoes are still stylish for a wide variety of events, whether it be the competition floor, a wedding, or a dress up party. In the long run, however, the satin will scuff and wear down.

Final Verdict

Very Fine Dancesport markets these shoes as great for all dance styles. While there’s nothing preventing you from wearing these shoes during a rhythm dance or a latin night out, their flared heel and closed toe design is better suited for smooth and standard styles.

Because of quality control issues and the satin scuffing after extended use, professionals will likely be disappointed after only a competition or two. For thsoe competitions, the quick release clasp is a strong feature. As a practice shoe, these shoes are more than sufficient. For the occasional or social dancer, these shoes are a good choice for the occasional night our or events with light dancing, such as at a wedding; as long as you’re flexible on the color.

The right shoe of the Very Fine Dancesport Melody women's ballroom dance shoes

The best part about this shoe? You can usually find them on Amazon for less than Very Fine’s own website. Even if you’re on the fence, put them in your cart and come back to them later.

Affiliate Disclosure: Dancewear Labs uses affiliate links. When you make a purchasing using one of our links, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.