We often get questions about which shoes are the best for Brazilian Zouk.
Zouk is typically danced in sneakers. You will see some dancers using high heels, but sneakers are much more common. We generally prefer shoes with indoor/outdoor soles, (meaning not suede) so that they don’t get ruined as quickly, aren’t at risk of not working well when wet, and can be used on outdoor or less smooth surfaces.
Leads and follows typically have different shoe preferences. Follows tend to prefer a shoe with high glide because follows pivot, twist and turn more, where leads tend to prefer a shoe with slightly less glide and more stability.
You may choose to either a adapt existing shoes or buy Zouk shoes. We’ve listed some favorite options here. Talk to your instructor or friends about what’s worked best for them!
Adapt existing shoes
If you already have a pair of shoes that are comfortable, strap tightly to your foot, and are flexible enough for dance you may consider adapting them for dance, especially as a budget friendly way to get started. To enable your shoe to glide, you can add suede or tape to the bottom of your shoes. Note that this will make the bottom of your shoe more sticky if you remove it, so you’ll want to commit the shoe to the dance cause!
Buy Zouk Shoes
Taygra– This is perhaps the most classic zouk dance shoe. The type with the squares on the bottom (linked) has the best slide. There are other sole types, like the Urbano Style, which have slightly more grip (potentially better for leads). Pros: flexible, excellent slide on a variety of floors. Cons: some say the shoe is too flexible and not supportive enough. Adding sole inserts (easy on Amazon) may also help this shoe have a little more cushion.
Fuego – Another classic favorite dance shoe. Pros: supportive, slightly thicker sole, wide toe bed. Cons: tend to be more sticky than Taygras, generally more popular with leads than follows, though opinions vary.
MYZIJI– Newer to the market, Myziji are growing in popularity. Pros: supportive, awesome colors. Cons: not slippery enough for some on a lot of floors. You could add suede or tape to the bottom if you love the style and find they are too sticky.
Swayd – Another brand that’s newer to zouk. Historically was more of a West Coast Swing brand. They make great indoor/outdoor dance sneaker (linked) that’s supportive and has great slide on a variety of floors. Pros: excellent slide and support. Cons: honestly I haven’t found any cons yet, I love them, but they aren’t super popular yet.