When buying ballet slippers, the first thing you must do is check with your ballet school - what brands your teacher would recommend or what kinds of shoes they would rather have their students use. Ballet schools are quite particular about uniformity and some teachers have preferences about shoes. Ballet is a dance form that is high on discipline, and even classes for younger kids will require that each student wear the exact same cut and color of leotards and tights, and the same kinds of ballet shoes.

There are also other, more practical reasons why you should check with your school first. For example, schools with wooden floors would ask you to get leather shoes instead of canvas shoes, because canvas shoes tend to slip more on wooden floors and wear out faster than leather. If your school has a vinyl or linoleum lining on your floor, leather shoes will tend to stick to the vinyl, making floor contact harder to manage and giving the student unnecessary leg and foot cramps.

Of course, you should also be able to decide for yourself what ballet slippers would be better for you. The shape of your feet and your body type have much to do with the right kind of shoe as much as the kind of floor you'll be dancing on. If you're on the heavy side, leather ballet slippers will have too much grip on any floor, hindering your turns and other steps that dig into the ground. Canvas ballet slippers are also less expensive than leather shoes, and today's brands have been coming up with materials that are better suited for dancing.

People with feet that aren't very nicely arched will prefer split-sole shoes to full sole ballet slippers. However, full-sole shoes are better for students, especially girls who are beginning pointe work, because the shanks feel just as pointe shoes would. Split-sole shoes are more intended as performance soft shoes for professional dancers.

When you fit your new ballet slippers, make sure that they are neither too large nor too small for you. A ballet slipper's shelf life is quite short and you won't "grow into them" like you would ordinary shoes. So during the time you are using them, a nice snug fit is ideal. Shoes that are too big will prevent you from feeling the floor properly, while shoes that are too small will cramp your feet and give you injuries.

Try on a pair at the dance shop - not just one shoe as your feet are never the same size - and stand flat on the floor, preferably on a special provided rug. If you can lay your entire foot and all ten toes on the floor comfortably, then it's a good fit. if you can feel space beyond your toes, or if you can insert your pinky into the heel of your shoe, then you need a smaller size. On the other hand, if your toes are folding up in the shoe, then you need a size bigger.

Sewing the elastics on your ballet slippers is good practice for when you sew garters on your pointe shoes. It also helps you determine the right fit of your elastics over your arch and lets you dance more comfortably.

As you can tell, makers of ballet slippers are improving their products with your feet and your dancing in mind. Now, it's up to you to get the perfect pair.