Another one of those "I got new shoes" posts...
In the past 2 weeks, I've gotten two new pairs of dance shoes, custom color Miller and Ben Triple Threat tap shoes that I've waited forever and a day for (that's the problem with ordering the pretty pretty colors!) and Gamba 97 pointe shoes.
Miller and Ben Triple Threats:
I pretty much adore these shoes. They're gorgeous and shiny. I didn't realize how soft and dead and wimpy my old Jazz Tap Masters were until I put them on. They're pretty much perfection in a tap shoe. The triple stacked front sole gives them an amazing sound and prevents that annoying feeling like in the JTMs where you can feel the back edge of the front tap in the ball of your foot. They're breaking in really nicely, other than the one nasty blister they gave me on the back of my heel the first time I wore them. The trick to these is tights AND thin socks so they're comfy and don't rub before the leather softens up. A shoe horn helps for the first couple times you put them on.
Gamba 97s:
These were sort of tester shoes; I bought them without getting fitted on the principle that I liked the Gamba 93s and there is little-no difference between the two shoes other than the 3/4 shank in these. On top of that, they're the first pair of shoes I've ever Jet Glued (which gave me a killer headache). Although everything I see claims that they're a slightly lower profile than the 93s, it feels higher to me. I'm not a huge fan of the blunt cut 3/4 shank, more because it digs in to my foot a little than anything. I still roll over the box a little too far in these, but because of the Jet Glued platforms, nothing has caved in or died yet. They're not the world's greatest shoes; I still like the 93's better, but they'll do for now. They're comfortable for the most part, fit nicely, don't die in 45 minutes, and I'm able to work in them without being severly incapacitated by them.
Selly
