How to Choose Street Jazz Sneakers
Jazz and Hip Hop Come Together for a New Hybrid Dance Style
While street shoes are prohibited on studio dance floors, shoe manufacturers have come to design both stylish and functional street jazz shoes that complement a foot.
Street Jazz is a new hybrid dance of jazz essential combined with raw hip hop. This trashy style of jazz requires both stylish and functional footwear for all the turns, jumps and tremendous level changes a dancer will experience when taking a street jazz class or learning a new routine.
Taking much of its style from hip-hop culture, street jazz is often practiced and performed in comfortable baggy pants and sneakers. This accommodates well to the body level changes and constant bent knees. Very rarely will one find a high kick or a straight-legged grande jette in a street jazz routine. The Catch 22 of street jazz and hip-hop classes is that typical street shoes (or shoes that one wears on a daily basis and out on public streets) are prohibited on polished studio dance floors. That being said, a new market of hip hop and street jazz shoes has emerged in the dance attire fashion industry.
Brian Friedman, also known as “B Free”, is a well known choreographer in the United States who has seen the need and has partnered with Frontline shoe manufacturers to develop the BFree Dance Sneaker. This dance boot is a combination of leather and nylon and has an urban high-top look to the sneaker. It has a rubber split sole, which helps immensely with the juxtaposition of street jazz itself – being a combination of classical jazz and revolutionary urban – but also helps the dancer feel the shoe encompass the entire foot. Not only that, but the high-top can also be stylized, since the sides and the tongue of the shoe can be flipped down. Try the BFree Dance Sneaker in a one-and-a-half or two street shoe sizes smaller, as they tend to fit quite large.
For a more old-skool look, Bloch’s Klassik dance sneaker shows more white leather with a low top shoe combining a great sole of grip and slide. Klassik’s breathable leather does well in the dance bag after class, as it deodorizes easily and also has a removable (and washable) 7mm insole that is designed to cushion, absorb shocks and give the dancer comfort while they dance. Furthermore, the attention to style detail that Bloch has expressed with colour, combining red and black slanted stripes on the outer side of the shoe, proves that Bloch is a manufacturer that is always at the top of the game. The Klassik dance sneaker also features a metal clip on the back of the heel so dancers have the option to tuck their baggy pants into the clip to reduce tripping and dragging of their pants in the studio or on stage. Try it in one street shoe size larger.
Frontline has also designed an old-skool dance sneaker, Kush. This dance sneaker features function, style and fun! In a black cow suede and nylon with colourful neon accent designs, Kush also provides much street style with a full rubber sole that and a comfortable padded collar. Try it with the checkered tongue out or in. Kush also fits the same as most street shoe sizes.
The bottom line with street jazz is to have fun, be aggressive and let all the classical jazz training out the door without feeling like a total nerd in a typical hip hop class. Jazz students always have their jazz training to fall back on and hip-hop dancers get to experience a bit of jazz without feeling intimidated by all the spandex. Check your local drop-in dance studio for their street jazz class schedules!
