At Tripl3 Threat Studio, our musical theatre performers wear BLOCH jazz dance shoes.
We encourage our performers to purchase jazz dance shoes, as they meet our triple threat needs best. Their design supports various choreography, blocking, and acrobatics, and complements character costuming.
We recommend buying from the BLOCH dance company for a number of reasons. To begin, BLOCH is a very respected, trusted, and internationally recognized brand. Next, established as a leader in the dance world, BLOCH delivers high-quality products with exceptional design features, materials, and construction. Beyond dance shoes, BLOCH also offers dancewear, activewear, and gymnastic apparel. With sizes for adults and children, BLOCH is a great one-stop shop for a theatre organization, like ourselves.
In particular, our studio strongly suggests performers use the BLOCH S0449L Elasta Bootie jazz shoe. It is comfortable and durable, withstanding many hours of use, and is a cohesive costume piece.
Keep reading to find out why the BLOCH S0499L Elasta Bootie is our absolute favourite!
http://us.blochworld.com/product/S0499L
What is the BLOCH S0499L Elasta Bootie?
The BLOCH S0449L Elasta Bootie is a jazz dance shoe described as BLOCH’s “original Jazz Boot with side elastic inserts.” Made of soft and durable leather and stretch satin, this shoe features a split sole. With rubber padding under the ball and heel of the foot only, this sole style provides maximum flexibility for all foot movements. The side elastic inserts replace laces, securing the shoe to the wearer and offering a firm fit and streamlined look. Commended for its well-fitting arch, the Elasta Bootie emphasizes the arch, point, and line of the foot.
Visit the BLOCH S0499L product page for more information.
BLOCH Australia’s Frequently Asked Questions are very helpful. Their Youtube channel is also a great resource, with many beautiful dance videos and behind-the-scenes interviews.
Interested in BLOCH reviews? Check out Amazon for customer opinions.
Testing the BLOCH S0499L Elasta Bootie Jazz Shoe
To investigate the effectiveness of the BLOCH S0449L Elasta Bootie jazz shoe, we wore this dance shoe for three consecutive months for a variety of theatre activities, both in rehearsal and performance settings. We did jazz, hip-hop, ballet, lyrical, and musical theatre choreography. We moved set pieces and props. We went through scene blocking and character movements. We wore costume pieces designed for different character ages, time periods, fashion trends, and fictional stories.
After trying out the Elasta Bootie, we were very excited about the potential of this jazz shoe! It was very comfortable and supportive during all of the triple threat components we explored. Despite our heavy usage, the materials and construction held up, further enforcing the durability praises. We were concerned that the shoe would not match our wide variety of costuming pieces, but were happily surprised by its professional look and subtly.
Pros & Cons of the BLOCH S0499L Elasta Bootie Jazz Shoe
As triple threat performers, we require a dance shoe that is as versatile as we are! Thankfully, BLOCH’s Elasta Bootie has all the features we truly need – and more.
These jazz shoes are very comfortable. The leather and satin stretch material fits snugly to the foot, stretching in areas like the toe, as the choreography may require. They also offer medium, narrow, and wide widths for all foot sizes. The Elasta Bootie is very flexible due to the split sole, accommodating any choreography and aligning the foot’s arch and toes well. The rubber sole is great for turns, providing just enough traction and grip, while also allowing effortless rotations and slides. Performers are, without a doubt, very hard on their dance shoes, with many hours of rehearsals and shows to blame. This BLOCH jazz shoe stands up to all of that wear and tear! They are extremely durable and such high quality. In our experience, performers replace their shoes approximately every third year – unheard of with other dance shoe products. Lastly, in the world of musical theatre, dance shoes are considered a costume piece. The Elasta Bootie is professional, fitted, and sleek, complementing our range of costuming. TTS prefers the black colour, but BLOCH has other options, offering the shoe in tan and taupe, as well.
The main disadvantage of the Elasta Bootie jazz shoe is its sizing. BLOCH’s products are labeled in manufacturer sizes, so referencing a size guide when ordering is a must. Thankfully, BLOCH has a size assistant on their website that compares each manufacturer size to UK, US, and EU sizes. However, this dance shoe needs to fit tightly to allow for the inevitable stretching of the leather material. Because of this, we highly recommend visiting a retailer for the best sizing advice. Unfortunately, BLOCH shoes are also fairly expensive, with the S0499L Elasta Bootie jazz shoe costing about $70 CAD.
Conclusion
Here at TTS, we love our BLOCH S0499L Elasta Bootie jazz shoes! We strongly encourage all of our performers to wear these very comfortable and durable dance shoes. We highly recommend the BLOCH brand and are huge fans of their designs and product quality. The Elasta Bootie jazz shoe is ideal for our musical theatre use, supporting triple threat performances by both adults and children. This shoe would also be effective for jazz dancers, cheerleaders, and character shoes.
