Flamenco shoes are a type of shoe worn by flamenco dancers. The quality of the shoes worn can significantly affect a dancer's performance. Wearing the right flamenco shoes and flamenco skirt is considered to be vital for the quality of the performance.
In choosing the right flamenco shoe one needs to take the following into consideration: Colour (most common is black or red), Material (leather or suede), Heel type (standard, carrete, cubano), Heel size (4 cm to 7 cm), Nails (most flamenco shoes come with nails on the toe and heel but some dancers may chose to have them without nails depending on the practice surface).
There are different types of shoes for different levels of experience. They vary from Amateur, which are for beginners, to Elite and in some rare cases Ultimate, which are made for accomplished flamenco performers. In between, one can find semi-professional or professional models depending on the level of experience.
There are many popular brands such as Flamencista[1] and Gallardo[2] but there are many independent workshops in Spain that produce flamenco shoes for generations.