The best ballet shoes you can buy

Why you'll love them: Enjoy the resistance and durability of leather as well as the flexibility of canvas with the Bloch Adult Prolite II Hybrid shoes, which smartly combines these two materials in its construction.

Featuring a leather upper with a soft canvas insert in the middle, the Bloch Adult Prolite II Hybrid may be just what you are looking for if you want advantages of both leather and canvas in a single ballet shoe.

The canvas insert hugs your feet and shows off your arch when you point while minimizing wrinkling and gaping. The leather makes it more durable than a canvas shoe, yet is still lightweight, supple, and supportive. Several dancers note that this model is good for narrow feet.

One professional dancer friend likes that that leather makes her feet work harder but that the canvas arch helps "accentuate the shape of the foot." Another friend who dances recreationally has been eyeing the Bloch Adult Prolite II Hybrid when transitioning from canvas to leather ballet shoes.

The Bloch Adult Prolite II Hybrid has a split sole with suede foot pads that make a good surface for turning. It also has a cotton lining, a suede in-sock, and conveniently pre-sewn cross elastic straps for immediate use. Dancers also like the adjustable elastic drawstring for customizing the fit of the shoe's upper.

BestReviews picked this shoe as "Best of the Best" of ballet shoes for 2019. The Bloch Adult Prolite II Hybrid earned four-and-a-half out of five stars on Discountdance.com and four out of five stars on AllAboutDance. Around 82% of 56 Zappos reviewers awarded it five out of five stars and 64% of 134 Amazon customers.

Pros: Leather works foot and lasts longer while canvas insert flatters arch

Cons: A little pricey, durability and sizing vary from person to person

Buy the Bloch Adult "Prolite II Hybrid" Leather Split-Sole Ballet Shoes on Amazon for $19.43 to $33.90 (price varies depending on size) Buy the Bloch Adult "Prolite II Hybrid" Leather Split-Sole Ballet Shoes on Zappos for $33.90

Why you'll love it: For a divinely comfortable fit that molds to your feet for fancy footwork, wear the Capezio Hanami shoe to your next ballet class.

Made of incredibly soft and flexible four-way stretch canvas, the Capezio Hanami gently hugs your foot. Hailed as a "slipper superhero" for ballet shoes by Pointe Magazine, it sports a sleek silhouette, yielding both aesthetic and functional benefits.

Flattering the foot without any bunching or gaping, the Capezio Hanami fits "like a glove" to many users, such as those on Discount Dance Supply where it earned four-and-a-half out of five stars. In my experience, this shoe feels like a second skin and lets you feel the floor. Its snug fit is perfect for people with narrow feet.

The only drawback to the shoe's lightweight, thin, and breathable canvas is that this shoe might wear out faster those constructed with heavier canvas. This model has a smooth interior lining that adds some reinforcement, but be sure to keep your toenails trimmed!

A stretchy diamond-shaped gusset under the arch in the middle connects the shoe's toe and heel pieces, enabling full pointing, and flexing. Flat front pleats under the toe don't add bulk or interfere with fluid movements, like pirouettes. The Capezio Hanami's flat suede split-sole patches support secure balancing and turning.

Capezio Hanami earned four out of five stars on All About Dance and five out of five stars on Dance Supplies. Personally, I love this shoe and enjoy it for all of the reasons listed above. My street shoe size is 7.5 narrow and my Capezio Hanamis are 8.5 narrow.

Don't be startled when you take them out of the box for the first time and wonder, "How am I going to get them onto my feet?" Just insert your toes into the front of the shoe under the conveniently pre-sewn elastics, pull back the shoe to smoothen and stretch the canvas around your metatarsals, and then pull up the back onto your heel.

Pros: Good looking, comfortable, fits like a smooth glove

Cons: Tradeoff for thin, comfortable canvas is less durability, runs small

Buy the Capezio Hanami on Amazon for $16.31 to $88.46 (price varies depending on size) Buy the Capezio Hanami Girl's model on Jet for $22.95

Why you'll love it: Men find the Sansha Pro 1 Canvas shoe sturdy yet comfortable, flattering, and fitting for basic steps as well as fancy footwork.

Although this shoe fits both men and women, we found that the split-sole Sansha Pro 1 Canvas is especially popular among male ballet dancers for its durability, support, elegance, and reasonable price. Two layers of strong canvas compose the shoe's upper and the sole is hand stitched and initially stiff to really work the feet. Crisscross elastics are included but not sewn on.

Several male dancers like this shoe because it makes their feet look good by hugging the arches and accentuating extended toes. One reviewer on All About Dance believes that these shoes "show his point to its best advantage." While the shoes definitely flatter to some dancers, others don't like that it bunches under the insole a bit while pointing their feet.

The Sansha Pro 1 Canvas is supportive for muscular dancers. Many male dancers comment on boysdancetoo (an online dance store for guys) that this model accommodates wide feet comfortably. It has a good platform for balancing in demi pointe and pirouetting well.

Two teen male ballet students believe these shoes "mold" to their feet well, although one comments that the shoes take a while to break in.

On the other hand, a male adult professional ballet dancer who prefers the Sansha Pro 1 Canvas thinks they "lose their shape and stability after a time, which is normal." Nonetheless, he's loyal to this model for class, rehearsal, and performance … and always wears a new pair when performing since this shoe is reasonably priced.

The Sansha Pro 1 Canvas earned five out of five stars on boysdancetoo and Dance Supplies as well as four out of five stars on both All About Dance and Discountdance.com. It was ranked within the top five ballet shoe models on Best Reviews, the top six on AmaTop10, and the top ten on WalkJogRun.

Pros: Inexpensive, durable, comfortable, and flattering to the foot

Cons: Durability and sizing vary from person to person

Buy the Men Sansha Pro 1 Canvas on Amazon for $6.99 to $34.95

Why you'll love it: For your daughter or son who's starting ballet, the Capezio Daisy 205 shoe is perfect; this all-leather, full-sole shoe is durable, soft, and well-constructed.

For a first ballet shoe, the Capezio Daisy 205 puts a kid on a fun road to learning and enjoying ballet. Despite its floral name, this shoe is for boys and girls and is available in pink, black, and white. In fact, you can choose between a daisy print cotton lining or a unisex non-print cotton lining.

With a leather upper and a suede full sole, this shoe really helps condition and strengthen young feet — but without sacrificing softness and flexibility. We read reviews from parents of toddlers who find this shoe comfortable for their little tykes.

Other features convenient to children and their parents are the pre-sewn single straight plush elastics and satin ID tags with "This belongs to." Best of all, the elastic drawstring is bar-tacked, meaning your child can't accidentally pull the drawstring out of the casing. The leather bottoms of the Capezio Daisy 205 have hammered pleats for smooth floor contact and good support.

Many parents describe this model as durable. In fact, your child might outgrow this shoe before it wears out. Nonetheless, the mom of a young dancer observed that these shoes "seemed to wear out after a year of use by a boy."

The Capezio Daisy 205 was rated "Best Pick" on AmaTop10 and third on WalkJogRun. Best Reviews ranks it within its top five picks. It earned four-and-a-half out of five stars on Discountdance.com and four out of five stars on All About Dance.

Around 63% of 90 Zappos shoppers gave it five out of five stars. Of more than 3,100 Amazon reviewers, more than half awarded the Capezio Daisy 205 five out of five stars.

Pros: All-leather construction, soft, durable

Cons: Not the most economical model but worth it

Buy the Capezio Daisy 205 Ballet Shoe (Toddler/Little Kid) on Amazon for $9.23 to $65.35 (price varies depending on size) Buy the Capezio Daisy on Zappos for $19.95