I don’t think there is any one rule of comfort when it concerns feet. The “perfect” shoe for one person can be a nightmare for another. Some people swear by thin cork platforms, I like to feel the floor, but use a Dr. Scholls cushion for the ball of my foot. Some people like open toes, others closed toes. For people with weak or fallen arches, lower heels may be necessary. Even the choice of upper sole (leather, pleather, suede, satin, etc.) is individual.

I also think any comfortable shoe is a good dancing shoe, and labeling it a “tango” shoe is more of a marketing gimmick than actual structure. I only have about 5 pairs of actual “tango” shoes; the rest are “street” shoes which have stood up to the test of both abuse and comfort while dancing tango.

Ballroom shoes are definitely constructed differently, however. They tend to be much lighter, much softer, and less structured. And they almost always have suede soles.

When buying tango shoes in North America that are unknown brands in Argentina, I am concerned that I’m being sold what is in fact only a ballroom shoe, ie a shoe with a longer shank. I discovered also that tango shoes made in Uruguay (Tara Tango) do not have a shorter ‘tango’ shank.

Another concern I have is that online tango shoe sellers outside Argentina never state on their websites where their tango shoes are made. Origin of these shoes is also not stamped anywhere on the shoe. So, I e-mailed a few sellers before buying shoes, asking them in which country their tango shoes are made. Although American e-tailers are usually more than happy to answer queries about products, not one online American tango shoe seller answered this very important question.

Knowing where shoes are made aids buying decisions because different countries use different manufacturing methods, some superior and bedded in tradition, others indulging in the cheapest methods, shortcuts and materials. Why pay $200. for shoes made in China (worth $40. at most in quality terms) when for around the same price you can buy Italian or Spanish street shoes of careful construction and fine materials? Ditto Asian versus Argentine tango heels. Our feet deserve careful buying decisions, and therefore we need more complete information before we buy tango shoes.

Why is it that all street shoes bear a stamp of their country of manufacture but non-Argentine tango heels do not? Why aren’t tango shoe buyers demanding the same level of integrity and information from their tango shoe sellers? Surely, caring for our feet includes knowing where our tango shoes are being made. Something this obvious should automatically be disclosed to us without our even having to ask! Only then can tango shoe buyers know if, in general, the price of a specific pair of shoes matches prevailing and traditional standards of craftsmanship within a given country. Without this vital information, we cannot know whether we are buying quality or junk that ‘looks like’ a tango shoe.

Finally, in respect of your saying that tango shoes have no platform, I wonder what you make of Tara Tango Shoes selling a few styles of tango heels that have a cork platform that is supposed to soften up and bend after a few wearings. I don’t know if these shoes work or not.

I have never decomposed men’s tango shoes, so what I’m going to say might not be 100% accurate. As far as I know, men’s tango shoes have few things different from classical leather shoes:
- tango shoes don’t have welt;
- tango shoes don’t have long extended head;
- tango shoes have leather soles (but lately there’re new style tango shoes with rubber sole);
- tango shoes might have thinner insole compared to most of the city shoes;
- tango shoes have no platform.

Apart from the above differences, I think tango shoe’s structure is the same as the one of city shoes.

Then there’re some new style tango shoes that can be fold easily. Their soles are usually made of very soft material, and the metallic shank spring is replaced by a piece of thick leather or other material. They are almost like sneakers but made of leather, some have a more classical look and some just looked like sneakers.