Ballet Shoes for Dark Skin

For most of ballet's history a dancer with dark skin had two options: wear pink, or spend the night before a show pancaking their shoes with foundation. Our Deep range exists so that neither is necessary.

Two deep shades, because undertone matters most at depth. Cacao has a cool undertone; Kola has a warm one. The deeper the skin, the less forgiving a mismatch is. A warm shoe on a cool-toned foot goes orange under stage light, and a cool shoe on a warm-toned foot goes grey. Getting the undertone right is what makes the shoe vanish.

A quick way to tell: look at the veins on the inside of your wrist in daylight. Blue or purple, you are usually cool, which is Cacao. Green or olive, you are usually warm, which is Kola. If you genuinely cannot tell, either will sit well.

A note on stage lighting. Studio and stage lights are warmer than daylight and push every shade a little deeper. If you are choosing for performance and sit between the two, Cacao is the safer call.

Available for adults and children. Our size and shade guide covers both fit and undertone.