When I first started Zumba I had no idea I had to get a good pair of zumba shoes. My friend kept talking about them and I kind of just ignored her, because I had running shoes, which I thought would be fine. She finally convinced me and I bought a good pair of zumba shoes and wow, I love them.
It took me a while to get used to the split soles, but they are there for a reason. The comfort level is great, and they have high arch support . The split sole keeps the shoes flexible too. This is good for the pivots, turns and slides we do during a normal zumba class.
The first time most people wear zumba shoes to a class they feel the comfort and love it. What they don't realize though is that the extra flexibility and cushioning in the shoe protects them in ways they can't feel. Like joint injuries. You won't get nearly the ankle pain, join pain, knee pain, etc. If you wear the wrong kind of footwear for zumba you can develop these problems and worse even.
Usually zumba shoes run a size or two small, so you should order a size or two bigger than you would wear with regular shoes. You don't want them to arrive too small. Trust me on this.
Anyway, I used to think that regular running shoes would work for me, but it was a mistake. Zumba shoes have a very specific design for dancing. My running shoe soles were too sticky and grippy and it hurt my dance moves because I couldn't move my feet the way I wanted to.
Good Zumba shoes will be large enough for your feet to prevent cramping, but will also be snug enough that your feet can't slide around inside them. There are very bright and exciting colors available, like pink, purple, red and more, but you can also get zumba shoes in just black, white , or other neutral colors if that is what you like. I found a site that reviews zumba shoes and they can help you figure out what pair you should get.