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Published: 21/07/2010 17:14 -
Updated: 22/07/2010 13:55
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Think of Strictly Come Dancing and images of jumping jives, dresses drenched in sequins and cans of fake tan spring to mind.
But one of the most important items to the dancers are often forgotten - the shoes.
And if it were not for one company based in Milton Keynes there would be a lot of professionals and celebrities with aching feet.
International Dance Shoes have been in the city for 30 years and have been providing the BBC One dance show with shoes from the very beginning.
Each pair of shoes are made to measure for the Strictly stars - if they want smaller heels, wider shoes, different styles they will get them.
Their Stonebridge industrial estate home is a far cry from the glamour of the Saturday night programme their shoes feature in, but it is a hub of activity where making a pair of ballroom slacks is a slick operation.
To make the process quicker there are two production lines - one for men's shoes and the other for women's.
The materials are made in a different office in Leicester before finding their way in to the production planning office.
Then the process begins.
The soles are placed evenly on mats, the base of a heel is glued on and a moulding machine heats the material to create the back of the shoe.
Every shoe has the front hand crafted on, a worker will use plastic models to create different sizes before stapling the material in to place.
After they are checked over, the shoe is placed back on a model to level out and the stiletto will be placed on with a machine nailing it in to place.
Tucked away at the back of the room is where the final stage of shoe making is completed.
A machine ties material together to make the straps, and the branding is glued inside the shoe before being packed away to be sold or sent to dancers.
The unique use of dancing shoes, compared to the every day footwear, means they have to be made in this process to ensure they are as light and flexible as possible.
Rashmi Patel, managing director of International Dance Shoes, showed dancers Vincent Simone, Flavia Cacace, and Ola and James Jordan how their shoes are manufactured from start to finish.
It is a business Mr Patel never intended on finding himself in, he said: "We've been based in Milton Keynes for the last 30 years.
"I used to be in fashion and a world professional Latin champion's dad approached me to make these dance shoes and I said OK I will try.
"And it worked successfully so I decided to put a plant here in Milton Keynes.
"From that it just expanded and we just moved out of the fashion side and concentrated on the dance.
"We have 35 people working here for our company, we have world wide distributions."
As the BBC began to plan a new prime time ballroom dance show Mr Patel was approached to see if his company could get involved in the project, which he gladly did.
And once the show returns to our screens later this year the demand will once again increase.
Speaking about the amount of shoes they produce he said: "I've lost count, it's quite a lot of pairs with the celebrities dancing and then the professionals.
International Dance Shoes have been in the city for 30 years and have been providing the BBC One dance show with shoes from the very beginning.
Each pair of shoes are made to measure for the Strictly stars - if they want smaller heels, wider shoes, different styles they will get them.
Their Stonebridge industrial estate home is a far cry from the glamour of the Saturday night programme their shoes feature in, but it is a hub of activity where making a pair of ballroom slacks is a slick operation.
To make the process quicker there are two production lines - one for men's shoes and the other for women's.
The materials are made in a different office in Leicester before finding their way in to the production planning office.
Then the process begins.
The soles are placed evenly on mats, the base of a heel is glued on and a moulding machine heats the material to create the back of the shoe.
Every shoe has the front hand crafted on, a worker will use plastic models to create different sizes before stapling the material in to place.
After they are checked over, the shoe is placed back on a model to level out and the stiletto will be placed on with a machine nailing it in to place.
Tucked away at the back of the room is where the final stage of shoe making is completed.
A machine ties material together to make the straps, and the branding is glued inside the shoe before being packed away to be sold or sent to dancers.
The unique use of dancing shoes, compared to the every day footwear, means they have to be made in this process to ensure they are as light and flexible as possible.
Rashmi Patel, managing director of International Dance Shoes, showed dancers Vincent Simone, Flavia Cacace, and Ola and James Jordan how their shoes are manufactured from start to finish.
It is a business Mr Patel never intended on finding himself in, he said: "We've been based in Milton Keynes for the last 30 years.
"I used to be in fashion and a world professional Latin champion's dad approached me to make these dance shoes and I said OK I will try.
"And it worked successfully so I decided to put a plant here in Milton Keynes.
"From that it just expanded and we just moved out of the fashion side and concentrated on the dance.
"We have 35 people working here for our company, we have world wide distributions."
As the BBC began to plan a new prime time ballroom dance show Mr Patel was approached to see if his company could get involved in the project, which he gladly did.
And once the show returns to our screens later this year the demand will once again increase.
Speaking about the amount of shoes they produce he said: "I've lost count, it's quite a lot of pairs with the celebrities dancing and then the professionals.
"It's a lot of shoes, every week averaging from 30 to 40 pairs of shoes.
"One pair to make from start to finish takes about 15 minutes."
The factory, and Milton Keynes, certainly proved to be a winner with Italian dancer Vincent, who specialises in the Argentine tango, he said: "It was interesting to come here because Flavia and I have been sponsored by International Dance Shoes for many, many years. We’ve never been to the factory before to see how they make our shoes and it’s quite unbelievable.
"One pair to make from start to finish takes about 15 minutes."
The factory, and Milton Keynes, certainly proved to be a winner with Italian dancer Vincent, who specialises in the Argentine tango, he said: "It was interesting to come here because Flavia and I have been sponsored by International Dance Shoes for many, many years. We’ve never been to the factory before to see how they make our shoes and it’s quite unbelievable.
"Shoes are the most important thing for us, if we don't feel comfortable with our feet there is no way we can perform.
"We always try to design our shoes to make it better for our feet. Some people require higher heels, shorter heels, so everyone is different.
"The show in Milton Keynes sold out most nights, it was a great atmosphere - it's nice to have fans everywhere we go.
"We all went to the shopping centre, there were so many lovely shops and restaurants. I've really enjoyed my time in Milton Keynes."
"We always try to design our shoes to make it better for our feet. Some people require higher heels, shorter heels, so everyone is different.
"The show in Milton Keynes sold out most nights, it was a great atmosphere - it's nice to have fans everywhere we go.
"We all went to the shopping centre, there were so many lovely shops and restaurants. I've really enjoyed my time in Milton Keynes."
