A proper ballroom dance shoe is a court shoe with usually a 2" or 3" heel - but wearing any low healed shoe that will stay on your foot is a good start. Do not wear sports shoes - they make it too hard to turn and you may hurt your ankle or knee. A leather shoe is the ideal - but many "dress shoe" artificial soles will work just fine. Bare feet are unacceptable (and extremely difficult to dance in).The Right Clothes for Ballroom Dance Class Most serious ballroom dance students will wear a practice skirt - general a below the knee skirt cut on the cross often of lycra or chiffon.
The top may be fairly close fitting - but must allow you to raise you arms easily - so generally is made of stretch fabric. You don't have to wear "proper" practice wear as often you will have some clothing which will fit this description in your wardrobe already. A leotard with a skirt will work as well. Avoid strapless tops - you'll be surprised what they do once you start holding your arms up properly.The teacher needs to see how you are dancing which is why most serious students will wear black or darker colours and have clothing which fits fairly closely - too many ruffles and frills just get in the way.
Looking for a dance studio in Wellington I have most of the listed on this link. if you are interested in learning more about dancing and local dance classes. Even if you aren't a local - you may well find something of interest!
Read more about dancing at http://danceclasseswellington.com