These shoes were designed especially for Zumba, which includes lots of twists, turns, and sliding. The big selling point of these shoes is that the area on the pivot point of the sole is supposed to have less grip to the floor, thereby making the twists, turns, and slides that are a big part of Zumba easier to perform and easier on the wearer's knees. Unfortunately, this is not the case--this area on the pivot point of the soles grips just as tightly to the floor as the rest of the sole. I was so excited to try get these shoes and try them out because my knees have really been hurting due to these twists and turns and my previous shoes not moving smoothly enough and gripping the floor during these moves. My knees hurt even worse after wearing these shoes, but that's probably because I really went all out in that class because I thought the shoes would do what they are advertised to do. Additionally, the insole of this shoe is 1/8&#34; thick. This is less support and thickness than many dress shoes! Zumba is a high-impact exercise--there should be 2-3 times as much support in the insoles of these shoes. I gave them the one star for lightness and flexibility as well as their wide toe box, however. So, if you modify these shoes by removing the insoles and replacing them with something more cushioned and supportive and get yourself a pair of dancesox (they're available out here on Amazon) and slip them over the front of the shoes, you can make these shoes work for you.