I like how the suede outsoles were good to go on day 1 (not too much traction). However it took a couple hours of dancing for the seam of this super extra long vamp to stop cutting into my instep. I had to use heel cushions to stuff a barrier in that area because it was so painful. And there’s definitely less space for your toes to spread out in the SD122 compared to the Bliss. The canvas is not stretch. The seam of the heel seems to curve in, although it grips onto my narrow heel nicely, it does dig into my Achilles. Ordered same size as my preferred size in the Bliss, but these could be shorter and slightly wider in the toe area (not metatarsals) for my big toe and pinky to spread out. This might explain why I’ve noticed it’s harder for me to balance consistently for pirouettes, but that might also be due to a random rough 2 weeks for turns. I definitely turn better in the Bliss, but I may be used to them.
But even given these pain points, I now prefer these slippers overall to my other previous favorites (So Danca Bliss, Wear Moi) because they really hold onto my foot really nicely and I don’t have to rosin my bare feet beforehand like I used to. The first day i wore these to one of my classes, An advanced student made a point to approach me for the first time just to gush over my arches and feet articulation. I am also in love with how flat and close to the ground the outsoles are AND provide the most comfortable padding. Feel the floor and cushion my weird bones in…