These shoes are really well made I expect they'll last a while. My daughter says they are comfortable once they are on. They can however be tricky to get on because on the elastic opening. We ordered a size up because of this and it wound up fitting just right so be aware of that. I want to stress that these are well made and I do expect them to last a while but you're going to want to order a size up. My daughter has been using them for a few weeks and they're still very new looking. The base of the shoe is extremely flexible so they are good to go right from the box. The only reason I took a star off was they run a bit small. Sizing aside, they are a great purchase. When my daughter outgrows these I would purchase again.I originally ordered a Dance Class jazz shoe for my daughter in a size 1 (her street size). It was WAY too small, so I ordered a size 3. It was huge! So, I got smart. I ordered all three tan jazz shoes that are offered by Dance Class, all in a size 2. They are dramatically different sizes for the same size shoe. The shoes in the photo are both Dance Class brand, size 2 shoes. The one on the left is the LP600, the one on the right is the JB600. We ended up keeping the GB600, which was in-between these two shoes in size (not pictured), but most comfortable for my daughter (that was also a size 2).These jazz dance shoes are fabulous. I ordered five different ones from Amazon because I didn't know how they would feel or fit my daughter. I ordered these in a 2.5 and 3. My daughter normally wears a two or 2 1/2, these fit her perfectly in a size 3. These are not stiff, they have flexible arches just like regular jazz dance shoes but she thought they were the most comfortable of all the ones that we tried. They aren't bulky, they look fabulous, she is happy with them and she is the most particular child on the planet. The photo makes them look awkward and bulky, I was actually the most worried about these shoes and thought that they would not fit or work. Just the opposite was true! They run a half to a whole size small, definitely order larger than you think you need.True to footsize. A little hard to get on for a younger kid by themselves, even as an adult we have to work my child’s foot in for her because of where the elastic is and how shallow it is. Some gore boots have a larger elastic area.The quality is great, but the sizing is completely OFF! I returned the shoes and I didn't want to go back and forth with size. I would order at least 2 sizes bigger if not 2 1/2! I would have given 5 stars if they were true to size.My daughter wears a size 1 tennis shoe. I purchased these in a size 2. I ordered up hoping these will make it through her dance season. She has plenty of growing room but there not enormous on her. In fact, I have a difficult time getting them on her...her dance instructed did not have this same problem. My daughter loves them and says they are comfortable. They seem well made. I will likely buy these again if she sticks with jazz.I am always nervous purchasing shoes online. These fit perfectly with just enough room to grow for the remainder of the dance year (hopefully!). After reading the reviews, I went with the shoe size my daughter currently wears and these really do fit as expected. I will add they must be comfortable too, I can barely get them off of her feet since these have arrived to the house. :)Great dance shoe. After buying a different brand at a local store in black, at recital time, the shoe needed to be tan. I listened to the other reviews and ordered a half size up. They fit perfect. My daughter says they are super comfortable.Good jazz shoes.