Short History of Leo Dancewear

A brief history of Leo Dancewear, Chicago based maker of Leo's tap shoes, other dancing shoes, and dancewear.

Leo's History (From the Former Leo's Web Site

The Leo’s Dancewear company was founded 1924, by shoe designer and cobbler Leo Harris, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. His goal ws to produce the finest handcrafted shoes in the world.

Leo's first location was inside the Old Capitol Building in downtown Chicago. That location was ideal for making dancing shoes because it was situated next door to Balaban and Katz’s Chicago Theatre, across from the State-Lake Theatre and very near the Oriental Theatre. It gave dancers performing in those theaters a nearby place to repair or replace their dancing shoes. Leo's was in the right place at the right time to make his business a success.

Leo Harris was trained as a shoemaker in Europe. He built his line of dance shoes based on customer requests and suggestions. He worked with local dancers and visiting professionals to include the features they wanted in his designs. He researched the anatomy of the body and the physics of dance and he used that information to make dance shoes that would help a dancer achieve optimum performance.

Some of the innovative features he incorporated int his shoe designs include the "Rainbow Arch", the "On-the-Square Toe",and the "Expanding Heel".

As the local dancewear needs began to revolve more around schools than professional dancers the company became aware that teachers needed shoes and costumes for performances and competitions. Leo's added danceware, costumes, tights, and dancing accessories to their product line.

Leo Dancewear continued operating as a third-generation family business with 150 emloyees in a 100,000 square foot office, manufacturing facility, warehouse, and distribution center until the company was sold to Bloch of Australia in 2012.

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About the Leo Brand of Tap Shoes

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