Payless puts on its dancing shoes with ABT

NEW YORK and TOPEKA, Kan. Payless ShoeSource and American Ballet Theatre have teamed up to create a new line of affordable dance shoes. The collection, branded ABT for Spotlights, is available in about 3,000 Payless stores nationwide and at Payless.com and includes styles for ballet, jazz and tap, as well as accessories such as dance bags ranging in price from $15 to $25 dollars. The shoes are designed for beginners and available in kids and adult sizes.

 "Our alliance with ABT for the ABT for Spotlights collection enables us to bring innovation and authentic performance shoes to our customers, and allows us to support the arts in a meaningful and interactive manner," said Matt Rubel, ceo and president of Payless ShoeSource. "Everyone wins -- consumers receive authentic dance shoes at a great price in our stores, ABT makes dance accessible to the public, and Payless as a company becomes more connected to young girls -- whose number one activity is dance."