Should dance students have to buy dance shoes?

If you are a student in dance then you might know that dressing out for dance is a requirement and can even affect your grade if you don’t; proper dress for dance is a black shirt, black leggings or joggers, and dance shoes. What are dance shoes exactly? Dance shoes are built specifically for dancing. They are meant to endure constant, prolonged movement. They are flexible, with thin suede soles that allow for ease of turns and the ability to feel contact with the floor. They seem useful however they aren’t exactly common and the cheapest ones I was able to find online ranged $22-$30+ dollars, some kids don’t want to buy them and think they can dance just fine without them and would rather just wear socks despite the slipping. I myself don’t even know where to buy them besides online, so are they really necessary to buy?