Why do skate blades come in various lengths? Would a taller skater require a longer blade? Or is it somehow related to weight?

blades come in different sizes just like shoes do. You could't have a 7 year old in the same size blade as a 20 year old! So the blades are made in, I believe, 1/4" increments, & they get ordered so they'll fit from end to end on your skate boots.

What phoenix said, plus a dance blade is shorter than a regular freestyle blade. This makes it less likely to step on the heel of the blade (the tail) as you are doing tight turns and mohawks and stuff.

It doesn't have so much to do with height, although I do know one skater with very small feet who doesn't like dance blades (this is a somewhat tall person) because the feet are so small, the blades are too short and they feel somewhat "top-heavy" and stable.

It all comes down to personal preference and what you are comfortable in, basically.

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

Blade length is measured from the tip of the toe plate to the end of the heel plate, so dance and freestyle blades would be the same length for the same boots. It's the runner part of the blade that is shorter on dance blades, specifically, the tail of the blade. The size is not affected by that.

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Excellent! Thanks for the insight.

Signed,

FallDownGoBoom
Who singlehandedly brought three bruises into the world today.