| Yes, you can spend $50-$100 online and get some really nifty shoes. These are great for long-term, special nights, performances, and when you get all dressy-ed up in your vintage threads. Our local's favorite is DanceStore.com.
But for your normal weekly dances, you may want to opt for a few options. This will keep your new fancy shoes from getting all scuffed up when you put them on & off and on & off and in & out of your dance bags.
DEPARTMENT STORE SHOES
When you look for dance shoes, you mostly are looking for flat bottoms with either leather, suede, or felt bottoms. The less tread or traction the better. We love to slide!
MAKE YOUR OWN - CHEAP!
For about $25, grab a pair of comfy gym shoes from local department store (KMart, WalMart). Look for the shoes that have a flat sole or no tread. Not the bumpy grippy bottoms for traction.
OPTION 1 - cheap and lot less labor.
You can purchase a large piece of adhesive felt from any arts & crafts stores. It's a layer of felt and an adhesive backing. You can match the felt to your shoe colors too. So all you do is slap it to your shoe and DONE! It will be VERY slick, so you may want to keep your heel grippy. Practice a few times before heading out on the dance floor.
OPTION 2 - more labor, but longer-lasting
You can make two different types of shoes: INDOOR and OUTDOOR. Since some dance events are indoors (wood-marble-tile) and outdoor (concrete/brick/sticky).
Step 1 - Either one, you'll need a tube of "Shoe Goo" or similar clear adhesive that bonds to rubber, plastic, leather, fabric, etc. This is probably also located in the shoe depart or at your local hardware store.
INDOOR SHOES: buy a piece of THICK leather/suede or even tough felt. These can be found at your arts-n-craft stores. Be sure to find one piece of fabric that will fit the entire shoe you want to cover. Remember, sometimes you only need to cover the ball of the foot area, not always the entire shoe leaving the heel for grip.
OUTDOOR SHOES: cut out a piece of plastic off any square/flat containers (like kitty litter or detergent buckets) that will fit the entire front section of the shoe. Glue the plastic piece put on the ball of thoe shoe. You can also cut the plastic in two pieces (left-to-right) so you the shoe can bend when just walking on it. If you dance to a lot of outdoor events, you can do this to comfy sandals too. (submitted from David F in NC for this idea)
TIP: You'll want to measure out the fabric/plastic pieces bigger than shoes, glue them on, and then trim to fit AFTER the glue sets. |
