swing dance reading
DANce SHoes
DANCE SHOES
It’s time to go dancing. You got your fancy dress or fancy suit. Your hair is all done. You are looking so sharp. But there in one final piece of clothing can make or break the chance of you having best evening ever … regarding your feet that is. SHOES!
Yes you want to look good, but your also want to be able to dance and slide in the RIGHT pair of shoes.
HAVE TWO PAIRS OF DANCE SHOES
Always have a separate pair of shoes to dance in!
You should always have two pairs of shoes when you go dancing. ONE pair that you wear TO the event. And a SECOND pair you change into AT the event. You should never…never…NEVER wear street shoes on the dance floor. You may notice seasoned dancers always have a dance-bag with them.
HERE’S WHY?
Studios spend a great deal of money (sometimes way over $15,000) on installing a decent dance floor for your lessons and dances. You do not want to track in oil, dirt, rocks, gum, guck, and whatever is on the parking lot onto the dance floor. Imagine you installed new wood flooring at your own house and someone walks in from the mud and tracks in dirt and drags furniture across the floor. It cuts and permanently damages the wood. Not good.
PAIR ONE: for weekly lessons and workshop weekends, we suggest getting an inexpensive but highly comfy shoe. For about $15, you can grab a pair of “Canvas Lace-up Lightweight Sneaker” from Wal-Mart/Kmart, they have a flat non-grippy bottom. Stay away from pure synthetics, you want airflow and your feet breathe. We highly suggest get a size BIGGER then put in the thickest cushion insole. Your feet will thank you.
PAIR TWO: For special nights & performances, we suggest getting snazzy & fancy shoes to go with your fancy vintage outfits.
MAKE A QUICK & EASY PAIR! 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.
You can spend $20-$200 and get some really nifty shoes either at your local shoes store or search online at Amazon.com or DanceStore.com for a wide selection of shoes and clothing.
We love to slide, spin, shuffle & scadoddle!
There are plenty of CHEAP options. Especially if you are new to swing dance, and do not want to spend a ton of money on expensive shoes.
BIGGER IS BETTER – A great suggestion is to get one size LARGER and put in a cusion or gel insert (Dr Scholl’s, etc) to give your foot an little bit of extra cushion.
DANCE BAG: Always put your dance shoes in a dance bag then change into them at the studios. This will keep you from tracking in dirt, water, oil, gum, food, and who-knows-what-else from the parking lot onto the expensive dance floor.
BIGGER IS BETTER
A great suggestion is to get a pair of shoes ONE SIZE LARGER and put in a super-thick cushion or gel insert (Dr Scholl’s, etc) to give your foot an little bit of extra cushion.
DANCESTORE.com
Check out the selection of shoes and clothing…for dancers BY dancers.
Make Your Own Dance Shoes – cheaply!
For about $30-$50, grab a pair of comfy gym shoes, flats, sandals, etc from local department store (Amazon, KMart, WalMart). Look for the shoes that have a flat sole or no tread. Not the bumpy grippy bottoms for traction.
OPTION 1 – QUICK FIX – ADHESIVE FELT
For a quick TEMPORARY fix, but not permanent. You can purchase a large piece of felt or 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. It may not stay permanently on your shoe, but a good quick fix.
OPTION 2 – SUEDE / LEATHER / FELT
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).
then – 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 heavy-duty 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: since most outdoor venue’s floors may be concrete, brick, or grass, – you may want something that can stand up to a larger wear-n-tear. You can just find a sandals, gym shoes, or something with little tread as possible. These will last only ONE maybe TWO seasons because you spin a lot and wear down the soles.
CUSTOM OUTDOOR – Cut out small strips of plastic about 1/2″ x 3″ off any square/flat containers (like kitty litter or detergent buckets) that will fit across the sole of the shoe. Glue the plastic strips pieces on the ball of the shoe. Be sure to have several pieces of plastic (not just one piece) 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, wait 24-48 hours. Then trim-to-fit AFTER the glue sets.
