Shoes and Feet
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING about SHOES -- Is to have comfortable shoes with soles that are smooth and a bit slippery = not grippy. Swing dance has you slippin' & sliding' a little and a grippy sole can't do that AND grippy also puts unwanted torque into the knees--so slippery is better. Good old fashioned hard leather soles are excellent--add some leather dressing to soften up the uppers for comfort and yer rockin! We can quickly add some tape to grippy soles for a class.
Gaffers Tape - For those of you who want to buy Gaffers tape for temporary tape on the bottom of your shoes we have found not all gaffers tape is created equal--though most are adequate here is the tape we have found that works well is a smaller role to carry around and a decent price Eden Products Gaffers Tape at amazon it has a 4.4 star rating with over 2500 customer reviews. Just the right amount of adhesive and good material for sliding on the dance floor. Remember not to leave the tape on after dancing or the adhesive might not come off all of the way - for one night it should be fine.
We troll Goodwill type stores for second hand leather soled shoes and have found many good pairs of dancing shoes over time--this takes a bit of dedication, but they are some of our favorite dance shoes. For men look for good old Wing Tips or Cap Toe with leather soles. Many times these were high end shoes bought for a wedding or other occasion and not worn much. In any case they USUALLY need several coats of good leather oil to soften them up. All leather dries out and even if they look great the oil will keep them from degrading when suddenly used for dancing and flexing A LOT! The oil will soften the leather and make them much more comfortable. Rub the oil in over and over as it soaks in deeply -- do this thoroughly to the tops = NOT the soles.
Mary likes the Aries Allen shoes because they fit her feet. She gets Men's because her feet are so big! She gets the cap toe shoes in Black or white.
Here are some Swing dance shoe Guide Links:
FLYIN' FOOTWORK - a well thought out shoe guide.
DANCING ON "Slow" FLOORS - just advice! We are presently testing various gaffers tapes for temporary use on shoe soles.
DANCE SOCKS - These are to put over your shoes! This link is for the Dance Socks we like to use. They say for carpet, but we just use them on slower hard floors. Careful as they can make your shoes very "fast" (slippery) so get used to them gradually!
Less expensive DANCE SOCKS!-These are not as "sleek" looking, but are a much better price and seem to work well in our tests.
SOLES TO DANCE - DIY Suede soles to turn a variety of shoes into dance shoes for wood floors.
Mary has used the suede with adhesive backing and had good results. They are not permanent the adhesive gave way after 4 months of dancing (two or 3 nights a week) but if you like them you can then glue them on more permanently.
RHINO BALLS - for massaging your feet.
You might think they would be too spiky, but when you get used to them your feet will love them. Even tennis balls work great for massaging your feet
MAGNESIUM FLAKES - for soaking your feet.
A good soak makes Mary's feet very happy. She can tell the difference after a big night of dancing when she soaks for 15 to 20 mins with Magnesium Flakes dissolved in warm water (1/2-1 cup in a pan of water your feet can fit in). You can also use Epson Salts, but this seems to be much more effective. You can also make your own "magnesium oil" spray from it.
On Amazon
PAIN RELIEF -This do it yourself technique is effective for many body parts.
Be sure to watch the videos on the basic techniques first. -this site might have too many ads interspersed w/o an blocker on
KINESIOLOGY TAPE- Videos for various parts of your body- Mary has tried a variety of brands and most seem good but you can always ask for the latest favorites. Mary reads the reviews on Amazon for the best reviews and prices.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING about SHOES -- Is to have comfortable shoes with soles that are smooth and a bit slippery = not grippy. Swing dance has you slippin' & sliding' a little and a grippy sole can't do that AND grippy also puts unwanted torque into the knees--so slippery is better. Good old fashioned hard leather soles are excellent--add some leather dressing to soften up the uppers for comfort and yer rockin! We can quickly add some tape to grippy soles for a class.
Gaffers Tape - For those of you who want to buy Gaffers tape for temporary tape on the bottom of your shoes we have found not all gaffers tape is created equal--though most are adequate here is the tape we have found that works well is a smaller role to carry around and a decent price Eden Products Gaffers Tape at amazon it has a 4.4 star rating with over 2500 customer reviews. Just the right amount of adhesive and good material for sliding on the dance floor. Remember not to leave the tape on after dancing or the adhesive might not come off all of the way - for one night it should be fine.
We troll Goodwill type stores for second hand leather soled shoes and have found many good pairs of dancing shoes over time--this takes a bit of dedication, but they are some of our favorite dance shoes. For men look for good old Wing Tips or Cap Toe with leather soles. Many times these were high end shoes bought for a wedding or other occasion and not worn much. In any case they USUALLY need several coats of good leather oil to soften them up. All leather dries out and even if they look great the oil will keep them from degrading when suddenly used for dancing and flexing A LOT! The oil will soften the leather and make them much more comfortable. Rub the oil in over and over as it soaks in deeply -- do this thoroughly to the tops = NOT the soles.
Mary likes the Aries Allen shoes because they fit her feet. She gets Men's because her feet are so big! She gets the cap toe shoes in Black or white.
Here are some Swing dance shoe Guide Links:
FLYIN' FOOTWORK - a well thought out shoe guide.
DANCING ON "Slow" FLOORS - just advice! We are presently testing various gaffers tapes for temporary use on shoe soles.
DANCE SOCKS - These are to put over your shoes! This link is for the Dance Socks we like to use. They say for carpet, but we just use them on slower hard floors. Careful as they can make your shoes very "fast" (slippery) so get used to them gradually!
Less expensive DANCE SOCKS!-These are not as "sleek" looking, but are a much better price and seem to work well in our tests.
SOLES TO DANCE - DIY Suede soles to turn a variety of shoes into dance shoes for wood floors.
Mary has used the suede with adhesive backing and had good results. They are not permanent the adhesive gave way after 4 months of dancing (two or 3 nights a week) but if you like them you can then glue them on more permanently.
RHINO BALLS - for massaging your feet.
You might think they would be too spiky, but when you get used to them your feet will love them. Even tennis balls work great for massaging your feet
MAGNESIUM FLAKES - for soaking your feet.
A good soak makes Mary's feet very happy. She can tell the difference after a big night of dancing when she soaks for 15 to 20 mins with Magnesium Flakes dissolved in warm water (1/2-1 cup in a pan of water your feet can fit in). You can also use Epson Salts, but this seems to be much more effective. You can also make your own "magnesium oil" spray from it.
On Amazon
PAIN RELIEF -This do it yourself technique is effective for many body parts.
Be sure to watch the videos on the basic techniques first. -this site might have too many ads interspersed w/o an blocker on
KINESIOLOGY TAPE- Videos for various parts of your body- Mary has tried a variety of brands and most seem good but you can always ask for the latest favorites. Mary reads the reviews on Amazon for the best reviews and prices.