Dance Etiquette: What About Shoes?
Following dance floor etiquette helps everyone to have fun. Simply put, it means being courteous and respectful to those around you. It's more important for a social dancer to be a considerate and thoughtful partner than to be a technically expert dancer. Following the rules and suggestions given here will help you to become a successful and appreciated dance partner.
You Must Bring a Different Pair of Shoes for Dancing
This is a must: Bring a different pair of shoes to wear for dancing! They do not need to be dance shoes, but you should not have worn them while arriving at the dance. This helps to prevent damaging the floor by minimizing tracked-in dirt, grime, and water. This is particularly true during the winter.
Flat or Low Heels Are Best
For lindy hop, flat shoes or shoes with a low heel are the best. Be kind to your feet: your shoes should be comfortable and supportive. Do not wear clogs, flip-flops, or other shoes that can fall off or fly off your feet. Also, make sure that the soles won't leave dark marks on the dance floor.
Sole Solutions
Some Lindy Hoppers wear shoes that are designed for swing dancing, but most prefer to find the most comfortable shoes they can find and then "doctor" the soles. The most popular "sole solutions" are duct tape or leather. Leather is more slippery than duct tape (good for spinning) but duct tape is somewhat slippery and has the advantages of being cheap and easy to replace. You can obtain leather scraps or purchase pre-cut chrome leather soles and glue them on yourself - or bring your shoes to a cobbler and have them glue a layer of chrome leather to the soles.
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