My first swing dance shoes

I get asked this question a lot.  Once you start getting into the swing dance scene, you need a good pair of dance shoes.  They’re not exactly available at every Wal-Mart, so where do you go?

First off, what makes a good pair of dance shoes?  You want something snug but not tight, and fairly lightweight.  Padding helps, especially if you’re like me in wanting to dance for 8 hours at a stretch.  Small heels can help with your posture, for both guys and gals, but tall heels are generally bad news.  Not only do they affect your balance, but if you misstep and land on your partner’s foot, they can really, really hurt.  Flat soled allows you to slide, especially if it’s suede.  Durable, comfortable, and stylish as can be.

Since I’m offering my recommendations, let’s start with what I use personally.  The dance shoes I wear are made by a company called Bleyers.  They are a German manufacturer, designing shoes specifically for swing dancers.  Some have a leather sole, but most of designed with the Bleyers specialty sole, a rubber base with thin, “fade-away” tread.  This means that once they’ve been broken in, the places that get used the most are flat, allowing you to slide.  The rest of it still has tread so that you can stop on a dime when you need to.  Bleyers are also designed with a smooth pivot point under the ball of your foot, which helps to balance and speed up your spins.  I wear a black and white Boogie Woogie style shoe with a hard, patent leather finish.  I’ve had them for many years, and I take them in to a repair shop when needed to get the eyelets around the laces replaced or the sole reglued.  I always wear the additional insoles for comfort.  They are not available for wholesale, but you can find them through retailers online.  Expect to pay upwards of $130 for the shoes, the insoles, and shipping.  See http://www.bleyershoes.co.uk/ for some good information.

The professional shoe manufacturer of choice for swing dancers is Aris Allen.  They are amazingly light, so much that it feels more like wearing socks than shoes.  They have a soft or hard leather sole, and are available in a greater variety of styles than Bleyers, including a lot of colorful choices for the ladies.  They run about half as much as Bleyers do, which makes them much more popular for the college crowd.  You can see their line at http://www.dancestore.com/.

In the major cities with long running swing dance scenes, the option of choice is something a little different.  Take an old pair of sneakers, one you’re about ready to retire anyway.  Take them to a shoe repair shop and have them replace the sole with suede.  It usually costs somewhere between $30 and $50 depending on where you have them done.  You already know that you like the style, and it’s comfortable, broken in, and it fits.  It might not look like a professional dance shoe, but it works just as well.

As a last minute solution, duct tape fixes everything.  Wear sneakers out to the dance floor, and stretch duct tape over the sole.  It’s not a great long term solution, but it does make them slick.  I’ve known people who have gone this route for years.

Try to stay away from jazz and ballet shoes.  They are generally to thin to be comfortable on a hard wood or concrete dance floor.  Ballroom shoes are usually designed more for style than comfort, and I don’t think they’re worth the price.  Heavy boots are risky as a misplaced kick can injure your partner.  And even though this should be obvious, I see it on the dance floor way too often… don’t ever wear flip-flops.

Followers Like it Rough

Okay, the title is a joke. Being physically “rough” with a follower is likely to get any leader slapped. At the very least, it’s going to be a lot harder for that leader to get dance partners in the future. However, there is an important point behind the joke in that followers actually do like their leaders to be strong and definitive with every step.

Far too often, even in the major swing scenes, I see leaders who are afraid to use any pressure against their partner when dancing. They tend to think of dancing as romantic and that their partners will appreciate a gentle touch. While I appreciate the sentiment (and I’m sure the followers do as well), this is absolutely the wrong decision. Both people can not be leading the dance at the same time, and if the leader is going to lead, he needs to do so with confidence and authority. Your follower is trusting you, so don’t think you need to ask her permission before every step. The biggest benefit of this is that your follower will very rarely be confused about what you want her to do. Leaders can think several steps in advance, but followers have to react on the spot. Use correct tension and your follower will never be stuck thinking about what step you want her to do. Be strong, but don’t overdo it. Remember, your job is to be clear, not forceful.

In practical terms, here are a few things leaders can do to have a stronger connection with their partner. Whenever you are in a closed position in any dance style (Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, Salsa, Waltz, etc…) with your right hand behind her, push on her back. Try to match that same resistance by pushing on her right hand with your left so that it’s almost like you are trying to squish her. If you need her to stop, either to strike a pose or to change directions, push down with enough strength that she actually plants her feet solidly into the ground. Whenever you turn your partner, you don’t want to forcefully *crank* their arm, but make sure you do turn her completely. She will follow her hand all the way around, so make sure it gets all the way around. If you really want to hit that fine line of perfect tension, make sure you check out classes by calling (605)212-6230.

I hope no one got the impression that the responsibility for good tension is all on the leader Part 2 is coming soon!

Sink your feet into it

A few notes about connection.

Having a strong connection to your partner is very important.  Use force when you dance.  Don’t be afraid to resist each other.  Keep that tension, because the tension is what creates that little extra “Oomph” that really makes the dance swing.  Having a strong connection to the music is also key.  Listen to the feel of the music.  If the music is smooth, let your steps glide.  If the music is jumping, throw in some bounce.  And, of course, stay with the rhythm.  But while we often talk about dancing with your partner and dancing with the music, we often overlook dancing with the floor.

When you dance any of the street styles, having a strong connection to the floor is absolutely essential to dancing a lot of the most stylish steps.  And just as having a strong connection to your partner doesn’t just mean touching them, having a strong connection to the floor doesn’t just mean keeping your feet on the ground.  It means feeling it.  Sinking into it.  The music has a heartbeat, a pulse, and if you’re paying attention you really can feel it through the floor.  Take your steps deliberately and powerfully.  Shift your weight with every step.  Imagine as though you were dancing in a foot of mud.  Feel the ground *squish* underneath you.  As you become more connected with the floor your steps will become much more controlled.  Your communication with your partner will be much more clear and it will feel like you are flowing with the music more than ever before.

A perfect example: if the leader spins his follower on one foot many times in a row, she needs to be able to keep her balance.  How does she do that?  She bends her knees, she keeps her arm in tight, she resists against her partner, and she sinks into the floor.  The more pressure she puts against the ground, the more she steadies herself, and the more spins she can do without getting dizzy or losing her balance.  So take your dance to the next level.  Whenever you step out on the dance floor, remember… sink your feet into it!

Tips for the aspiring dancer

Waltz is easy. Lindy Hop is not.

When I teach someone to dance, I don’t just teach them steps. Steps are useful, but they’re a very small piece of a much larger picture. I’ve said many times before to many different students that the dancers do not choreograph the dance. The music choreographs the dance, the leader interprets it, and the follower dances it. But music, especially jazz, isn’t always straightforward. It’s chaotic, passionate, and powerful with many different levels to explore and enjoy. In it’s own way, music is alive. And the choreography that the music gives us doesn’t always lead us to something we already know how to do. Those are the moments when the street dances come to life.

Swing dance makes a wonderful pastime. If you just want to take lessons for a month and try it out, we will welcome you with open arms. I promise you’ll have a great time. But if swing is something that captivates you, if you watch the masters and think, “I want to dance like them,” then be prepared. It takes time, energy, and a lot of practice.

Is it hard? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Hell yes.

Here’s the good news. Everything you learn, you get to use from day one. Take the steps that we teach you and go use them! Go dance! Even in Sioux Falls, there are plenty of places with music and a dance floor, and that’s all you need. The practice and the experience are invaluable, and besides, isn’t that why you’re learning to dance in the first place?

So the key is to find the right class that can make you want to get out and dance after the first day. If you’ve got that, “BRING IT ON” attitude, go for Lindy. If you want something easy to learn, East Coast Swing. Something more exotic? Salsa. Then, whichever one you choose, don’t just take the class. Explore the dance on your own. Listen to the music, think about the steps, find a way to mold them to fit your own style. The key to being a street style dancer is to understand something about the music that no one else does. That’s how you build a style that’s unique to you.

That’s how you get to be a star.