The Story of the Toilet Paper and the Shoe

Dancing is like any other hobby in the sense that there are certain items you should own in order to fully participate. The most important item being a good pair of dance shoes. A good dance shoe allows you to feel the dance floor through the sole of the shoe. However you can forgo the expensive dance shoes and go with a cheaper alternative, at your own risk.

Depending on the dance, finding a pair of shoes to dance in can be quite simple. Dances like Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, or West Coast Swing are ten times easier to participate in if the ladies ditch the high-heels and go for a flat shoe alternative. Flats are relatively easy to find in most sizes and price ranges. As long as you can do some good slides in them, most times you can dance in them.

In Latin dances and some ballroom dances however, the addition of heals can add a certain flare that is often associated with the dance itself. Unlike flats, heels are usually more expensive, and depending on the pair, can be excruciating to dance in. Most dance heels include straps around the ankle. This helps keep your foot locked in as you move in and out of turns, spins, and a combination of steps and kicks.

Dancing in regular/work heals can be quite dangerous. Regular heels are usually either clunky-ish or stiletto-ish. Clunker heels are sturdier but can be ridged and hard to dance and feel the floor through. Stiletto style heels can be slick and give you less of a base to rely on. Both of these can end in rolled ankles. A lot of regular heals also don't include straps around the ankle. This can turn a dance like the Charleston into a shoe throwing contest.

Me, myself, and I have a lot of experience dancing in these regular heels, and boy has it been a journey. I will attest that a good pair of dance heals is invaluable. I have had bruises, blisters, and aches from dancing in regular heels. However, due to the expense of dance heels, I have put-off getting a good pair. A recent event has convinced me to pay the price.

Within the last couple of months I have started dancing Salsa and Bachata. The heels I usually dance in are small, clunky, and a little bit too big for my petite foot. However for the sake of looking good I take on the challenge of wearing them. In-order to make the heels fit tighter to my feet I always stuff the top of the shoes with toilet paper. Usually there is no problem. Usually being the key word.

The night starts out at a Salsa dance club, and it's my first time being at this event. The Bachata lesson goes fine and the dancing starts. In my mind there are few things more embarrassing in dancing than accidentally sending your shoe flying across the dance floor (believe me I know firsthand). Therefor I quickly go into the bathroom to add some toilet paper to my shoes. With my shoes freshly adjusted, the dancing begins.

About half-way into the night, things get kicking, a little too literally. Trying to maneuver through a series of unfamiliar spins, my shoe comes off. That would have been bearable if in fact the toilet paper that had filled the top part of my shoe hadn't also come flying out. The elephant in the room, my toilet paper, lay sprawled on the dance floor for all to see. My partner and I stay staring down at both my shoe and the wad of toilet paper for what seemed an agonizingly long amount of time. Realizing the situation, I awkwardly laughed and proceeded to pick the toilet paper back up with my toes and stuff it back into the shoe before putting it back on.

I'm not one to let a little bit of toilet paper ruin my night, no matter how truly embarrassing it may make a situation. I continued dancing throughout the night, of course with a little more caution and toilet paper (old habits die hard). The proceeding morning I ordered a pair of dance heels, with straps.

Did I learned my lesson? Probably not completely, lets be honest, shoes are expensive already. 
Will I probably continue dancing in some regular heel? Most likely yes.
Will I still use toilet paper to help keep my shoe on? Now that's the true question.

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

Types of Dance Scenes You Will See

From the awkward "no one shows up" dance to the all-out "hundreds of people" party, there are a wide variety of dance scenes you will encounter. 

Is Anybody Here? We have all been there, just not when everyone else was. This is possibly one of the most awkward scenes. At least once during this event you will wonder why you even showed-up. These events can have positives though. They offer a chance to learn, especially if its just a few of you and a teacher (can I get a private lesson anyone?).

Cliché Social. Everybody has their own click they hang out with, but sometimes you just want to break out of that mold. Unfortunately with this dance event you break out of your usual group and go right into the not-part-of-our-click-group. It seems that everyone only talks with the other people in their circle, and trying to "butt-in" on their conversation ends in weird glances and whispers. It's solo Jazz time.

Designated Couples Only. There is nothing worse than being single in a room full of couples, especially when you're there to dance. If you're there alone, the hardest part of this event is trying to find someone to dance with. Most couples will only dance together which makes choices very limited for the singles, which can be very good or very bad. It's usually the latter.

Much Younger Crowd. It doesn't matter the size of the crowd, there could be three people or there could be fifty, either way it's still hella-awkward. I've heard this scene often described as something similar to babysitting, but on a larger scale, and I would have to agree. Even if you don't have a lot of experience dancing, it seems that you will still be look to as a comparison. Then there is that younger dancer that flaunts his/her knowledge and experience level compared to yours. That bratty kid always seems to be somewhere waiting. A large majority will also just not have the same maturity level as you. If only we could send some of these dancers to a time-out corner like in actual babysitting.

Much Older Crowd. Much like the younger crowd, the size of the crowd does not matter.  The vibe of this type can vary greatly depending on how large the age-gap is. It's hard to connect with others in this group because the people can sometimes be very "judge-y." Most people have a long dance history and that gap can be difficult to overcome as well. Have no fear though! There is always that cool grandma/grandpa that is there to lighten up the mood. Usually caring more about having fun than abiding to dancing "norms," these guys are the ones to hang out with!

The Leads Don't Dance. Probably one of the most common occurrences in the dance realm, Leads not wanting to dance seems like an epidemic. This is one of my greatest pet-peeves, if your not at a dance to dance, then why are you there?! This is also one of the reasons many women have turned towards leading, they came dancing for a reason!

Only One Gender. Male only and women only both pose similar issues, the major one being: a lot of people can't dance! Females are better at solving this problem by dancing among themselves, whereas the gentlemen don't seem so inclined. Similarly to when the leads don't dance, many women decide to start learning how to lead.

Too Many Options! Even in a large crowd we can feel alone. It seems that when too many people share the same space, a section of people are unintentionally excluded. Shy people who don't make the first move are especially at a disadvantage. Even if you're a social butterfly, other people can seem too busy to include you. This is an event made much better with predetermined friends. Women have it ruff in this group because even if the leads are asking women to dance, there are a lot of women wanting to dance. It can make you feel like a number in line that keeps getting passed over. Of course there are positives for this event, there are always new people and styles you can learn more about. The more open you are the more you can learn and the faster you can make progress.


Which dance scenes have you encountered? 
Thank you for reading!

In The Beginning

In the beginning I regretted my decision to attend a local dance lesson. My friend who invited me didn't show, and I was stuck between the choices of going in alone or driving twenty minutes home after nothing. I choose to go in. Low and behold it was a themed event (for Saint Patrick's Day none the less). I was neither wearing green nor had the extra cash needed for the special event fee. I was more than a little embarrassed when a guy had to help pay for me (I don't think I've seen him again, thank goodness).

I knew no one, and despite being a people person I was already flustered by the already awkward circumstances. Most people were talking in little groups or sitting alone waiting for the lesson to start. Luckily I was able to strike-up a conversation with another person not wearing green. Before I knew it, it was time for the lesson to start.

No permanent partner was needed and after doing some warm-up moves I was easily able to partner up. By having to rotate every so often I was able to meet a lot of the leads, most of which were easy to talk to (others well... you rotated often).

Learning the basic step was easy, I guess I just pick up rhythms pretty easily. I, however, was "noodle-armed." Instead of being supper stiff like most new follows, I was super, well, noodle-ly. Despite this I dance with most everyone during the following open dance floor event. One guy even tried to show me how to do "the princess," which if you don't know you should google. While not being able to do "the princess" I was able to create the dance foundation that I am still using to this day.

The back of my calves hurt, but I was no longer intimidated about walking in alone, because I wasn't alone. The place I started dancing at was so kind and welcoming that I soon had good friends to talk to there. Even after I started to attend other places, I was able to communicate with others through my dancing. So even though it started out very awkward, I am very glad I took a chance and walked into the class that day.

Thanks for reading, I hope your first dance experience wasn't as awkward as mine! Look forward to my continued mini stories!

Coming Soon!

Please wait with anticipation as I work to share stories about my different dance experiences!

It will be worth it!