Thread: how do you made dance shoes not slippery?

hello

i'm trying to wear shoes when i practise because my feet got so much hard skin and sometimes it breaks and bleed. but the shoes always become slippery and i can't do anything when i don't have the grip on the floor.

i'm now wearing capezio breeze. i tried brushing it with metal brush which doesn't work. maybe i'm not brushing hard enough? but i fear that i would damage my shoes too quickly.

i now use the rough brown surgical tape and tape some strips on the sole. it helps a short time and then have to change it.

any one has better method? please share! ,r:;

Here is what I do. I walk out to a rough concrete road or sidewalk, put on my dance shoes, and scuff my feet vigorously. Works.

I second the scuffing on concrete method - it works for me!

I once read that Pan's People (those who are my age or over and from the UK may remember this dance troupe from Top of the Pops) used to sit their shoes in a shallow tray of coca cola, then they would be good and sticky when they danced. Might be worth a try!

Again concrete, the nice old bumpy stoney kind!

Originally Posted by Freddie

I once read that Pan's People (those who are my age or over and from the UK may remember this dance troupe from Top of the Pops) used to sit their shoes in a shallow tray of coca cola, then they would be good and sticky when they danced. Might be worth a try!

Thats funny! I show dogs and an old trick to keep dogs from slipping when gaiting on slick concrete show hall floors is to put a little cola on the feet. The original kind, not diet.

Souzan

thank you for the tips!

Originally Posted by Souzan

Here is what I do. I walk out to a rough concrete road or sidewalk, put on my dance shoes, and scuff my feet vigorously. Works.

how long do you do this for? 10 seconds? very hard? would this make the shoes break very quickly? how often do you have to do this? every time before you practise?

i want to try the coke therapy too. but afraid because many cockroaches and ants here. i suppose i'm not allow to soak the sole with coke and then wash it? does it work because the acid eats the sole?

Originally Posted by Souzan

Thats funny! I show dogs and an old trick to keep dogs from slipping when gaiting on slick concrete show hall floors is to put a little cola on the feet. The original kind, not diet.

Souzan

Ooh yeh you'd need that sugar for the stickiness.

Ha ha what about honey? Have a swarm of wasps hanging around your ankles. Could be a new fusion if you like pain lol!

Originally Posted by wingaki

thank you for the tips!



how long do you do this for? 10 seconds? very hard? would this make the shoes break very quickly? how often do you have to do this? every time before you practise?

i want to try the coke therapy too. but afraid because many cockroaches and ants here. i suppose i'm not allow to soak the sole with coke and then wash it? does it work because the acid eats the sole?

Hmm good point eh? I have no idea. All I know is if you stick a two pence coin in a glass of coke it comes out all shiny and brand new, so there must be something in there that rots things. Glad I never drink it now, thinking about that (as she takes deep drag on cigarette and looks at the tar in the filter ...)

Originally Posted by Freddie

Hmm good point eh? I have no idea. All I know is if you stick a two pence coin in a glass of coke it comes out all shiny and brand new, so there must be something in there that rots things. Glad I never drink it now, thinking about that (as she takes deep drag on cigarette and looks at the tar in the filter ...)

we all need something bad to keep us working on being healthy! ..g.:

Originally Posted by wingaki

we all need something bad to keep us working on being healthy! ..g.:

I love you!

Cola Sprays and The sort of taping you describe were the top 2 methods to stop one falling on ones backside in Irish dance competitions when I still competed.

Vim [the scourer/cleaner] also works. So does stepping in resin- but be warned. Do not leave your shoes anywhere where they can get the slightest wet if you use resin.

PS: 'Tis the sugar that makes you stick, not the acid in coke.

Sure it does do a little acidic stuff, but would imagine it is so small you are likely to wear the shoe out [or the sugar muck em up] long before you saw too much damage.

Perhaps be careful if you have painted mettalic uppers, though

score the bottom of the soles with a sharp night diagonally right down and then again right up (to make criss cross pattern).

But the coca cola trick has always worked for me too.

Find a less slippery floor to practice on? I'm thinking about those black ones you find in a lot of dance studio. It's flooring that comes in rolls.

Spray bottoms of shoes with super cheap hairspray or Scotchguard (the kind that makes stuff stick to you).

You can also spray the bottoms of your shoes with water.

This is all after the aforementioned (and highly effective!) scuffing.

Ballroom stores (most dance schools will have one) sell sprays! For not much.. and you apply it to every new pair of shoes once only, it should stay on forever.. or for very long :)

thank you thank you thank you! will try all that scruffling and spraying. i'm happy that there's finally some well-tested solutions!

you can also use what ballerinas use to make their pointe shoes not slippery. the stuff is called rosin or resin....not sure of the spelling. it's a glue crystal that you squash down into a powder. you then grind the part of the shoe that you want to be less slippery into it and tap off the excess. most dance supply stores and internet shops carry the stuff.

i used to do pointe on a slippery wood floor and this stuff was the only thing keeping the floor from my skull.....

You can take your shoes to a cobblers or shoe repair shop and have a rough "cat's paw" put on them to make them less slippery. I've heard that this is pretty cheap to do.

Originally Posted by Souzan

Here is what I do. I walk out to a rough concrete road or sidewalk, put on my dance shoes, and scuff my feet vigorously. Works.

Originally Posted by wingaki

how long do you do this for? 10 seconds? very hard? would this make the shoes break very quickly? how often do you have to do this? every time before you practise?

I always scuff my shoes on rough concrete before dancing (I do social dancing), and I recommend this method over metal brushes, as some brushes work better than others, but concrete always works like a charm!

Take a look at the soles... when they look/feel fuzzy rather than smooth, they are sufficiently scuffed.

At some point, when the suede may get hard and smooth and scuffing doesn't help very much any more, you may need to add a layer of new suede to the soles, if the shoe uppers are still in good condition. You can bring shoes to a shoe repair person to be resoled, however it's easy and cheap to do with scrap suede and rubber cement. I have done this myself to hermes sandals, ballroom dance shoes, and sketchers.