Thread: Help! Dancing on carpet

Hello All,
I just got back to the states after living abroad for roughly four years, and I'm ready to start practicing, but my parents' whole house is carpeted! I've never had this problem before - my apartment in Korea had linoleum (over these amazing radiant heated floors that I miss already ..cr.:), and when I lived in Bahrain the floors were stone. So I'm at a loss. Anyone have any suggestions?

I'd say dancing on carpet was way easier on your joints than dancing on stone!

You can practise in socks, so you don't get friction burns on your feet.

Get yourself some dance shoes with smooth soles that will pivot freely.

Ghillies are good:
Discount Dance Supply
Discount Dance Supply

Back when I used to do Scottish Highland, we'd replace the ties in our ghillies with stretchy elastic cord - made them really easy to put on and take off.

Hermes sandals are also good:

Discount Dance Supply

You can replace the ties in these with satin rattail cord for nicer behavior.

Avoid anything with suede soles because those will stick to the carpet and torque your knees. Also, don't dance in socks because the texture of the sock fabric will stick to the carpet and torque your knees.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Also, don't dance in socks because the texture of the sock fabric will stick to the carpet and torque your knees.

I would agree that shoes, which are rigid, and hold the foot in position more should be used with caution on carpets, because of the risk of twisting the ankle and/or knee. But I feel socks are perfectly safe footwear on carpet, as the foot would slide within the sock. The sock fabric wouldn't grip the skin of the foot to control it in the same way shoes would.

wear socks or tights ^^ they'll slip better on carpet than trying to dance barefoot

I've worn ballet slippers on low-pile carpeting before. If I had to dance on thicker carpet, I'd want ballroom shoes.

I teach in a location with carpet, and my Capezio Foot Undeeze really help with turns. If you wear socks, make sure they are not too loosely fit, or they will start to ride down and away from your foot.

The least friction, the better, and I think what or if you wear footwear will depend on the texture of your foot.

If you have no slip on the bottoms of your feet, wear shoes or socks that allow easy turns.

If you have shiny, slippery feet b/c of a smooth callous (I could practically ski down carpeted steps b/c my feet are very slippery like this), then I'd say you don't need foot covering, but just beware of blisters if you do a lot of turns.

my living room (my pracrtice space) is carpeted and I dance barefoot in there. Shoes usually cause more problems for me. I have a pair of hermes that had a suede sole but due to the fact mine are so old they have a shiny sole now so those work well for me. I'm considering getting a pair of character shoes that have a slipperier sole than ballroom shoes to try.

I've always danced on carpet when practicing. Never had a problem with it. I usually go barefoot or wear a tight sock like tights or nylons. Athletic socks won't work.

I currently teach at a place that has some sort of hard matting for the floor. Now that I stick to all the time no matter what is on my feet.

Thanks for all the ideas! I've tried doing it here barefoot before, but the carpet's REALLY thick! I'm checking out the websites as we speak - should give my parents some good gift ideas. And in the meantime I'll see if I've got any socks that might work.

Originally Posted by muneera

Thanks for all the ideas! I've tried doing it here barefoot before, but the carpet's REALLY thick! I'm checking out the websites as we speak - should give my parents some good gift ideas. And in the meantime I'll see if I've got any socks that might work.

If the pile is super thick, you might try rolling out a large area rug with a shorter pile. Of course a real Oriental rug would be wonderful but if you don't have the money to spend on the real deal, there are several less expensive options at most big box stores. You might need some non-slip backing for the area rug if it tends to slide around over the carpeting. You can then roll it up after you rehearse. The area rug will protect your parents' carpet (especially if it is new) and also allow you to turn more easily.

I used lots of area rugs back in my college days when I had to rent old apartments with old, disgusting carpeting. In that case, the area rugs protected me--not the carpeting.

Originally Posted by jaded

If the pile is super thick, you might try rolling out a large area rug with a shorter pile. Of course a real Oriental rug would be wonderful but if you don't have the money to spend on the real deal, there are several less expensive options at most big box stores. You might need some non-slip backing for the area rug if it tends to slide around over the carpeting. You can then roll it up after you rehearse. The area rug will protect your parents' carpet (especially if it is new) and also allow you to turn more easily.

I used lots of area rugs back in my college days when I had to rent old apartments with old, disgusting carpeting. In that case, the area rugs protected me--not the carpeting.

That's a really good idea. I had a faux silk rug in Bahrain, and really liked it, it was really smooth to dance on - it just wasn't as big as I would have liked. I'll have to see what we've got around here...g.:

I dance barefoot on my carpet all the time. Shoes and socks only hinder me. It does not hurt my feet either. I have more problems with a wood floor, then I get blisters.

Ya I dance bare foot on carpet and never had a problem......

I like dancing on carpet - easier on the balls of the feet. I wouldn't advise wearing socks, as they will stick to the carpet and get twisted. You may find yourself getting used to dancing on carpeting.

If the carpet is really thick and you are longing for a smooth surface, you might try one of those large plastic chair mats that go under desks so that people can roll an office chair around on it--they have little sharp nubs on one side to dig into the carpet and they create a smooth but slightly pebbled surface like linoleum (not slick, just hard). You can get them at office supplyu stores.

I do find that with Hermes sandals I can dance on carpet easily--they are thin and slick on the bottom.

Toe socks work well on carpet... they don't slide off, and they help prevent carpet burn. ..g.:

Try adding pads under the rugs. I found a bunch on this rug store.