Perhaps the first lesson should be about the shoes...

- by Dena Burroughs

It's just a thought that came to mind last Thursday as I sat looking on at a Salsa class in progress.

Salsa is so popular these days.  There must have been thirty women lined up in a row across twenty guys who faced them.  All of them looking alert, concentrating in following the instructor's steps, and smiling shyly off and on as they realized they'd missed a turn.  They made a collection of beautiful dresses, perfect make-ups, fancy hair-dos; all those things that result so attractive to the non-dancers about our Salsa world... its elegance. 

I sat there rather consumed in admiration of the whole thing when my eyes took a double take on a pair of sharp pointed, black and silver high stilettos that a pretty blonde wore.  As I saw her do the 1-2-3, 5-6-7 of the basic step, my eight-year-dance-experienced toes curled up in discomfort just imagining what hers would be feeling right then.

My eyes then roved around, checking out the rest of the female feet on the floor, and sure enough, what I found were mostly shiny pairs of slip-ons, of wooden soles, and otherwise 'difficult' shoes which I, as someone who dances on a regular basis, know will not easily stay on.  Perhaps an experienced dancer could dance one song on high heeled slip-ons, but not without paying the high price of achy legs later on!

I was looking at girls who had found perfect looking 'Salsa clothes' and matched them up with impossibly imperfect, not even close to!, Salsa shoes.  Considering that our 'Salsa' thing centers in the coordinating and the movement of the feet, how smart is that?

My thoughts went back to when I started dancing.  I had to learn through trial and error.  I remember concluding early that I needed shoes that supported the sides of my feet, so that I would not wobble off my shoes as I danced.  And since I started dancing while the acrobatic L.A. style was in full effect, I also soon learned to wear closed-toe shoes.  Injuries to the toenails back in those days were as common as cartwheels and neck drops were on the floor. 

I got fancy once and showed up at 'Giggles', the 'in' club back when, wearing high heeled platform shoes.  It took only two attempts to realize that dancing was not going to happen with those on, and to send me back on my way home.  I was so disenchanted by those shoes that I found the nerve to return them to Aldos the following morning.

It was not until I had been dancing for two years already that a female veteran dancer gave me my first shoe advice ever.  I had been going on about how unnecessary I found to spend "all that money" on actual dance shoes.  "After all", I said, "I am not doing too shabby already, and I got here wearing only regular shoes!"

She said something like this:  "one day, when you get a chance, try a pair of real dance shoes.  You will be amazed at the difference they can make".

Eventually I did.  And she was right, what a difference they make!  I'm not sure whether it works the same for males, but as for us girls, a few turns  wearing dance shoes are worth their price on our legs. The ease with which one turns wearing dance shoes is priceless.  Now, let me say, I am still not a huge spender.  Here I am six years later and yet to buy a pair of shoes over $100.  By the same token, I hardly ever dance wearing 'regular shoes' anymore.

A pair of happy feet, I learned, is a simple way to keep a happy dancer, dancing.

I am thinking perhaps it would be better to spare people from the trial and error process, and volunteer the shoe advice ASAP.  Perhaps it should be one of the first things mentioned in a Salsa class.  Nothing too hard for an instructor to add on to what he or she will say that evening.  Something like:  "say no to stilettos!  your 'Salsa toes' [and mine] will thank you".

It would not be about a sales pitch for dance shoes of course, just a little encouragement to get off those uncomfortable shoe-things!

What do you think?  :)

Comments? send to rumberatica@yahoo.com