General Info on Dance Clothes
The bottom line for what to wear to a swing dance: dress nice and tasteful. Remember, dancing is a social activity and you’re interacting with other people, so try to look like you care!
Think about it……guys, do you think women will want to dance with you, or be attracted to you if you’re wearing ratty looking blue jeans, or cargo pants, or sweatpants and a dingy looking t-shirt? Ladies, do you think guys will want to dance with you, or be attracted to a lady that looks frumpy and dowdy? It’s worth repeating, for both guys and gals – dress nice!
At a minimum, it should be “dressy” casual or business casual at a swing dance. Some attendees like to get dressed up, and that’s fine! People also tend to get more dressed up for events with live music, such as the Hepcats Big Band Swing Dances, the Saturday night dance at the All Balboa Weekend, the nightly dances at Lindy Focus, etc…
Generally, keep comfort in mind, and note that swing dancing keeps you movin’! Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. (To protect the dance floor, no boots, “spiked” high heels or similar type shoes should be worn.)
For classes. Wear loose comfortable clothing and flat-soled shoes. We don’t recommend blue jeans because they’re too restrictive. We also don’t recommend high heels or open, strapped shoes or sandals or flip flops.
Vintage Style. Some people prefer to wear vintage clothing at swing dances, i.e. wide legged pants, two tone shoes, “swishy” skirts or dresses, etc. While this is never required, it is fun and adds to the overall atmosphere of a swing dance. Where do you get vintage style clothes? In good vintage stores, on-line….. see the info below.
General Info on Dance Shoes.
There are lots of different manufacturers and styles of dance shoes on the market, some more suitable and/or comfortable for swing dancing than others.
Not particularly suitable for swing dancing.
Ballroom Dance Shoes. Ballroom dance shoes have very little lateral and arch support, and often little insole cushion. The soles normally have a very thin layer of suede leather on the sole. Ballroom Dance Shoes are easily ruined if used on something other than a nice, smooth, clean wooden or tiled dance floor.
Character Shoes (named for their use in musical theatre by those performing “in character”). These shoes have a very generic look and almost always come with very hard, leather soles. Character Shoes normally do not have a built in cushion insole.
Jazz Shoes. Made for jazz and modern dance, these type shoes can be purchased with split sloes for more flexibility. The soles will normally be rubber, chrome leather (suede), or a chrome leather sole with a rubber heel. Like ballroom dance shoes, these type shoes are light but lack much lateral and/or arch support.
Recommendations for shoes for swing dancing. If you do a lot of swing dancing, it’s certainly wise to invest in some dance shoes (and cushioned insoles) that provide comfort, support and the proper sole for slides, hops, jumps, swivels and spinning (especially the ladies, who often do a lot of spinning!).
Dancing can take a toll on your knees, ankles and legs if you don’t have good shoes. Overall, you want shoes that let you pivot freely (to avoid knee and ankle damage), but not let you slip and fall. Let’s look at some shoes made specifically for swing dancers. See the info below in the section on “Where to buy….” for specific recommendations.
Vintage Shoes. Vintage shoes are one of the best choices to make when looking for dance shoes. Yes, they are harder to find, and cost a bit more than “regular” shoes. But often times shoes from the 1930’s/40’s/50’s were made much better than shoes today, and of course, that vintage look is hard to beat. A word of caution: before you start purchasing vintage shoes, get educated on the subject. Talk to other swing dancers that wear vintage shoes to get advice on where to buy vintage shoes and other any advice they may have. Yes, that will take some time and effort, but it’ll be worth it!
Cushioned Insoles. A good pair of cushioned insoles are worth their weight in gold. There are lots of name brand and off-brand insoles on the market. Some people will buy their shoes slightly bigger (perhaps a half size bigger) to give them more room. Insoles come in relatively flat versions and those with combinations of molded heel cup and arch support. You can even add a “flat” type cushioned insole under the combination type to really increase the cushion and support.
A note on Athletic Shoes with Chrome Leather Soles. Some swing dancers wear athletic shoes. These shoes have layers of rubber and foam that cushion and support your feet. However, as we all know, athletic shoes are built to “grip” the floor, and if you try to dance (or do any turns or spinning) in rubber soled shoes you can easily hurt or injure your knees or ankles. So what’s a (partial) solution? Chrome or a hard leather sole.
Take a pair of your stylish athletic shoes (preferably with a flat sole, i.e. not running athletic shoes) to a shoe repair store and have chrome leather (note thin suede leather) or a hard leather sole bonded or glued on. Once again, ask for the thicker chrome leather or a hard leather sole, and not the thin suede that is often used on ballroom dance shoes.
Lastly, note a couple of disadvantages of wearing tennis shoes with chrome leather are (1) it’s difficult to do heel and floor slides and (2) they’re tennis shoes, an informal style shoe, that doesn’t look good with more formal clothes, i.e. a suit, jacket, etc…