A NOTE ON SHOES
Soft-soled (non-marking) shoes are required for dancing. This applies to Scottish Country Dancing, and contra dancing, as well as the traditional ballroom dances. While a typical street or dress shoe can be worn for the Grand March, soft-soled shoes must be worn when dancing. The floor in the dinning/social hall is new, and this is a regulation of the facility, not of the ball or Flora Macdonald Legacy Foundation. Please help us by adhering to this regulation. We care very much about maintaining a good relationship with the those in charge of the facility.
Examples of Acceptable Shoes for dancing:
While most will choose to either wear a dance ghillie, ballet shoe, or split sole Jazz shoe, the follow shoes are also acceptable:
1. Tennis shoes such as Keds, Nike, etc providing they are non-marking.
2. Moccasins with soft leather sole or non-marking rubber sole.
3. Canvas “Mary Jane” style shoes with non-marking soles (not black).
4. A boot provided the sole is soft or of a type of rubber that will not mark the floor.
5. Other footwear provided soft soled and non-marking.
Here are examples that ladies might consider
(dance ghillies and ballet shoes are most popular):
dance ghillie Ladies Keds Canvas Mary Jane
Split sole Jazz shoe
Ladies Keds Ballet shoes
(If shoe does not come
with elastic strap it can
easily be sewn on)
Here are examples that men might consider (dance ghillie or split sole Jazz
shoes are most popular but other non-marking soft-soled shoes are also acceptable):
split sole Jazz shoe dance ghillie
non-marking moccasin
Examples of NON-Acceptable Shoes for dancing:
If you choose only to listen to music or just participate in the Grand March, you may wear any type of typical dress or street shoe. However, our hope is that you will want to dance at least a few of the dances, and if so, please note that the following shoes are NOT acceptable:
1. Hard-soled dress shoes.
2. Hard-soled ghillie brogues.
3. Hard-soled loafers.
4. High heel shoes that have hard soles.
5. Hard-soled boots or boots with soles that can mark the floor
6. Tennis shoes of any type that have black soles or other soles that could mark the
foor.
7. Any hard soled shoe or shoe that could mark the floor.
These shoes are ok for Grand March but NOT for dancing:
ghillie brogue hard soled dress shoe
A few other thoughts on shoes:
In Scottish Country dance, ladies traditionally wear a ballet shoe or dance ghillie, and men typically wear a dance ghillie. However, beginner dancers sometimes wear other similar shoes such as a split soled Jazz shoes, which can often be found quite affordably at many discount stores.
In contra dancing, many different types of shoes are worn --from jazz oxfords to workboots! While some of these shoes are appropriate for the floor, others are not. We realize this will be more of an adjustment for some than others. A special thank you to those of you making the change in footwear!
In many dance traditions, people will often wear a formal shoe to the ball and bring shoes with them to change into once the dancing begins. This may seem unusual to those who have never done this type of dancing, but it is quite common.
Again, thank you for your consideration. We look forward to dancing and not scuffing the floor with you at the ball!
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Links to dance shoe retailers
Women's Dance Shoes
Ballet shoes in various colors (click on link and scroll down to Pinces Pump): http://www.dancingghillie.com/id8.htm or http://www.heatherandthistle.com/Dance%20Ghilles.html
