Re: [Callers] Barefooters

Here a few of my thoughts on barefooted dancing, in no particular order. 1. If you want to keep teens away from your dances, a rule requiring shoes is one good way to do that. A local dance here had a very bad floor. 3, 4, and even 5 inch splinters were splitting from the old floor boards, so shoes were required by the hall owner. I know of a number of teens who avoided that dance precisely because they could not dance barefooted. That dance series was recently canceled, although the location, music, and callers, were top notch. 2. When you dance barefooted, you do risk injury, especially if a partner wearing ski boots steps on your toes. Although some used to dance with ski boots and hiking boots here, they are seldom seen at dances any more, even here in NH. Except for the dance mentioned above, people dance with bare feet at most of our local dances. Sometimes as many as half of the dancers have bare feet, but I have never head of any serious injuries due to dancing in bare feet at any dances here. There have been injuries due to crowding and falling, but not due to bare feet, as best I know. (I expect someone may correct me on this...) 3. I think that barefooted dancing is at least in part a reaction to the rules that have been enforced recently to protect floors - clean shoes, no street shoes, check the shoes before the dance. (At least recent to those of a certain age...) If you don't wear shoes, you don't need to worry about keeping track of a special pair of dance shoes. Often soft soled shoes are required, as well, so the leather soles that produce the best sound are not allowed anyway. 4. Finally, like Gale, sensible dancing shoes are my choice, in order to avoid serious foot problems. But, I'll let others wear what they want, as long at it doesn't threaten serious injury to the floor or others. (No crampons allowed...) Rich.