Dear Barbara,
I, too, am a bit concerned about bare feet at dances, and am very glad that no one has
been hurt, at least at the dances that I have attended or called! But I must also admit
that I don't feel firmly enough about the issue to have done much about
it....prefering instead to think about this as "freedom of choice for the
individual", etc., etc.
One suggestion that I do have for this particular problem comes from the Public Health
realm....you might want to check with the local Board of Health. There may be regulations
that prohibit bare feet in public venues (such as restaurants, etc.), in an attempt to
reduce the risks of transmission of fungus, etc. In this way, the dance organizers/callers
can avoid the whole issue of right/wrong, good taste/bad taste discussions, and instead
promote the need to be in compliance with the local regs.
Another thought on the issue: Although I have no idea how insurance companies might
interpret "no shoes" as putting a dance organizer at risk, one could argue that
the wearing of shoes does help reduce the risk of injury. So once again, if a dance
committee decides to institute a "no bare feet" rule, reducing liability risk is
a defensible reason for instituting such a rule.
Looking forward to the thoughts of others! Linda Leslie
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