I've only been salsa dancing for two years and I am completely
addicted. Without a doubt, I knew that I was beyond the point of no
return when I bought my first pair of Gabellini Dance Shoes. What??? I'm really going to spend $70 on a pair of shoes that I can only wear while dancing salsa? Yep.
Now don't get me wrong, I love my Gabellinis. They rock. But the fact
that they are a suede-soled shoes inherently limits their
functionality. For example, there is no way that I am going to wear my
Sanchos to a normal club or, god forbid, outside on the streets. It
would ruin the suede, my dancing ability and overall would suck. Once I
realized that I was addicted to salsa, I wanted to be able to spin
wherever I danced without having to worry about messing up my shoes.
Enter mad scientist.
I began testing all different types of materials that could be easily
added/removed or that I could just leave on the bottoms of my shoes. I
tried chrome suede kits, detachable contraptions and even Pam cooking
spray (I swear, this really happened).
Finally, I visited my friendly neighborhood Lowe's store. Wandering
from aisle to aisle, I found a staffer. After explaining my issue and
getting the expected look of surprise, he guided me towards the Velcro
stand. I picked up a pack of sticky back Velcro and began testing.
I began by cutting off a 4-inch rectangle of the material and taped
the fluffy side of the Velcro to my Converse All-Star sneakers. I began
spinning lightning quick, however due to the lack of 'grip' and plethora
of 'slip', I fell right into the refrigerator. Epic Fail.
Then for amusement's sake, I tried putting the rougher side of the
velcro on my shoe. I applied it to both sneakers and eureka. My spinning
was magnificent (not to brag) and I could easily stop whenever I
pleased. There is a bit of a difference between suede spinning and
velcro spinning, so you'll have to get used to it. However, I was amazed
at the quality of the spins.
For those of you that have been living in a cave for the past 30 years and don't know, Velcro is a brand name of fabric hook-and-loop fasteners. It consists
of two layers: a "hook" side, which is a piece of fabric covered with
tiny hooks, and a "loop" side, which is covered with even smaller and
"hairier" loops. For some background on the invention of this amazing
technology, check out the Wikipedia entry.
Benefits of Velcro spinning:
1. You can spin almost as easily as in suede shoes.
2. The velcro can be left on the bottom of your shoe for literally
months without affecting spin quality. This means walking on the street,
in the rain, whatever.
3. It's cheap! One strip costs around $0.25 instead of $70 for a salsa shoe.
4. You can remove the strip at any time and strips are
ultra-portable. You'll notice some stickiness on the bottom of your
shoe, but it's not overbearing and you can apply soapy water to
immediately remove the sticky residue.
5. No noticeable damage to floors. I was concerned that spinning
would leave wood floors scratched, however I have not seen any type of
damage to the floors from the Velcro.
Sounds great, right? Absolutely, however there are no perfect
solutions. The one down-side I've noticed is that if you walk on carpet
you will hear a loud Velcro tearing noise since the carpet is furry and
is attracted to the Velcro on your shoe. Funny looks from your friends
is a small price to pay for a $0.25 salsa shoe!
