PFOTM Shoe Policy
Phoenix Friends of Old Time Music are lucky to have a wonderful floor to dance on. Maintaining such a floor is costly, and the principal of Kennilworth School has asked us to respect and protect their newly refinished floor.
The shoe policy is that no street shoes may be worn in the dance hall. Please *bring* your shoes to the dance instead of wearing them there. We will be checking your shoes out at the door. Please help us to minimize damage by wearing soft-soled, wide-heeled shoes and cleaning your shoes before entering the dance hall.
Why?
Any type of dance involving shoes is tough on dance floors. When we dance, we are grinding tiny bits of dirt and grit right into the floor. This damage is even worse when turning or spinning is involved -- and contra dance involves plenty of that! Also, hard-soled, leather shoes can leave scuffs all over the surface, and very narrow heels (less than 1.25 cm or 1/2 inch in diameter) can actually dent the floor.
Here's how to check your shoes:
To tell what kind of soles your shoes have, try pressing them with your thumbnail. You should be able to make a dent. If you can't, the shoes are too hard for our floor. The heels should be at least 1.5 inches in diameter and made of a non-marking material. You can check this by scraping the edge of the heel on a piece of white paper. If it leaves a black mark that can't be rubbed out, leave them at home.
What shoes can I wear?
Any wide-heeled, soft-soled shoes are fine. Running shoes will do.
If you are a newcomer:
We will help you brush the grit off your street shoes at the door. If you decide you would like to dance regularly, you can reserve your runners for that purpose alone, or buy a pair of dancing shoes (see the information table for ask one of the organizers about this: dance shoes don't have to be expensive, and they last a long time).
Thank you!
Your co-operation means that we will be welcome to continue dancing at Kennilworth School.