Summer is a time to be active, and when you get that perfect day you want to grab it with both hands, especially in a place like Wellington when those days can be few and far between!

If you’re dancing somewhere with the sun blasting down from above and not a lick of shade in sight, you’re gonna have to take some extra care. Heat exhaustion, sunstroke, dehydration are all very real risks when hop-stepping in the heat, so asides from making sure you take breaks from time to time (do it) here are some additional tips to make sure you can keep on your toes and dance the summer away, without wilting.

Hydrate

Do yourself a favour and take water breaks!

First and foremost, don’t forget to stay hydrate. When dancing you’re gonna sweat, and in summer time you’re gonna sweat that much more. It’s easy to get swept up in the rhythm and dance and dance and dance, only to leave the event without having touched a drop! Do yourself a favour and take water breaks! Even if that means missing the first 8 bars of a song because you’re fiddling with your drink bottle, that’s way better than leaving a dance with a pounding headache because you can’t remember drinking anything for hours!

Dress appropriately

We’ll be honest, this section applies more to men that women (but still has take-homes for everyone). If you’re gonna sweat, and sweat a lot - plan for it. A good rule of thumb we’ve found that works is that one T-shirt last for approximately 30min of rigorous dancing (give or take your natural tendency to sweat). So if you’re going to be at an event for at least an hour and a half, plan to bring at least 3 shirts. You’ll feel 10x better dancing in a fresh shirt, and so will your partner.

Additionally, if you’re heading out to dance in the park or some place more fun and less formal, consider leaving the jeans or slacks at home and wear a pair of comfortable shorts. No-one’s gonna care what you wear as long as it’s appropriate and makes you feel good and comfortable.

Practise saying ‘No.’

We don’t mean saying ‘no’ to dancing in summer, but the heat offers an opportunity for dancers of all kind to practice one of the more forgotten aspects of social dancing: declining a dance.

Often, it feels like if someone approaches us at a social event and asks us to dance we have no choice but to smile and say ‘yes!’. There are a number of reasons why we may feels this way (and now’s not the place to unpack this particular box), but remember - you have your own agency and full permission to say no to a dance at any point in time, for whatever reason (or no reason at all). It takes time to learn this skill and even more time be comfortable using it, but the reward is a feeling of greater control (and therefore enjoyment) of your dancing. When social dancing, prioritise your self-care (eg not getting sunstroke) over the wants or needs of others. You won’t be able to dance with anyone if you’re passed out on the floor!

At the end of the day, we’re all responsible for our own actions, including how we act on the dance floor. If you’re practising self-care, then you’re bound to have a more enjoyable experience, and so will the people around you.

Learn more about recognising and preventing heat stroke or exhaustion.