Social Dancing 101
Written By Amy Burt, August 2021 for ‘The Dance Kit Vol. 1’ and Published online April 2023
The weekend workshop held on Saturday 31st July 2021 provided lots of handy information for how social dancing works in the Swing Dance community. Sugarfoot Stomp members are passionate about sharing the know-how to build understanding and confidence in our community to make swing dance more accessible.
The following information is a quick summary for reference of what we covered in the workshop + some extras to ponder on.
This is not an exhaustive list, however, we feel it gives you a good base to grow from.
What To Bring?
The Gear
Social dancing can be very active. Before attending a social dancing event try and find out as much as you can about the venue, as this will determine what you will need to bring along.
For example, a small venue might mean closer dancing and bringing a smaller bag along.
Knowing if the floor is going to be polished concrete or wooden will determine your shoe choice.
Ultimately we want to be feeling fairly comfortable to get the most out of the dance.
Here is a list of useful items to pop in your bag:
- 1 or 2 t-shirt or shirt changes (we all sweat up a storm!)
- Dancing shoes or shoes with a bit of slip in them
- Deodorant
- Small towel
- Hand sanitiser (available at plenty of places now)
- Fan (it can get very warm)
- Earplugs (if there is loud live music)
- Water Bottle (outdoor or non-catered functions)
The Sugarfoot Stomp Code of Conduct is available here: