[Tango-L] high heels verboten [a high heels rules proposal]

[Cammie]

Christian, I am so glad to hear these words.  I can only wear low heels and
am very careful about keeping my heels down and stepping back carefully, but
all I hear from most men (and women) is how elegant the high heels are.  I
can't imagine wearing 3 to 4 inch heels, much less stiletto heels.  And, I
don't have to take 3 or 4 pairs when I go dancing – all my shoes (Tara) are
comfortable enough to wear all night.  

 

I often see women who start out wearing their 4 inch high heels but later in
the evening have to change into their dance sneakers or limit their dancing
or stop dancing because their feet hurt!  

 

Also, during festivals or local workshops with milongas the same evening, I
can’t even wear my low heeled shoes during class and then again at the
milongas, so do wear my dance sneakers during class.  They have also made my
feet a million times more comfortable at the outdoor milongas during the
Denver festivals, which take place on a very smooth, but extremely hard
floor, especially since they are immediately followed by an all night
milonga.

 

Cammie in Denver.

 

P.S.  I remember overhearing a conversation in the women’s bathroom at a
festival in California a few years ago: one woman saying to another that a
friend of hers picked all his partners by what shoes they wear wearing.
Pretty shallow, huh (I assumed he meant high heels)!

 

 

Christian Lüthen wrote:

 

Carol,

 

please re-read my posting! 

 

> High heels are a fact of life in tango.

 

I did not argue to make high heels illegal (perhaps you just didn't get the
'jeux du mot' of my subject line) ... but limit certain kinds of heels to a
certain experience / level of social (not stage or stagelike !) dance!

 

> Women get speared with high heels at least as much as men, if not more. 

Which does not contradict my posting, but actually stressing it.

 

 

> Please feel sorry for us and fix your floorcraft as leads so you do 

> not do this to us.  You are driving the bus, not us.

If the bus (= follower) allows the driver to 'drive' it - fine. But a lot of
buses/followers are not just following but initiate a lot of (dangerous)
movements themselves! =;-o 

 

> We know you like the way they look.

To be honest: I think that most styletto style high heels do not look very
appealing (dancewise, perhaps sexuality wise for those who like that) ...
usually the larger/wider and not so high heels look much better for dancing
... IMHO!

 

> You would not want us all wearing dance sneakers at milongas, now 

> would you.

No problem with that! ;-) My partner nearly allways wears sneakers (due to a
spine problem) ... but as she knows how to dance there is not a difference. 

 

It's not the (shiny) shoes that make a good dancer ... but some (stylleto)
shoes are more a kind of a weapon. And one should be educated/trained before
allowed to walk around with that weapon! 

 

So, please, re-read my original posting and get the point. 

 

Christian