This Tuesday Shoesday, I wanted to share my new hobby with you: swing dancing. I started going to a weekly class in June and after a rather wobbly left-footed start, I’ve really gotten into the swing of things (argh, bad pun alert!) and I look forward to going dancing every week – we always have a great laugh learning new moves. It’s not just about learning a dance; it’s a great form of exercise (I’m always out of breath by the end of a session!), it makes me happy (exercise endorphins will do that for you, I guess!) and it’s a fab social event. It’s been fun getting to know new people, dancing with different partners and going for a cheeky pint after class! A great by-product of taking up dancing is the effect it’s had on my wardrobe.
Now when I’m shopping for clothing I look at how the fabric moves, I consider whether it will keep me cool while I’m boogieing and I wonder how a dress will look when I do an American spin! I’ve been trying on skirts for the first time in 10 years and I want to tie my hair up in a bouncy ponytail. More importantly I’ve been lusting after dancing shoes and I’ve finally bought a pair that I love.
I spotted these little beauties in the Clarks sale last weekend my heart started racing. I added them to my online basket, but my heart sank when I discovered that they were sold out in my size. Undeterred, and certain that these shoes were ‘the ones’, I made it my mission to head into the high-street shop and have a proper rummage on their sale shelves. There was an audible gasp, following by lots of whooping, when I found my dream dance shoes in my size at half the RRP. I’ve never bought a pair of shoes so quickly before: just a quick try-on and a couple of twirls and kicks was all it took to persuade me to part with my cash. I hugged the shoe-box close to me as I carried my precious dancing shoes home.
Surely you can see why I love these shoes so much? Not only are they a classic brogue design (and I love Clarks’ brogues in particular) but they have glitter on them. Ideal for me! The low heel height is perfect for dancing and I know that the leather will become even softer and more supple the more that I wear them. I can’t wait to slip them on for my next dance class and see whether they will improve my technique haha!
