Hey all,

I have a duet this year that is using a pair of leggings that come with a costume from costume gallery. They look really silly with the jazz shoes over them, so we decided to treat them like spats and have them go over the shoes. I know water is a trick, but does anyone have an idea of something I could attach to the bottom of the fabric (lyrca) to make it less slippery?

Thanks in advance!

You can use puff paint (in the same color) to make treads on the bottom. It would be like the bottoms of those slipper sock thingys. Also, some spats come cut for tap shoes, so they basically have a stirrup across the middle and a little overlapping the edges of the shoes. Maybe you could cut yours that way? Then the actual bottom and heel of the jazz shoe would be in contact with the floor.

Have you tried the puff paint? That sounds like a good idea in theory! we were thinking about cutting the bottoms, but I find the spats are still slippery when then wrap around to the bottom, and the material isn't think enough to hold with just a stirrup.

Thanks for the puff paint idea....I wonder if it will streak on marley though....

If you use small amounts of the heat setting puff paint it should not streak, although I have only used it on a stage with wood floors. Is there any place you can test it? Like puff the bottom of an old sock or something, although I'm not sure if you have a piece of marley on which to test it.

What color are they? If they're black, electrical tape may do the trick... we've also used hairspray or soda (yes soda)... or you can always use my favortie stand-by of scuffing them up outside on the sidewalk!

They are flourescent green and pink. I think they may actually make duct tape in those colors though!

Im always and forever a fan of using rosin to resolve slippery situations.

So we had a dress rehearsal today to get ready for our first comp, and I had the girls spray hairspray on the bottoms, and that really seemed to help! I had done this with tap shoes before, so I thought "it couldn't hurt" and worked great....in case anyone else out there is having the same issue!