How to Make Shoes Slippery for Dancing

Is shuffling and dancing your favorite pastime? Then you know you need slippery shoes to wow your fans with your swift moves. 

Whether you want the shoes to remain slippery permanently, or you want to use your non-slip shoes for one show and revert them to their original style, we have your back.

Now you can rock your favorite pair of shoes to a friend’s birthday party and hit the dance floor after sticking some materials to make them slippery.

Remember not to walk in slippery shoes since you can easily slide, fall and injure yourself. The procedure of fixing the slippery material and removing it takes only a few minutes.

We will show you how to make shoes slippery in simple steps and with readily available ingredients. 

Here is How to Make Shoes Slippery for Dancing/Shuffling

Using Sandpaper

If your shoes have a rubber sole, you can make them slippery in readiness for your dancing or shuffling using sandpaper.

Before you begin the process, remember that this procedure is irreversible. In addition, rubbing shoe soles with sandpaper may weaken them and affect their longevity. Do it on the shoes that you assign purposely for shuffling and dancing. Here are the steps:

1. Look for coarse sandpaper that can scrape off textured patterns on your shoe sole.
2. Hold your shoe upside down on your left hand. It will be better if you insert your hand in the shoe to make the sole firm. You can do this with your left hand if you are left-handed.
3. Rub the sole with the sandpaper in forceful circular motions. Feel the shoe with your palm from time to time to see where you need to apply more force.
4. Once the sole is smooth, wipe it with a cloth soaked in olive oil. This will remove the sandpaper residues and give the sole a greasy feel. Remove excess olive oils so that the shoe is not too slippery.
5. Repeat this process with your other shoe, and they will be ready for dancing or shuffling.
6. Rub the shoes with olive oil anytime you want to use them for your dancing or shuffling sessions.

Using Suede Paper

This works best if the shoes do not have treads. You can use this temporary procedure on your regular shoes for your one-time dancing session.

Suede sticks well on any sole, giving you a wide range of shoes you can use to shuffle or dance. If you notice that the shoes are losing their slipperiness, stick more suede paper to restore them.

Check with your shoe store for the pre-cut suede paper, but if you are a DIY devotee, buy the uncut suede paper to prepare at home.

Remember to work on the shoe with the sole supported to get an even suede paper cover. You will also work on the shoe better if you turn it upside down so that you can easily insect the process.

1. Place the suede paper on a flat surface.
2. Put the shoe on the suede paper and trace it with a marker pen.
3. Lift the shoe and put it aside. Pick the suede paper and cut out the traced shoe with a sharp pair of scissors. However, you can look for ready-made suede paper that is cut to size to avoid cutting it yourself.
4. The suede paper has adhesive tape. Peel the tape and fix it on the shoe gradually, checking and straightening out any creases until you cover the entire sole.
5. Repeat with the other shoes, and you have your shuffling or dancing shoes ready.
6. When you are done and want the shoe to cease being slippery, peel the suede paper. It will not damage your shoe sole.

Using Gaffer Tape

This is a perfect way of showing off your flashy shoes on the dance floor. It delimits the choice of shoes you can dance or shuffle in and does not damage the features that come with your shoes.

You may not cover all the areas of your shoe with this tape but it is a quick and easy way to make your shoes slippery. You will get better results with this process if the shoe is upside down and the sole is supported from the inside.

If you fail to support the sole, it will cave in to give you an uneven surface. The tape will form groves that will hinder your swiftness when dancing and shuffling. Here is the procedure:

1. Attach the tape to one end of the shoe sole.
2. Open the tape over the shoe sole slowly. Rub it to even out any creases that you notice and stick it firmly on the shoe sole.
3. When you get to the far edge of the shoe, cut the tape and stick it tightly by rubbing it gently onto the shoe sole.
4. Do this with your other shoe for a pair of slippery shuffling and dancing shoes. You can peel off the gaffer tape any time you want the shoes to lose their slipperiness.
5. Moreover, if the gaffer tape is collapsing and you still want the shoes to be slippery, clean the shoes with the gaffer tape on and leave them to dry. Once they are waterless, stick a fresh coat of gaffer tape, and you have them slippery once again.

Conclusion

You can shuffle or dance in any shoes you like even if they are not slippery when you are buying them. You can make shoes slippery for shuffling or dancing using locally available materials and simple procedures.

Some of the procedures are irreversible. If you choose them, ensure you will not need the shoes for any other purpose other than dancing and shuffling. Slippery shoes may cause you to fall and injure yourself.

Some temporary procedures leave the features that come with your shoes intact. These are best when you have a single dancing or shuffling session, like during a birthday party.

Sandpaper, gaffer tape, and suede paper are the common materials you can use to make your shoes slippery for shuffling and dancing.