Put on your green dancing shoes, and try to get back some of life’s creativity, rather than spending your whole time watching and reading the news. We are not the only species that dance, but we are one species that does. You can dance whatever you like: ballroom, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, tap. It’s all good fun and makes a nice way to keep fit. Many local community centres offer dancing classes, which you can visit to make friend, jump around and listen to good music. Some have competitions (like ballrooms). It’s probably better to just dance for fun. Visit Dance Near You to find local classes. Or just dance on your own.
The problem is that many dance clothes and shoes are made from leather (shoes), suede (shoes) or plastic (glitter). So here are a few ways to go a bit more zero waste, when you put on your dancing shoes.
- Ethical Wares (Wales) offers lovely vegan dancing shoes, from ballroom to tap. When M People singer Heather Small was on Strictly Come Dancing, she ordered non-suede dancing shoes. And even better, profits from this company help fund the care of around 50 animals living in a sanctuary including goats, sheep, pigs, 2 old horses, cats, dogs, rabbits and Aunt Dotty the cow!
- You can also find vegan dance shoes at Nicole Dancewear and Dance Vegan. You can buy vegan ballet shoes from Basilica and Cynthia King. You can even buy custom-made vegan tap shoes.
- Eco Glitter Fun is a biodegradable alternative to toxic plastic glitter, used often at music and camping festivals. This is made from cellulose film, to reduce the impact of microplastics in our waterways and oceans.
There are many companies online that sell organic and sustainable dance wear including: be aware if you are vegan/vegetarian, check some items as they may feature silk or pearl buttons:
Other Species That Dance
- Male peacock spiders ‘wave their legs in the air like they just don’t care’, then wiggle their tummies, and spring up coloured tails, just like peacock birds.
- Whooping cranes like to fling feathers and grass at each other!
- Bees do a ‘waggle dance’; shaking their tums at the exact angle, to show other bees where the pollen is.
- Red-capped manakin birds do a ‘moonwalk’ on a branch, snapping their wings together, to attract a mate. And the female does indeed choose the bird with the fastest walk and who snaps in time!
- Blue-footed Booby birds hop around to show their feet. Whoever’s are most blue, gets the girl!