A couple friends have told me about the fun exchanges they’ve been attending but same complaint keeps coming up: some venues are ludicrously hot.
I remember the Wednesday before Frankie 95 in NYC in 2009. I was a little late because I had trouble finding the venue, but I was in a rush to get there. The Loose Marbles were playing, after all; who wouldn’t rush? Well, I finally got to the building and took the elevator up to the 7th floor or so. The doors slide open and BAM! -- I felt like I walked into a sauna (too bad it didn’t smell like one). The windows were fogged up and walls were slick with condensation. It only took one dance before I felt gross, but I ended up dancing for the rest of the night anyway. There wasn’t a single fan to cool us down. We just dealt with it and kept dancing.
Most dances aren’t that bad, but you can overheat anywhere if you dance hard enough. It’s best to come prepared.
Most of these ideas are fairly obvious, but this what I do:
- drink plenty of water (I always bring my own water bottle; it’s just more convenient)
- wear clothes made of light, breathable fabrics (like cotton and linen)
- dress in layers (because taking off your jacket and hat help a ton)
- I carry a small microfiber (super-absorbent) hand towel (mockingly referred to as my “Sham-pow” by a friend).
- take frequent breaks, if necessary
- I dance in front of fans if they’re available.
- I pack a large black fan. (you can laugh, but it works extremely well)
- You can cool off as much as you like, but sweating is inevitable so I ALWAYS bring a few extra shirts.
What do you do to beat the heat?
Hey, check out this link on Yehoodi: http://yehoodi.com/comment/171891/defensive-leading-sweat-and-wh-2/
ReplyDeleteIts a great topic about how some leads have done personal research on what works best on dealing with clothing choices to minimize sweat and maximize personal comfort.
Under-armor is amazing. Expensive, but priceless (?).
ReplyDeleteIf you want to dress nice, layering is the way to go. You can just change undershirts and keep your nice shirt dry. Otherwise, just bring lots of t-shirts. More than you think necessary/sane.
ReplyDeleteThere was a guy in my old scene who would always dance in an UnderArmor shirt. His shirt's wicking capabilities were great... at wicking the sweat onto the follows. They were never very happy about it (and I never wanted to give him a hug/pat on the back).
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest, I haven't really experimented with poly/poly-blend shirts. I go with the multiple layers/multiple change route. The plus side is that I get to show off my myriad Threadless shirts.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=4300498&id=127565633327&ref=mf
ReplyDeleteAnd here's another good image:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=4303004&id=127565633327&ref=mf