Proper Dance Etiquitte
Dance etiquette begins, before one even enters the dance hall. It starts with proper personal hygiene, good grooming, attention to proper attire and maintenance of a clean fresh breath.
Ballroom dancers practice good etiquette by being friendly, courteous and sociable on and off the dance floor, to both dancers and non-dancers alike.
Some rules of good etiquette toward a partner include:
- A lady always accepts a request to dance unless she has a very good excuse, in which case she should not accept an invitation from another during that dance.
- It is not improper or inappropriate for a Lady to ask a man to dance.
- A man does not stand on the sidelines when there is a lady waiting to dance.
- A man never leaves a lady unaccompanied on the dance floor.
- Proper attention to a partner, a smile, a cheery word, makes a partner feel good.
- A word of praise or an expression of enjoyment from a partner builds confidence and raises partners self esteem.
- Always thank your partner after the dance is over.
Some rules of good dance etiquette while on the dance floor include:
- Use caution when entering or leaving the dance floor to not impede the flow of dancers already moving around the floor.
- When dancing smooth rhythms that progress along the line of dance, always dance counter clockwise around the hall.
- Slower moving dancers should dance the inside track allowing faster moving dancers to dance the outside track
- When the music bridges rhythms (e. g., Foxtrot/Swing or Quickstep/Swing) dancers doing the “on the spot” type dance should move to the center of the hall to allow the “progressive” dancers to move around the outside of the hall.
- Avoid stopping or attempting fancy “picture figures” while dancing in a traffic lane to avoid blocking the path of other dancers. When room permits, dance into center of hall where "picture figures" or other non forward moving figures may be executed.