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.