You might think that it’s “Old Fashioned” to hear the words “Dance Floor Etiquette”. Maybe you picture a 1950’s prom with prim and proper dresses with big bows, thick glasses and bow ties. Or, you think of Grandma and Grandpa at the local square dance. While the idea of dance floor etiquette sounds old fashioned, consideration for yourself, your partner, and others never goes out of date.
Etiquette should be considered at public dance events, competitions during open floor, practice time at lessons in a studio or social dancing at the local honky tonk or speakeasy.
Dance Floor Etiquette: The Summary.
- Traveling dances stay to the outside of the floor in a counter-clockwise rotation.
- Stationary dances stay in the inside of the floor, towards the center.
- Watch where you are going.
- Try not to run into others.
Those are the basics for any dance floor! Pretty simple. Yet, in practice, seem much more difficult.
Many times you may find people line dancing, doing Cha-Cha or Swing dances in the corners of the dance floors, creating a squeeze for traveling and stationary dances. While they believe they are staying out of the way, they actually create more congestion on the dance floor!
Typically, if you handle the first three bullet points mentioned above, the fourth will happen naturally. Most people do not enjoy being hit on the dance floor, or in general. If you can prevent your partner or yourself from hitting someone else, do your best to try. Accidents do happen, but awareness of yourself and partner always prevent simple accidents.
Now, back to the 1950’s prom picture: imagine the white gloved finger pointing at you in warning: The golden rule is try to make it nice for everyone.