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Dance Etiquette |
| Dance Partner Etiquette for Any Situation |
| by: Shawn Trautman |
| Partner etiquette is integral to a lasting and enjoyable career on the social dance floor. When you are dancing, the two most important people on the dance floor are yourself and your dance partner.The following rules will make your joint dancing experience, especially during the learning period, much more enjoyable. |
| Do Not Give Unsolicited Advice |
| Unsolicited advice is arsenic to your newly formed dance partnership. In the great big world outside of the realm of dance, know-it-alls are unwelcome, and on the dance floor the same rule applies. Leave your “I’m an expert” hat at home when you come to learn how to dance. The only exclusion to this rule is when you are the paid instructor. By paying the fee and attending the class, the student(s) have waived their rights to give unsolicited advice. They have designated the instructor as the expert, and it is then the instructor’s job to give advice and correct problems as he or she sees them—with tact and aplomb on every occasion. |
| Trust Your Partner |
| Always trust that your partner will do the correct action as soon as he or she possibly can. At least eight times out of ten, if your partner is not executing a step or move correctly, it is because his or her arms or legs aren’t quite getting the message from the brain yet, not because your partner didn’t understand the move. Social dance was created as a leisure activity, and by nature should be pleasurable to the participants. Though the intentions are usually pure, the results are often disastrous when beginning dancers violate rules one and two of partner etiquette. Remembering the old adage about removing the log from your own eye prior to pointing out the splinter in your dance partner’s can salvage a difficult dance session. |
| Thank Your Partner |
| Miss Manners would be proud if all dancers remembered this simple rule. Please be polite on the social dance floor and thank your partner for the dance. Even if it is through gritted teeth due to painful smashed toes, a simple “Thank you for the dance” goes a long way. |
| Always Introduce Yourself |
| This final rule of partner dance etiquette is probably the most frequently overlooked in the social dance world. People attend dances and go out to nightclubs in order to dance and meet other people, but they often forget the simple step of introducing themselves to a new dance partner in their zeal to show off their spiffy moves. Remember, dancing is a social event, and it is socially astute to at least learn someone’s name before invading his or her personal space by assuming dance position! |
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