Dance Etiquette is here to ensure everyone has a good time in any social dance setting. Here are a few examples which may be helpful for the social dancer.
BABYSIT (verb): to sit next to or stand near by someone and wait for them to be ready to dance with you when they have already declined the current dance. Babysitting can also occur on the dance floor where a dancer monopolizes their partner, preventing them from leaving the floor, until the next song starts.
- Example: After Claudia said “Sorry I don’t want to dance this song…I’m too tired,” Rufus hung out near her table babysitting until she stood up ready to dance.
BARE-FOOT “WHITE FLAG” (noun): a signal given by a dancer who has removed his/her shoes to indicate a break from dancing
- Example: Claudia, after sitting down and removing her shoes to rest, raised the white flag to decline any future dances.
CIRCULATING (verb): to dance with a variety of people; to not monopolize one particular dancer for multiple songs in a row
- Example: Even though she enjoyed Rufus’ dancing, Claudia circulated around the dance rather than dancing multiple songs consecutively with him.
CLEANLINESS (noun): to show respect and consideration for other dancers by maintaining proper hygiene
- Example: Rufus had strong body oder and Claudia smelled from too much perfume. Rufus also was very sweaty from the the exertion of dancing. Both were unpleasant to dance with.
DIPPING (noun): a move only appropriate if the follow maintainers her own weight and balance.
- Example: Rufus dipped Claudia, but too deep. Claudia wrongfully assumed rufus would hold her up. Both ended up falling to the floor.
MANHANDLER (noun): a dancer (male or female), often but not always inexperienced, who tends to roughly handle their partner. This makes the dance unpleasant and possibly unsafe for that partner.
- Example: Rufus manhandled Claudia, forcing her through moves and almost injured her shoulder.
NO (adverb): The declination of an offer dance of at least one song. It is always acceptable to decline a dance but it is bad etiquette to decline one dancer and dance the same song with another dancer.
- Example: Rufus asked Claudia to dance and she declined “I’m not interested dancing this song.” However Claudia accepted the next request to dance.
- Other possible No’s: “No thank you”… “Not this song”… “Sorry, I’m taking a break”
OVER DANCING/OUT DANCING (noun): performing difficult dance moves without the consideration of you and your partners capabilities, making the dance difficult.
- Example: With his advanced style and moves, Rufus out danced his novice follow Claudia, who ended up feeling uncomfortable throughout the song.
PERCEPTIVE (adjective): the quality of a conscientious dancer to be able to tell when someone is or is not interested in dancing the next song
- Example: Rufus was perceptive when, upon noticing Claudia turn away from his approach and start fumbling with her purse, he decided to ask another follow to dance the song.
PERSONAL SPACE INVADER (noun): A dancer who does not know how to respect their partner’s personal space/bubble. The comfortable distance between two dancers will be different depending on many things including the follow, the lead, the music, and the setting.
- Example: Claudia had to Rufus’ attempts to draw her into a close embrace, invading her personal space.
STALKER (noun): someone who persistently pursues another dancer usually even after being declined multiple times. A follow who is being stalked may decline the stalker and still dance that dance.
- Example: Claudia felt rejected after asking Rufus to dance; she proceeded to continuously ask Rufus to dance until he relented.
UNSOLICITED TEACHING (noun): Giving instruction to your partner in the middle of a social dance floor without being asked for your input. This can lead to embarrassment of your partner, taking the fun out of the dance.
- Example: Much to Claudia's displeasure, Rufus begun to critique Claudia's swing-out mid-song.
SOLICITED TEACHING (noun): Asking explicitly for help or critique on a dance move or dancing.
- Example: Part way through the song Claudia asked Rufus how to do a particular move.
You can check out the original HSDS etiquette page HERE
Thanks to the following websites who were used in making this list:
http://www.streetswing.com/
http://www.utdallas.edu/
http://www.close-embrace.com/
http://www.usadance.org/
Special thanks to Amber Rauschkolb and Kalen Braman for the examples.
