Wear leather-soled shoes. Rubber soled-shoes can stick to the floor and can cause an injury.
In our dance venue, unless otherwise noted, both casual and dressier clothing is acceptable. Be sure to wear clothing that will not interfere with your dancing and which will not require adjustment during vigorous dancing. Examples of clothing that might be a problem: baggy sleeves, strapless dresses/tops, tops with straps that fall off the shoulder, oversize shirts/tops, full skirts that flare excessively during spins, etc.
Avoid wearing large jewelry--especially bracelets, rings, watches, etc.--you don't want to injure your partner.
Be very careful with your fingernails.
Either men or women may ask a partner for a dance.
Make sure you have eye-contact with your intended partner when you ask for a dance--it can be very awkward if more than one person thinks you are inviting them.
If someone is in conversation, walk up to him/her and wait to see if they make eye contact. If so, you can ask for a dance. If after a few moments s/he has still not made eye-conact with you, it is probably best to ask another time.
If two people simultaneously ask the same person, the person who is ASKED should choose one, and ideally should offer to dance a later dance with the partner not chosen.
You should not ask the same partner for more than two consecutive dances unless you and your partner are attending the dance as a couple and choose to dance primarily with each other.
It is recommended that you invite partners of varying dance abilities to dance. This allows those with less experience to learn from the more experienced dancers.
Dance etiquette requires that you should not decline a dance under most circumstances. Valid reasons for declining a dance are:
- you do not know the dance
- you need to rest
- you have promised the dance to someone else.
Appropriate response: "No, thank you, I'm taking a break. Could I dance another dance with you later?" Declining a dance means sitting out the whole song--it is very rude to dance a song with anyone after you have declined to dance it with someone else.
Exception: If someone consistently violates the rules of etiquette by being unsafe to dance with or ignoring proper personal hygiene, a simple "No, thank you" is acceptable. This exception should rarely be used, however.
Line of Dance
Dancing is performed in a counter clockwise direction along the floor, known as the Line of Dance. This applies to traveling dances including Waltz, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Polka, Quickstep, Tango, and Samba. Spot or slot dances which are stationary like Rumba, Cha-Cha, Mambo, Bolero, Merengue, and Swing require little across-the-floor travel and do not have a line of dance. General rule: the slower you are traveling, the closer to the center of the floor you should be. For example, click on the diagram at the left to enlarge.
Entering/exiting the dance floor
Exercise caution when entering/leaving the dance floor. It is the responsibility of the couple that is entering/leaving to make sure that they stay out of the way of couples that are dancing.
Sharing the floor
Avoid getting too close to other couples, especially less experienced ones.
Be prepared to change the direction of your pattern to avoid congested areas. This requires thinking ahead and paying close attention to traffic patterns.
Do NOT do aerials on the social dance floor, even if you are trained--they are dangerous to the other dancers sharing the floor.
To the left is a drawing showing the "Line of Dance" etiquette that ballroom dancers should adhere to. To print out this drawing, left click on the image and then right click on the enlarged view and select "Print picture" from the drop-down menu.
A step-by-step guide to ballroom dances
Reprinted in part with the permission of the USA Dance Ohio Chapter 2024 web site.
What’s that dance?
Ballroom dance is grouped into two main styles: American and International. Many of the same dances are included in both categories but International style is stricter. In American style, the couple does not have to remain in closed position at all times and can separate, while International style requires the couple to stay in closed position.
There are two subsets of each main style:
AMERICAN
Dances in American style include those with Cuban and African roots emerging in the 1800’s, 18th century European dances and those originating in the United States in the 1900’s.
This style is often seen at weddings. It is mostly used in social, informal dancing but is also seen in competitions in the United States. American style includes:
American Rhythm:
This style embodies the faster American style dances, such as the swing and salsa. There is a lot of what is called open work, meaning that the partners are often separate from each other. Dancers often do tricks to catch the audience’s attention, such as when a male dancer releases the woman, and then twirls her back into his embrace. Many of the dances are “spot dances,” where the couple uses a small area on the dance floor.
Examples are Cha-cha, East Coast swing, mambo, meringue, hustle, polka, samba, West Coast swing.
American Smooth:
This style requires dancers to move around the entire ballroom. It includes a lot of open work like the rhythm dances, but the dances are slower. This style is similar to International standard, except there is often room for embellishment and self-expression.
Examples are Waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, fox trot.
INTERNATIONAL
Dances in International style include those originating in Vienna in the late 1700’s., Buenos Aires in the 1800’s and the United States in the early 1900’s. This is the main style used during competition over the globe and depicted in movies. International includes:
International Standard:
These dances are always in closed position. During competition there must be a very exact performance, following the syllabus that is provided. It is the slower of the international styles and is most similar to American Smooth.
Examples are Waltz, fox trot, Viennese waltz, tango and quickstep.
International Latin:
This is the faster of the international styles and is most like American Rhythm. For example, the jive in international Latin was based on American Rhythm’s swing. This style of dancing is very staccato, sharp, animated and exact.
Examples are Cha-cha, rumba, samba, jive, Paso doble.
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