If all dancers were to observe dance floor etiquette and technique, the dance floor would be able to accommodate up to its maximum capacity and still permit movement and more enjoyment. When the dance floor is overcrowded, all dancers should sit some numbers out to ease the situation.
Social dances are classified as either progressive or spot dances. In progressive dances such as the fox trot, waltz, Peabody, and tango for example, the rule is to move around the floor only in a counterclockwise direction. This also includes the patterns that take the man backwards.
In spot dances, such as the swing, lindy, rumba, mambo, and cha-cha for example, the couple should try to keep as much as possible in and around the small area where they began dancing. Other dancers' space should be respected.
When the dance music is such that it permits more than one type of dance, such as the fox trot or swing, the swing dancers go toward the center of the dance floor thereby making it possible for the fox trot dancers to move freely around the outside of the dance floor. Dance patterns in which the forward movement is temporarily suspended should be executed in the center or fringes of the dance floor, unless one is sure the dance flow will not be impeded.
Those not dancing should walk around the floor to their destination. Dancers getting on the dance floor should not interfere with those already dancing simply because it is convenient. Couples should not stop on the dance floor to make conversation, argue or discuss the working of a dance pattern since they block others.
The way one dances and the selection of dance patterns should be governed by the size of the dance floor and the traffic. It is incumbent upon all dancers to be alert and watch out for others when changing imaginary lanes or executing a maneuver that may put them in someone else's path. Like in driving, dancers should use good judgment.
Good manners dictate that you apologize when you accidentally bump or kick someone. It is quite annoying to be cut off, bumped, or hurt by overly enthusiastic, uninformed or inconsiderate and sometimes inebriated dancers who do not observer good dance floor etiquette and technique. Have more fun dancing!
The dance floor is where dancers do their thing. Dancers' feet develop a unique sensitivity and become acutely aware of what is beneath them.
More than just a concern for safety, the condition of the dance floor effects one's ability to dance. Dirty, sticky and excessively slippery floors make it difficult to move, pivot and turn.
Although there is always a certain amount of shoe dirt, dancers cringe when they see food and drink spilled on the floor and it is not cleaned up properly. Throwing floor wax, which can be a dangerous substance, should be used primarily on cement floors. It is something used to make the floor slippery and or mask dirt.
This article appeared in the February/March 2000 issue of Dancing USA Magazine, p.44. It first appeared in the June/July 1988 issue as "Dance Floor Courtesy."
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