Swing Dance Etiquette
Social Tips (getting onto the dance floor):
Try to follow the Golden Rule: treat others as you wish to be treated.
Smile
Ask dancers of all levels (dance ability, age, gender) to dance. This applies to both leaders and followers!
If asked to dance, accept with a verbal positive or negative response. If you turn someone down but would like to dance with them, let them know you will catch them later – and then find them before they leave.
If someone turns you down for a dance, don’t take it personally. There are many reasons (e.g., injury, just arrived / leaving, shyness / inhibitions about their dance ability) why a person may say no that have nothing to do with you.
If you know both roles, when inviting someone to dance, you may ask if they have a role preference / like to switch (roles) while dancing (e.g., “Hi, I’m Kelly. Would you like to dance with me as a lead, follow, or switch?”)
When asking someone to dance, approach them from the front and offer your hand, rather than tapping them from behind or calling their name (people may be sensitive to unwanted touch / hearing impaired).
Make eye contact, however do not stare down your partner. If this is difficult for you, one trick some people use is looking at their partner's shoulder or their earlobe. This confirms that you are paying attention, yet you are not staring.
If you ask someone to dance and you can see from their body / facial language that they are not enthusiastic, you can say, “Oh, I’m sorry. I can see you are looking for someone. We can dance later when you are available.” – and then let them find you. Never expect that someone “owes” you a dance.
Avoid asking people engaged in intense conversation for a dance. Instead, ask those who appear approachable, available, and smile when you make eye contact.
If you come with someone new, please dance the first and last dance with them. Check in with them periodically throughout the dance to make sure they are having a good time, and introduce them to other dance friends who will treat them well so they have a positive experience and want to come back!
Before leaving, thank the DJ / band, host / instructor and volunteers for their efforts.
Floorcraft Tips:
1. Respect other dancers’ space and maintain a slot appropriate in width and length relative to the space available.
2. Stay alert to shifting slots of other dancers and adapt choreography and footwork to avoid collisions.
3. Thank your partner at the end of the dance.
Dancing Tips:
1. Pay attention to your partner. Provide positive facial expressions and frequent eye contact.
2. Compliment your partner on anything they are doing well, either verbally or through facial expressions/body language.
3. Adapt to your partner’s mistakes without drawing attention to your compensation.
4. Place your partner’s feelings and well-being above musicality and the desire to display your abilities.
5. If leading, choose choreography that fits your partner’s abilities, preferences, and body type. Note to Leaders: You may be bored with your material, but followers are not, because they dance with leaders who have different repertoires. Followers are wary of being injured, criticized, or over-controlled. Your job is not to entertain them with fancy moves (especially if you haven’t refined them); your job is to keep them safe and be nice to them. Popular leads adjust to their partners, varying the amount of structure and space provided to allow their partners to express their own creativity and musicality.
6. If following, choose styling and footwork that complement your partner’s lead. Note to Followers: Remember your job is to connect with your leader. If you are a strongly “pro-active” follower (with lots of styling and footwork), make sure that your partner is comfortable reading your communication. Popular followers adjust and listen to their partners, by varying the amount and intensity of communication to their leaders and paying attention to their leader’s skill set so that the dance remains fun for both.
Inappropriate Behavior / Injury / Emergency Tips:
1. If somebody at our events makes you feel uncomfortable, please speak with a Board member. If you don't know a Board member, tell the DJ or staff at the front table and he or she will get you in touch with a Board member. We will be glad to deal with them in a respectful, non-confrontational manner.
2. If you think you are in danger of injury (physically or emotionally) from dancing with someone, stop dancing immediately and excuse yourself from the floor. Simply say, “I’m sorry, I don’t feel well. I need to sit the rest of this dance out.” Again please immediately inform a board member or volunteer.
3. If you have caused injury to another dancer (your partner or another nearby dancer), profusely apologize for causing any injury or collision. If necessary, walk the injured party off the floor to receive medical attention.
4. Respond quickly to a dancer in distress; if someone falls next to you, stop dancing and help them get up and safely relocated.
Teaching (while social dancing):
1. Teaching while social dancing is not acceptable. Refrain from “helping” partners with instruction. What you may think is constructive feedback may be received as criticism and cause emotional distress. It’s better to cover for your partners’ mistakes than bring attention to them.
2. If a partner corrects your dancing, smile politely and let them know that you would prefer not to receive instructions on the social dance floor.
Personal Hygiene Tips:
1. Wash your hands frequently.
2. Check your hands and nails for anything sharp that might snag / cut another dancer.
3. Drink lots of water – both for rehydrating and reducing bad breath.
4. Brush your teeth or use mints.
5. Use deodorant liberally (perfumes and colognes sparingly).
6. Bring an extra top(s) and a towel, especially if you sweat a great deal.
7. Refrain from smoking in common areas or where other dancers must frequently pass.
Encouraging Words for Beginners
Because there is a wide range of people in the swing scene, skills and experience levels vary greatly. However, everybody starts out as a beginner. If you are a new to dancing, notice that most of the better dancers have been working at it for quite some time. Try not to get discouraged. It may take a few months for you to feel completely comfortable swing dancing. Even then, nobody ever learns everything. In fact, the teachers spend as much time as anybody improving their dancing. Avoid dwelling on what you know or don't know. More importantly, please remember that lacking prior experience does not preclude anybody from enjoying the dance. This is supposed to fun, above all else.