*  Dancer’s Etiquette *

In the Classroom:

ü  Be Respectful.  NO talking while the instructors are teaching.  Your personal conversations are distracting to the instructors and your fellow school members.

ü  During class rotations, greet your dance partners with a smile & a brief “Hello” every time, and finish with a brief “Thank You”. Also, please rotate to you next partner quickly.  Delaying the person behind you due to extended conversations by other is frustrating and distracting the whole class.

ü  Dance each turn pattern as it is being taught – you can seriously injure your dance partner by doing otherwise.  Please save your own variations for the social dance floor.

ü  Do not vocalize criticisms of your partner’s dancing ability.  Friendly help with a step should only be offered upon invitation.  Please leave the teaching to the instructors – We work for you!

ü  Come to class as you would go to a party – FRESH.  Make sure you are a pleasure to be around.  Bring a small towel and extra shirts if you perspire a lot.  We will supply the mints, the rest is up to YOU.

ü  Please come to class dressed appropriately.  No hats, backless shirts, sleeveless or cutoff shirts, flip flops or other unsecured footwear will be permitted.  YOU WILL BE ASKED TO CHANGE.

On the Social Dance Floor:

ü  Be sociable.  Try to dance with at least one (1) to three (3) new people each time you go out social dancing.

ü  Gentlemen, look before you lead!  Although you cannot control the dance floor traffic, you can however navigate your own partner and avoid the dreaded and painful dance floor collision.

ü  Take care of one another on the dance floor.  If you see another dancer careening in your partner’s direction, warn him or her.

ü  The dance floor is NOT a stage!  Respect fellow dancers by remaining in your box and dancing small if the room is crowded.

ü  Ladies, remember that simplicity is the sexiest form of Ladies Styling.  Please leave all exaggerations and show boating for the stage.

ü  Ladies, if your hair is very long please try to keep it under control.  Whips from gel or hair spray hardened hair is painful and unpleasant for other dancers.

ü  Ladies  & Gentlemen, if you perspire profusely, dry your skin and hair off with a towel between dances.  Freshen up as often as possible and bring extra shirts to change into if you are into marathon dancing. 

ü  Attire is important when social dancing.  Gentlemen, no cut off shirts and Ladies, no backless shirts.  There is nothing more uncomfortable than having to touch another person’s exposed skin covered in perspiration.  Ladies, please wear something you feel comfortable dancing in, this will maximize your dancing time and minimize the time you’d spend tugging and pulling at your outfit.

ü  Gentlemen, your partner appreciates a strong lead- however, please remember that your partner does not wish to be poked at, shoved, pushed, pulled, tugged, yanked, lifted off the dance floor or otherwise.  Remember – a strong lead doesn’t mean a ROUGH lead. 

ü  Ladies, when doing ladies styling please keep in mind that doing it with only half the effort is a haphazard and can run you the high risk of hitting your partner and others while you’re in motion.