Ken's Classic Trax - Blog Post 014

If you were taught anything at all about the etiquette of ballroom dancing, there’s a good chance it went no further than “circulate around the floor anti-clockwise”, and “don’t cross the centre line”. Unfortunately, there’s a great deal more to being well-mannered on the dance floor, and welcomed by your fellow dancers, than that – particularly at a Social Ballroom Dance rather than a Competition or a Competitive Practice.

The point is that ballroom dancing is not a solitary pastime. You have a partner, and the partnership will work best if partners are considerate to one another (and definitely do not blame the other for mistakes – chances are you were both at fault in some way, even if that was only your inability to make allowances). But more than that: you are sharing the experience of dance with everyone else in the ballroom, and every couple is dependent on every other for the enjoyment of the experience.

Let’s start with the basics: the “moving” dances (Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Samba, Paso Doble) progress around the ballroom anti-clockwise. The length of the dance floor has an imaginary centre line, and dancers do not cross that division (except at the ends to come down the other side) – because to do so would place yourself in the way of oncoming traffic. Neither do you, at any time, dance in a direction contrary to the anti-clockwise flow.

The aim is to avoid bumping into other couples, or even give another couple the fear that you are going to bump into them (but see below). So, as long as everyone trundles along at the same kind of pace and in the same general direction, watches where they are going, and doesn’t break the rules, everything will be fine.

Except it often isn’t fine. Like it or not, the dance floor is occupied by dancers of varying standards. It is inevitable that there will be less-experienced amongst more-experienced dancers, otherwise our hobby would dwindle away to nothing, with no newcomers to replace the “natural wastage” when the venerable elders have to hang up their shoes. And experienced dancers cannot afford to put off newcomers by treating them badly or being inconsiderate – you need their contribution for the future, and you have to realise that you were also a beginner once.

The main problem is when dancers who should know better do not obey the rules. Competition dancers sometimes don’t even acknowledge there are rules, because they have to be so single-minded in following their routines that they have no floorcraft, and then they are surprised that their “wonderful” dancing doesn’t work at a Social Ballroom Dance. In competition, dancers often collide, and that is taken as par for the course. On the social floor, dancers absolutely must not collide – nobody has signed up for a risk of injury. Competition dancers have a new skill to learn before they are welcome to “show off” on a social floor – and that skill is “social ballroom dancing”, which is a very different skill than “competition ballroom dancing”.

For the more-experienced social dancer, the rules have some flexibility: (1) any couples following the rules have right of way over couples who are not; (2) you may disobey the rules only to the extent that you are absolutely certain you will not bump into another couple... or even cause them fear of being bumped (but again, see below).

Inexperienced dancers do not have the skills that will allow them to disobey the rules deliberately, but they might do so inadvertently and might be slow around the floor. Experienced dancers need to make allowance for this (and take it with good grace), but at the same time experienced dancers will not enjoy being overly restricted, so inexperienced dancers must accept that they will have to share the floor!

The fear of being bumped is real, I acknowledge that, but it must not be allowed to become exaggerated – otherwise there will be a race to the bottom, and mediocrity wins out. What is the clearance to be given when passing another couple? It is impossible to say. If a couple is bothered if you come within even 6 feet of them, that is surely unreasonable – and the answer needs to be education. It is much worse for a couple to freeze or change direction when they see someone coming, than to carry on as they were, because by carrying on properly they have definite right of way, and in any case their movement has already been calculated in (or should have been!).

All dancers should be aware of where their skills are lacking, and try to improve. Typical examples:

Not looking where you are going. Yes, sometimes the man is moving backwards, but he should have checked the way was clear beforehand, and if anything unexpected happens the lady will be looking forwards and can communicate obstructions by using pressure in her hand to restrain him. Being obsessed with looking at your feet, or gazing into your partner’s eyes, is not a good idea.
Blocking “overtake” routes by zig-zagging around without making much forward progress.
Using stationary “picture lines” without due care and attention (it should only be stationary for a brief moment, and it should only be done when you know you will not be obstructing oncoming traffic).
Making the incorrect amount of turn, so that a step intended to be along the LOD* ends up against LOD.

For example: the overturned spin turn and back lock (this amalgamation is included in the sequence dance Woodside Waltz). All too frequently, dancers do not overturn the spin turn, so they end up (incorrectly) back-locking against LOD when it should be diagonal to centre along LOD. Another typical example: whisk & chasse.
Using a figure intended to take you around a corner, but along the side (or vice-versa). This will invariably end up pointing you in the wrong direction, unless you have the skills to make the necessary adjustments.
Being taught a series of figures which are inappropriately chosen. Proper amalgamations do not travel against LOD at any time, or (if they do) you must be aware of your responsibilities to avoid collisions.
Assuming that, because you’ve always done this figure in that place and got away with it before, you will always get away with it.
And... making the assumption that you have nothing to learn and/or refusing to engage with the learning process. A head-in-the-sand approach is disrespectful to your fellow dancers, whose company you no doubt value.

* LOD: Line-of-Dance – the dancing term for the normal anti-clockwise direction around the floor.

“Floorcraft” is the ability to anticipate the space available to dance into, according to the disposition of the other dancers and their anticipated movement, and adapt your dancing and your choice of steps accordingly. Floorcraft requires an intimate connection with your partner, so that you read each other and react to each other practically instantly. The lady responds to the man’s lead, and if the lady does not respond in quite the way the man expected (because of a bad lead, a developing situation, or just accident), he must adapt. Both of you are involved, and both have a contribution to make. And, if all else fails, you must be able to stop on a dime to avoid collision – chances are, if you are making full use of floorcraft, you probably do not have the right of way!

The key trick to assessing the floor is rotation. Like a radar scan it gives you a sweep of the floor around you and a chance to plan your way through it. You would not reverse a car, or even drive a car forwards, without being very aware of where you are going... so don’t do it on the dance floor either!

Floorcraft is next to impossible if the floor is too narrow (like being on a minor road, with no room to overtake), or if there are too many people on it, or even if the couples are moving in a way that is unpredictable – so the ultimate skill of floorcraft is knowing when not to use it. I like to compare floorcraft to advanced driving skills: a Formula 1 or World Rally Championship car is pretty much useless in an M25 traffic jam, however skilled the driver.

And don’t read into this that it only applies to the “moving” dances. Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, and Jive might not circulate around the floor, so do not require a centre line and a one-way street, but they still move (within their confines). The man (or whoever leads!) still has to direct a Hip Twist & Fan (just as one example) so that the lady is taking her Fan into free space and not space occupied by another couple (or, if collision would be unavoidable, lead a different figure instead).

Floorcraft is the essential skill of Social Ballroom Dancing... and yet no syllabus includes it, and it is not part of any medal test (whether that be Bronze or the highest possible Award) – not even Social Medal Test – so there is little incentive to teach it. You are examined on how well you know your footwork and how nicely you can perform the steps (on an empty floor), but never how well the leader can appropriately apply those steps to navigate an actual busy dance floor, or how well the follower responds. This, in my opinion, is a severe omission by those in control of organised dance.

Other Social Tips

But there is more to ballroom etiquette than traffic rules and floorcraft (and yes, I’ve seen it all – and even, to my embarrassment, committed some of it – so take this as the voice of experience):

Never step onto or walk across the dance floor while there is a dance in progress, except to join in... and having first checked there is nobody coming (would you pull out of a side road in your car, without checking?). I've seen people step backwards onto a dance floor with no regard for oncoming traffic.
Don’t obstruct the dance floor by standing around talking, or encroach onto the floor with chairs, legs, or personal effects. It’s a social dance, so of course you should socialise... but do it off the dance floor (yes, you might have to move your conversation group elsewhere – tough!).
Never carry drinks across a dance floor at any time (however careful you are, there is always a risk of drips or spillage) – go around!
Do not stop and have a “discussion” (heated or otherwise) about technique while a dance is in progress. *
Do not embarrass your fellow dancers by having an argument with your partner in public, on or off the floor.
Do not stop dancing and go back to a specific place to try again. Apart from your “reset” not obeying the traffic rules, it also marks you out as practising instead of social dancing. *
Don’t “have blinkers” on the dance floor – in other words, be so wrapped up in your own activities you are oblivious to everyone else and anything else going on (such as announcements from the stage or accidents elsewhere on the floor).
Learn how to pick up your dancing from any place on the floor – do not be reliant on starting at a corner (or any other fixed landmark), with any particular series of steps, or at any particular point in the music (this does not apply to Sequence dancing, of course).
When dancing Sequence, adapt and dance within the space available to you (even if the space is less than you would like). That you think everyone else is “doing it wrong” is no excuse. But if you are doing it wrongly, expect some close calls!
Absolutely do not use “kicks and flicks” (in other words: anything which raises the foot) unless you are 200% certain there is more than adequate space around you. Particularly, do not raise a foot in a direction you are not looking and have control over. Jumpy, kicky dancing with feet flying everywhere is dangerous, and the preserve of competition (some moves are banned even there) – keep it away from the social floor.
Don’t wear outdoor shoes to dance, and avoid walking across the floor in outdoor shoes if possible (see here).
Be appropriately attired for the occasion (see here). *
Gentlemen: it is courteous and considerate to remove all hard, sharp, or bulky objects from your pockets before dancing (particularly the right-hand trouser pocket) – you are supposed to be in contact with your lady, and that contact needs to be comfortable to her (and you)! Ladies: I know you don’t often have cluttered pockets (or pockets at all), but apply the same consideration to belt buckles and such like.
Particularly for the men (but applies to the ladies too): make sure your hands are clean, and keep them clean. The ladies do not need, nor will appreciate, grubby or greasy hand marks on the back of their dresses (even if the dress is black). In times past, it was expected the men would wear gloves, and that became part of the “uniform” for Old Time competition dancing.
When you bump into another couple on the dance floor, despite best efforts not to, assume it was your fault not theirs (regardless of who was actually at fault) and graciously apologise straight away. If receiving an apology, accept it graciously.
And finally, tips for dance organisers: make sure your arrangements do not force your public to break any rules of dance or social etiquette; make sure the environment is suitable for everyone (eg: older people can’t see well in the dark); don’t expect ladies (potentially with expensive dresses and hair do’s) to engage in dressing up games or wearing hats, or any other activity at risk of injury; and keep any other “entertainment” to a minimum – your customers are there to dance and because they like dancing, and you have no idea whether they will appreciate anything else.

* Exceptions to some rules being when you are at a designated “practice dance”.

I realise this all sounds terribly proscriptive, but honestly it’s just common sense and plain common decency (obvious, and second nature, to the great majority, but lacking in just a few who spoil it for themselves and everyone else). Everyone needs to have a good time, and that is in the hands of the entire ensemble – everyone has to play their part.

Applause

In more genteel times gone by, it was normal for a ripple of applause at the end of each individual dance. This was a vote of appreciation for the band, or at least appreciation for the DJ’s choice of track.

In case you hadn’t noticed, nobody seems to do this any more. Why not? Are dancers now unappreciative? Do they think that, if it’s not a live band, it doesn’t matter? It does matter. The DJ has used skill and judgement in the choice of music, and if you enjoyed it and enjoyed dancing to it you need to let him/her know, just as much as you might make your feelings known if you didn’t.