Dance floor strategies to make you a better, and better liked, social dancer.
A lot of stuff gets taken for granted in the ballroom community. Some people think that knowing lots of figures makes you a better leader, which we all know ends badly for everyone involved. Others think that if you know how to dance, you know how to compete, which often results in a rude awakening. Still others think that knowing how to dance means you know how a ballroom dance works. This last one is what we'll discuss in this article.
If you know some dances, you're ready for the mechanics, but you still may not understand the strategy of a ballroom dance. This doesn't reflect on you, but rather on the fact that no one bothered to tell you. With a few simple concepts, you can make yourself stand out as a "good-egg" on the dance floor, which will get you attention and praise from your fellow dancers.
Asking/Being Asked to Dance
If you attend a social ballroom dance, the idea is to be be social! Certainly, everyone there wants to dance, but off-floor interactions are just as important. Make an effort to observe the following rules, and you'll always be polite and well-thought of.
- Don't force yourself into a conversation to ask someone to dance. However you might feel about "getting your turn" or unfairness, no one has a responsibility to entertain you. If your potential partner is someone you know well, a gentle touch on the arm or shoulder is acceptable, but never interrupt under any circumstances.
- Don't monopolize a partner. If you ask the same person to dance multiple times in a row, or in a short period, you could be abusing their politeness. Give them a chance to come back to you on their own, so you know they want to.
- Don't monopolize a partner off the floor, either. When your dance is done, say thank you, and make ready to move on. Unless you know this person well, or are already involved in a conversation, don't hover over them, or try to start a conversation so you can stick around and grab them for "the next good one". Again, give them a chance to come back to you on their own, so you know they want to.
- Don't expect them to come to you. A social dance is not a studio practice. As stated before, no one there has a responsibility to entertain you. No matter how shy you are, you'll be better off for the effort of asking, even if they say no. If you hide in back with your arms crossed and no one asks you to dance, you have only yourself to blame.
- A "No" is not a personal rejection. If you ask someone to dance, and they decline, accept it gracefully. Even if you think they were rude about it, you probably misunderstood, and in any event you'll only make yourself feel bad by resenting them. Likewise, make a strong effort to be polite and friendly if you yourself must decline, but don't feel guilty about it, because as we've said, you don't have a responsibility to entertain anyone either. By all means, make liberal use of the "raincheck" option. It's a very soft no, and gives both of you a chance to reconsider.
- No means no. If you say no, and the reason isn't "I'm already taken for this dance", it IS rude to then get on the floor with someone else. Don't hurt people's feelings unnecessarily.
Attitude
A good dance attitude is one that treats partners and other couples with respect. Regardless of relative skill levels, every dancer on the floor is every other dancer's equal as a human. A good attitude is the most important part of getting a partner to want to dance with you again.
It is the responsibility of a leader to determine their partner's ability level carefully, one figure at a time, before attempting to throw their most complex combinations at them. Likewise, if there is a difference in skill level, it is completely inappropriate for the more skilled dancer to talk down to their partner, or even worse, try to teach them on the floor without being asked. On the other hand, it is a mistake for the less skilled dancer to try to dance up to the partner's level, risking injury or embarrassment.
Both members of a couple have the responsibility to be courteous to other couples on the floor. If someone bumps into you, ignore it, don't scold them. If you bump into someone, excuse yourself and carry on. Remember that most on-floor collisions are the fault of both parties, whether or not you feel at fault.
Floorcraft and Styling
A social dance is a shared space, and you need to be aware of that at all times. Your lack of awareness of the others around you can easily sour an otherwise fun event for you or someone else. People are injured at social dances every year by bad floorcraft and inappropriate styling.
Floorcraft, primarily the leader's job, is the skill by which you "steer" your couple around the dancefloor. Contrary to popular belief, this does not just apply to traveling dances, although it is certainly most important there, but to any movement either of you makes in any direction. Obviously, when travelling, you must steer away from other couples, but there's more to it than that. Check behind you as well as in front, to see who might be coming if you suddenly decide to perform a figure that crosses the line of dance or changes speeds. Likewise you must also always remember that you are responsible for every place your partner goes, not just you. A throwout, turn, or dip that gets into some other couple's space can result in disaster.
Styling is how you "decorate" your dancing with whatever personal touches you might like. Be aware that a social dance is NOT a practice space for your next show or competition, and tone down your styling appropriately. Keep extended arms soft and tucked. Avoid any showy "karate chop" styling completely. Try to keep your dancing "small" enough to match the couples around you.
Zones and Alignment
The social dance floor is a very complicated place. When learning a figure, you are allowed to use whatever space you need, but on the social floor, you have to share. Especially, remember that at a social dance, there may be multiple choices for what dance a couple can do, and some of those choices may conflict with others. Many of the fastest dances, like quickstep and jitterbug, are often done to the same music, despite one being a traveling dance and the other a spot dance. In order to prevent collisions, when choosing a space on the social dance floor there are three basic zones to be aware of.
In a ring along the outermost edge of the floor is the outer traveling zone, where most traveling couples should stay. This is the "slow lane", where there should be no pressure on or from other couples to get out of the way. If you choose a traveling dance for the current song, stay here unless you need to pass another couple or feel the need to travel at a much greater speed than the rest of the zone.
Inward from the outer traveling zone is a somewhat thinner ring, the inner traveling zone. This is the "fast lane" for traveling couples. It should only be used by couples moving much faster than the majority of the couples in the outer zone, or briefly for passing couples in the outer zone. Do not use this zone unless it is obvious that you belong here, to prevent accidents.
Extending from the center of the floor out to the inner traveling zone is the center zone. Any and all spot dances should be done here. Dancers in the center zone should take care to keep themselves out of the inner traveling zone, so they are not clipped by passing couples. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the couples in the traveling zones to stay far from the center zone at all times.
In the case of a spot dance that is also slotted, like West Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Hustle, or Mambo, dancers should try to align their slot parallel to the long side of a rectangular dance floor. This provides the best use of space on the floor, and prevents collisions. On a square dance floor, slotted dance couples should try to align with the direction of the planks in the floor, or, failing that, with the couples nearby.
In Conclusion
The best liked dancers are rarely the best dancers. They are usually the ones with the best dancefloor skills and attitude. If you follow these simple rules, you will likely find yourself having a better time at social dances, and you are guaranteed to be better liked.
