COUNTRY DANCE FLOOR ETIQUETTE

Yup, I see the blank looks.  Yes, there is

a way you are supposed to act

out on the dance floor.  In some bars,

if you don't know proper etiquette

you are considered rude and

you are kindly asked to leave. 

The first time.....

Country-Western Dance Floor Etiquette

The dance floor is divided into concentric lanes like the picture above.

The outside lane is the FAST lane.

Traffic moves around the dance floor in a counter-clockwise direction.

If you are going slow, stay in an inner lane and

let people pass you on the outside.

The closer you go to the center, the slower you may go.

If you are doing a stationary dances such as a line dance or

swing dance instead of a two-step,

you should dance in the center area of the floor.

Who owns the floor?/Who has the right-of-way?

Unless the line dance being done is so popular that the entire floor is filled up,

line dancers should never line up clear out to the edge in a single line or two and block two-steppers. This gives line dancing a bad reputation. Stack up in the middle of the floor and give the two-steppers a 'lane' to dance in.  On the other hand, two-steppers should be courteous enough to take a break when they see the floor is too full to accommodate both types of dancing. If there is a lane available, the lead is responsible for guiding their partner around the floor without navigating through the line dancers or bumping into to them on the "corners". Not every bar is big enough for both types of dancing at the same time.  If that is so, it should fall to the DJ or MC to announce whether the next dance or two is for two-steppers or line dancers and will do their best to make sure there is enough time for everyone to have fun on the dance floor.

Take care of the floor.

A hardwood dance floor should be treated with care. Drinks, food and cigarettes should never be brought onto the dance floor. When you spill liquid on a hardwood floor, it leaves a dangerous wet spot. Even when it dries, this spot is pretty much ruined for the dancers the rest of the night because it becomes "tacky" and they cannot slide across it.

Stay out of the way.

It's not cool to stand on the dance floor to socialize. Most newbies who do this stand around inside the rail. This is the two-step FAST lane on a country-western dance floor and you are likely to be run over just as if you were standing in the left lane of the highway. 

Be kind.

Be nice to your fellow dancers and try not to bump into people. Nothing looks worse than great dancers bumping into other people because they REALLY should know better! Remember it is the lead's job to keep an eye out for traffic. If you do cause a wreck, smile and look apologetic. You will usually get a smile in return.

A word about beginners.

If you are a beginning dancer, remember that everyone out there has probably experienced that same sweaty palm, stiff-as-a-board, first-time-around-the- floor feeling. It will pass if you can get past the urge to argue with your friends about who blew it. If someone makes a mistake, the best thing is to just smile and keep going! Everyone came to have fun. If you do find you are near someone who isn't very patient, go to a different part of the floor.  Some folks are always grumpy.  Not worth sticking around and having them ruin your night.  Hopefully, the experts at your club will be kind enough to give beginners the right-of-way for a while. It may be fun to watch the experts, but it is just as much or more fun to watch the beginners and remember what it was like when that was YOU. 

Country-Western and Ballroom dancing....

I don't mean to offend anyone, but it is my opinion that if you want to look western, you should not take country-western dance lessons from a ballroom instructor unless they have a real clear idea of the differences. If you want to dance and dress ballroom, that's different. I have seen many fantastic ballroom dancers on a country-western dance floor. They are (hopefully) buying drinks too and deserve to be there just as much as anyone else! Ballroom and country-western both have their places, but if you are a ballroom dancer and find that you need an awful lot of floor space just for you and your partner and folks are tripping over you and giving you dirty looks, you are being rude and need to modify your routine just a bit.  Again, remember, it is the lead's responsibility to guide their partner safely and courteously around the dance floor. If you are the lead, dancing backwards is also a dangerous practice.  Just like it would be if you were driving your pickup truck backwards down the interstate.

HAVE FUN!! 

There is definitely a fork in the road on the way to learning how to country-western dance. Some people learn to do it for competition, and some people just do it for fun. Hopefully, you all will have fun regardless of your dancing background or reason for coming out to dance. Remember what I always say...."The most is important thing is for you to have fun".  The etiquette rules are only intended to make it as easy as possible for everyone to do that. 

Love you all,

MomAleta

Quote of the Week

 

"To be kind to all, to like many and love a few, to be needed and wanted by those we love, is certainly the nearest we can come to happiness."

- Mary Roberts Rinehart