• Congresses & Travel - Etiquette

    Be a Better Congress Roommate

    March 7, 2017 - By 

    When most of us go to a dance weekend, we end up in a shared hotel room. It’s hard enough to share close quarters (or even a bed) with people you know and like. It can be worse to try to deal with the annoyances brought on by a stranger. But, there are some things you can do to make sure you (and your roommates) don’t want to strangle each other by the end of the weekend. Make your own life easier Understand their expectations One of the biggest lessons I learned about roommates was to manage expectations before the…

  • Etiquette - Social Dancing

    Guest Article: A Plea for Verbal Communication

    February 6, 2017 - By 

    “Words are inadequate, this is why we dance” – Unknown Ah, partner dancing: the communication between two bodies to music. It transcends the individual and words. I really dislike talking while dancing. It prevents me from hearing the music and takes me out of the moment. I don’t even really like talking before or after dancing. Those 10-second chit-chats in between dances drain my energy. I’d much rather have a deep conversation with two friends over dinner than talk about the next workshop before the next dance starts. Even so, I’m here to encourage you to talk more. I think…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette

    Dancers: Manage Your Package

    January 5, 2017 - By 

    This past weekend, I was having an enjoyable dance with a guy. The dance was smooth and relatively connected.  He moved into a closer hold, and the dance suddenly became distinctly unenjoyable for one reason: His erect penis was on my leg. Unintentional Encounters Most people aren’t trying to rub themselves on us. For those with a penis, there’s a dangly bit there, and sometimes it gets in the way. However, it is the responsibility of the penis owner to manage their bits to keep their partner feeling comfortable. And yes, it’s natural in some dances and positions to feel…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    “Common-Sense” Dance Etiquette

    September 30, 2016 - By 

    For most experienced dancers, there are a few things that are known to be ‘common sense’ courtesy. I’m not talking about complex etiquette systems found in some dances (ex: the Cabeco in Tango), but rather things that are the base of general social dance etiquette. Despite the fact that these items are common sense, they’re frequently underappreciated by newcomers to the scene. Or, on occasion, social dancers who aren’t fortunate enough to be educated by their peers. Today, we’re laying out the bare-bones etiquette every social dancer – experienced or new – should know before hitting the dance floor. 1. Shower…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    A Guide to Not Being a Dance “Creep”

    September 23, 2016 - By 

    No one enjoys a dance creep. They’re the ones who won’t take ‘No’ for an answer, dance a little-too-close, and won’t leave you alone on Facebook for weeks. The really bad ones also try to get handsy on the floor, or will do crazy stuff like follow you to your car or room. A dance creep is anyone who engages in behavior that makes those around them feel uncomfortable or threatened. Dance creeps can be men or women. They can be any age, or dance level. They can be intentionally or unintentionally doing the creepy behavior. So, what can we do…

  • Dance Discussions - Etiquette - Following - Social Dancing

    In Defence of the ‘Hot Girl that Can’t Dance’

    September 19, 2016 - By 

    Have you ever gone to an event, and seen that girl? She’s hot. She’s dressed sexy. Her make-up is all done up. To top it all off, she gets asked to dance by all the desirable leads… all night long. There’s only one issue: She can’t dance. Instead of dancing, what she’s doing is flirting with all those leads and using her looks to get dances. She can’t dance; she just looks sexy. She doesn’t even bother to take classes! If only leads weren’t so shallow in their dance choices, they’d be dancing with a real dancer instead. *** Snap out of it. *** Most people I know who attend events…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    Strategies for Dancing More at Socials

    August 10, 2016 - By 

    Do any of these phrases sound familiar? “I’m heavy, so people won’t dance with me – even though I’m an awesome dancer.” “If I was younger, people would dance with me more.” “They’re only dancing with her because she’s hot. She can’t dance.” “If she wasn’t a dance snob, she’d like dancing with me.” “She only dances with super-flashy, ‘advanced’ dancers. She has no appreciation of my solid basics!’ “I’m a beginner, so no one will dance with me because I’m not good enough.”

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    Dance Faux-Pas: Are you making yourself an uncomfortable dance partner?

    August 2, 2016 - By 

    Ask almost any dancer, and they’ll tell you that there are some KILLER habits that have nothing to do with your actual ability to dance. When I say ‘killer’, I don’t mean super-cool; I mean they will kill your desirability as a dance partner. For some people, these things are obvious. Others have (somehow) avoided hearing about these tricks. Last, there are those who know the tricks and think they’re doing OK – but in actuality are the worst offenders.

  • Community Building - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    When the ‘Bad’ partners outnumber the ‘Good’

    July 27, 2016 - By 

    I want you to imagine an absolute beginners walking into their first dance social. They see all these people moving together on the floor – nothing like what they’ve seen at a dance club. Their first impulse? “Wow! Everyone here is an amazing dancer!” Meanwhile, their advanced dancer buddy may look at the room and think how wrong that beginner is. To them, out of the 40 dancers in the room, at least 20 of them aren’t good partners.

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Health & Safety - Social Dancing

    Being Kind vs. Being Assertive

    July 25, 2016 - By 

    There are two truths I’ve learned in both dance and life about relating to people: Being assertive about your needs, wants, and rights is important; and, Being kind, polite and respectful is one of the best ways to deal with people. Several dance communities have recently been having a very important discussion of the role of consent, personal space, and our ‘rights’ as dancers. This is a long-overdue discussion – but I want to highlight one risk we run in our quest for assertiveness: We run the risk of becoming unnecessarily mean or rude.

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    Boundary Setting 101

    July 4, 2016 - By 

    Social Dancing: the perfect space for safe, physical contact with partners. The place where it’s OK to be super close to your partner, with no romantic or sexual inclinations. For most people who have been social dancing for a long time, the close, physical contact between dance partners can feel like a very natural space. In some dances, that closeness even becomes a symbol of the magnificent ‘great connection‘ we are always chasing.

  • Etiquette - Health & Safety - Social Dancing

    Good Intentions..?

    June 17, 2016 - By 

    Have you ever intentionally hurt or made someone uncomfortable while you were social dancing? (No? That’s what I thought) Now the trickier one… have you ever felt like someone intentionally hurt or made YOU uncomfortable while you were social dancing with them? What about, while not intentional, negligence (a lack of care) was responsible for the injury?

  • Etiquette - Social Dancing

    The Importance of Patience for Mistakes

    May 24, 2016 - By 

    It is important that everyone learn how to dance safely, and how to take care of our partners. It is important for leads to learn how to properly and safely lead, and for follows to learn how to properly and safely follow. However, our quest for learning this material shouldn’t come at the expense of our patience for others. 

  • Etiquette - Social Dancing

    The difference between not taking lessons and being a ‘dangerous’ dancer

    May 18, 2016 - By 

    I understand why people say they will not dance with people who ‘do not take lessons’, but I disagree with them when they say it is because those people are ‘dangerous’. It’s impossible to judge whether or not someone is a dangerous dancer by whether or not they take classes. Is there a correlation between not taking classes and danger level? Possibly, but it isn’t always that simple.