New to dancing? No problem! Here are some useful tips.

Latin & Ballroom

Waltz - Tango - Foxtrot - Swing - Leandler - Rumba

Salsa - Bachata - Merengue - Cha Cha - Tinikling

Rules of Social Dancing

• Etiquette is here to ensure everyone has a good time while social dancing, so pay attention to it.

• Smile, be warm, be personable, be nice.

• Ask everyone to dance. Do not monopolize one partner for the whole night.

• Do not dance more than two consecutive dances with the same partner.

• Today's beginners will be the good dancers of tomorrow, so be nice and dance with them.

• When asking someone to dance, be obvious and specific to avoid asking the wrong person.

• If more than one person asks you to dance at the same time, accept one but before you dance, assure the other that you will reserve a dance with them.

• Do not decline a dance unless you absolutely have to. Having declined a dance, it is impolite to dance the same song with someone else.

• There is an optional, flexible rule that reserves the first and last dance of the evening to be done with your escort, and other dances with other partners.

• Be sure that your clothing and accessories are snag-free and tucked away to avoid injury or discomfort.

• Your outfit and accessories should be comfortable, safe, and also reflect the culture and level of formality of the dance group.

• Avoid shoes with soft rubber soles or spongy soles, or shoes that could mark up the dance floor.

• Stationary dancers, slower dancers, and beginners, dance in the center of the dance floor.

• Traveling dancers, fast dancers, and experienced dancers, dance the perimeter of the ballroom along the line of dance.

• Be considerate of other couples on the floor. Exercise good floorcraft. Do not cut other couples off and match your speed to the crowd.

• Do not clutter the dance floor with personal items. The dance floor is for dancing, not storage. These personal items take up space where people may want to dance. These items are also a safety hazard.

• No Aerials!

• Dance to the level of your partner.

• Never blame your partner for missteps.

• No unsolicited teaching on the dance floor!

Dance Faux Pas

A “faux pas” is a violation of accepted social norms. The term originally comes from the French, and literally means “misstep” or “false step”.

The Claw: This is when a lady clutches the man's right arm with an iron grip. This can be excruciating with long nails, especially in combination with “The Cadaver.”

The Phantom: Ambiguous or non-existent leading is the most common complaint voiced by female ballroom dancers since it is usually the woman that ends up looking bad when the man doesn’t lead properly. It is not the job of the woman to know what steps to do, hence, a firm lead is always appreciated. Lack of frame and spaghetti arms are bad enough in women, but dancing is almost impossible when it is the man that is guilty of this faux pas.

The Egoist: Traditionally, the primary job of the gentleman is to make his partner look good. It is therefore considered impolite to dance well above the level of your partner. You may try to challenge your partner however, if you notice it is not going smoothly, please adjust to your partner's level. If you sense that a lady is not comfortable with a certain step, be sure to avoid it. This is particularly true of dips and acrobatic moves, especially those involving throwing the lady into the air. Best advice is to not do these moves at all. Please be sensitive to your partner’s level of dance experience.

The Kill Joy: Remember, dance is supposed to be fun and enjoyed by both partners. Shaking your head, rolling your eyes, looking bored, seeming unenthusiastic or pissed off, and ignoring your partner, all fall into this category of bad attitude. It is assumed that you are out dancing because you want to enjoy yourself. Please do not hold yourself or your partner back from having a good time.

The Cadaver: This is when the woman does not support the weight of her own arms or body but hangs off her partner as dead weight that he must drag across the dance floor. Less extreme but much more common are women with a weak frame and spaghetti arms. This is physically taxing for the man since he has to put in twice as much effort to lead the woman.

The Dictator: Men who lead by barking orders and are arm-wrenching are unpleasant. Although this is somewhat rare, what is more common are men who, to varying degrees, bulldoze and drag their partners across the dance floor. This is particularly harrowing when dancing the faster dances with larger men, an experience that is similar to being slammed by a granite block.

The She-Male: The most common complaint voiced by male dancers is, women who lead and/or will not follow the man’s lead. This form of gender identity disorder is a guaranteed way to end up on the sidelines and blacklisted by dance partners unless you are stunningly good looking.

The Kitchen Mop: Dancing with a man wearing a sweat-drenched shirt is like dancing with a wet dog. Gentlemen, please bring a spare shirt to change into if you have overactive sweat glands. Anti-perspirant is always appreciated.

The Iron Maiden: There are women who wish to avoid all body contact short of wearing a chastity belt. The only way for the man to lead a woman who insists on dancing at an arm’s length distance is to shout out the dance steps. Body contact is a necessary element of proper ballroom dancing; hence it is not an appropriate activity for those who need their “personal space.” On a side note however, this faux pas is only forgivable when the man has poor hygiene.