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Take Care of Your Personal Hygiene. For your
partner's sake, avoid eating garlic, onions, or
spicy foods before you go dancing. Carry an extra
shirt (or two) with you to the dance, in case you
need a change. This is especially true at outside
dances or dances in facilities that lack air
conditioning.
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No unsolicited teaching (on both the social dance
floor and at workshops).
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Aerials, drops, and slides are best left for
jam sessions, competitions, and performances.
- Ask others to dance. Hey, dancing is a
social activity!
- Applaud the band. If it's a live music
venue, give the band a hand at the end of a song.
They just don't play for money! The more you
applaud, the better they will feel and play.
- Share the dance floor.
Avoid getting too close to other couples, especially
less experienced ones.
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Never blame a partner. Regardless of who is
at fault when a dancing mishap occurs, both parties
are supposed to smile and go on. This applies to the
better dancer in particular, who bears a greater
responsibility.
- Be considerate of other couples on the floor.
If you step on someone's toes, say "Excuse me" even
when it may not be your fault.
Most swing dances are somewhat informal in a
nature. Comfort and safety are the primary
considerations. Here are a few tips to keep in
mind:
**
Dress nicely. Formal or informal dress or
something in between is fine. But remember:
dancing is a social
activity and you're interacting with other people, so
try to look like you care!
** Choose your shoes carefully. Be careful
of sneakers or other shoes with rubber or spongy
soles that can
stick to the floor during turns and
spins and cause ankle and knee injuries. Some swing
dancers like to put
masking tape on the soles of their shoes (normally
sneakers) to allow them to spin easier. Make sure
that
the tape will not damage, mark-up or
harm the dance floor or leave bits of tape or
adhesive that could cause
problems for other dancers.
** Avoid sleeveless shirts and tank tops.
It is not pleasant to have to touch the damp skin of
a partner.
** Sleeves that are baggy can also be a
problem, because dancers need access to their
partner's back,
and hands may get caught in baggy sleeves.
** Accessories like big rings, watches,
brooches, loose/long necklaces, and big belt buckles
can be hazardous
on the dance floor. They can catch in
partner's clothing, scratch and bruise, and are in
general a nuisance.
** Gentlemen: if you have no place to leave
your keys and loose change, carry them in the LEFT
pocket
of your trousers. This makes it less
likely to bruise your partner. Ladies, use your
right pocket.
** Long hair should be put up or tied in a
ponytail. It is difficult to get into closed dance
position when the
lady has long flowing hair (hair gets
caught in the gentleman's right hand). It is also
not fun to be hit in the
face with flying hair during turns and
spins, or for the guy to inhale the hair into his
throat. |
