Dance Courtesy
Dancing is an interaction between people, so it's important to remember good manners. When on the social dance floor, respect other dancers by avoiding aerials and following line of dance. The line of dance is used in traveling dances to avoid accidents and traffic jams. It follows a circle in a counter-clockwise direction with faster couples on the outside and slower couples on the inside. Stationary couples should be in the very center of the circle.
Always be an equal opportunity dancer! You don't have to dance with everyone who asks you, but if you turn down someone for one song, don't dance with anyone else for that song. Another rule is to dance at the level of the less experienced partner. It's never fun as a beginning dancer when your partner tries to show you up. But don't be afraid to ask someone more experienced to dance. It's one of the best ways to improve your own dancing, and you might just learn a new move.
Finally, the most basic thing to remember is to have good hygiene. In any dance you'll be getting close to your partner, so be sure to look your best. Most importantly, just have FUN with it!
Shoes
Footwear is particularly important when dancing. Trying to dance in sneakers is tough, since the rubber soles have too much friction to allow you to turn on hardwood floors. Ballroom shoes typically have suede soles to help you glide around the dance floor, but still keep control of your movements. Since ballroom shoes can get pretty expensive, there are some other options. Jazz shoes and ballet slippers are inexpensive and are great for dancing. For an even smaller budget, just cover the soles of your shoes with duct tape or dance in your socks! If you're in for the long haul and you want to invest in ballroom shoes, check online for better deals. Make sure your shoes fit very well. Your toes should extend all the way to the end of the shoe to give you the most control.
Don't have any music to practice to in between the Sunday Night Lessons? We can help! Just click "Playlists" above and you'll be directed to our Playlist page where everything is sorted by Dance Type and then in alphabetical order! Enjoy!
Music Database
So we've started up a Music Database for Ballroom danceable music, if you want more practice after our lessons. These are only the titles of the songs! This list will have more added to it sporadically. Just click on the Arrows and Sort by the "abbreviated" type of dance you want. Play around with it and you'll get the hang of it. Enjoy!
Sidenote: If the Artist name is the type of dance that means we don't know who performs it.