As you begin toying with the idea of ballroom dance lessons, you may be wondering if there are any unwritten ballroom dance rules you should be aware of. You’d hate the be the one out of the loop, after all! To start your ballroom dancing journey on the right foot, review the below ballroom dancing rules you’ve probably never heard of. You just might be surprised!
The ballroom dance rules you never knew existed
- Travel counter-clockwise. Dancers are supposed to travel around the floor in a counter-clockwise direction—don’t ruin the flow by going the wrong way!
- Know your speed. Slower dancers should move towards the center of the dance floor and away from the outer edge
- Dance invitations should be respected. It is rude to decline an invitation. And, contrary to popular belief, either a man or a woman can ask someone to dance.
- Be a gentleman. It is customary for the man to walk the woman back to where she was before the dance.
- Be courteous. After the dance, thank your partner and applaud the other dancers.
- Always look left. When you turn right, look left. When you turn left, look more left.
- Dress the part. Bare feet are not allowed on the dance floor, and it is good ballroom dance etiquette to have good hygiene and be well-groomed. Additionally, there are many nuances to wearing the right kind of dance attire. Review this information for more about dance competition clothing and dance shoes.
- Feet forward. Moonwalk or not, don’t walk backwards onto the dance floor. You could disturb the dancers mid-move and even annoy your own dance partner.
Remembering these ballroom dance rules can be tough, especially since they are largely unwritten. That’s why it helps to enroll in ballroom dance lessons—our instructors at Arthur Murray New Jersey, specifically, can help you learn all the ballroom dance etiquette rules in addition to all the suave steps. Especially if you’re new to ballroom dance or you’re pretty dusty on your skills, it helps to have committed professionals guide you through your journey to the dance floor.
Find your nearest AMNJ studio, and schedule a free first lesson to get started! We’ve got a feeling you’ll learn a ton in the first lesson alone. Come dance with us and never look like a fool on the dance floor ever again.
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