You have finally gotten the courage to get off of the sidelines and onto the dance floor. Congratulations! This is a huge step!  With popular dances these days like the Country Two Step, Salsa and Swing, there’s just too much fun to be had! It’s your time to discover and explore the excitement of social dancing, as well as some of the etiquette that follows.

Speaking of do’s and don’ts, here is a short list of ways to make your nights at the Country Western bars or Latin dance clubs a big hit. Today I’m going to share my top three “don’ts” of social dancing. Do not…

1. Take over the entire dance floor. Yes, social dancing is about movement and having fun, but that does NOT mean that you need to be everywhere, all at once. Carving out a small space to dance within is not only thoughtful of others who you will also be sharing the dance floor with, but it is also being mindful of your partner as well. How so? Well gentlemen, a great leader is one that takes care of his partner. In order to do so, you don’t need a ton of space, but you definitely need to be aware of oncoming “traffic” and making sure that you keep her safe from others. She can have a blast Two Stepping in a small space if you’re a great leader. On the other hand, you can fling her around and see if she enjoys what I call bumper dancing. It may seem like fun at first, but you’re not likely to get a second or third dance out of her.
2. Dance off time with the music. This is a bit tricky. For the untrained dancer, you may not know that you’re even off time with the music in the first place. You may be trying to copy the guy next to you (one of my biggest pet peeves) and decide to Country Swing dance to a Two Step beat. Is this really the end of the world? Well,  for us followers who do enjoy synching up our dances to the music being played, I have to admit that it’s kind of a bummer to dance off time. Guys, in this case, please invest in yourself by signing up for some Private Dance Lessons so that you can truly execute your dances with full effect. It’s just not the same to be doing the wrong dance to the wrong beat.
3. Forget to have fun! While dancing is an art and a wonderful form of stress relief, romance, and I could go on, you can’t take it too seriously. Please do educate yourself with formal instruction, then go out and play! Salsa dance lessons will give you the freedom to let loose and uncover your sexy side, and Country dance lessons are a great way to kick up your heels after a long week at work, but without actual lessons under your belt, you’re sort of faking it with the best of them. There’s no reason for that, especially when there’s got to be a local dance studio that can help get you started with beginner’s dance lessons, on the basics at the very least.

The process of taking dance lessons is actually quite exciting and rewarding. With formal instruction, you too can become a confident social dancer anywhere you choose to go social dancing.  How fun is that! You can also gain so many of the benefits of social dancing, from improved health to learning a new hobby that you can use for years to come. Enjoy social dancing to the fullest by investing in yourself with beginner’s dance lessons, and following the tips above, of course. Happy dancing! 🙂