Wear something colorful, as well as tasteful - just be sure, whatever it is, it’s noticeable! Dance places can be dim as dark, so make sure you don’t blend into the shadows. Arrive early and position yourself as close to the dance floor as possible. Sit or stand near the dance floor, preferably where guys coming off the floor will see you first. And, oh yeah, don’t congregate with a group of women. No guy is going to walk up to several women hanging together and risk that kind of rejection.

Smile till it hurts! If you don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself, you probably won’t be! Don’t be afraid to make eye contact. Say, “Yes” to the first dance offer, no matter who it is, and keep on saying it. This is the most important rule! Being picky is counter-productive, so lose the attitude! If you’re seen saying no, you’ll be left with only the blind and the bold - a small, and not necessarily cute, minority. The point of saying yes every time is to increase your chances of meeting talented, interesting dance partners. If you do this right, good dancers will soon monopolize your time anyway. Ask good dancers to teach you something new! They’ll usually be happy to oblige and will seek you out in the future.

Here are some dance “NO NO’s” for the ladies. The claw: this is when the lady clutches the man’s hand with and iron grip. This can be painful especially when she is wearing long nails. Ladies don’t lead: That’s the man’s job. The limp wrist spaghetti arms: this is no fun for the guy, especially since he has to put forth twice the effort to lead the lady. Miss sourpuss: shaking one’s head; rolling one’s eyes; looking bored; unenthusiastic or pissed off; and ignoring one’s partner all fall in the category of bad attitude. In dancing, it is the job of the women to look like she is having the time of her life.

Gents ...
Some of the above and then...
Find a smiling lady who’s near the dance floor and ask her to dance. But for godsake, learn how to dance first, and remember - smooth is as good or better than fancy! A couple of basic steps done correctly and on tempo is more fun for your partner than a dozen pretzel turns done badly with the timing all screwed up.

Avoid dancing roughly - like pulling your partner’s arm out of its socket. It’s bad form. Remember, you want to look good, and you can look really good if you make your partner look good. Make eye contact - dancing is about communication. Dance with all sorts of partners, it’ll make you a better dancer, not to mention, it’ll make you seem like a nice guy.

ALSO, if you haven’t showered, shaved, or brushed your teeth for a while, it might be a good idea to do that first! You don’t want women to be pointing you out for the wrong reasons!

Here are some dance “NO NO’s” for the gents. The non existent lead: a weak non existent lead is the most common complaint of female Ballroom dancers. It is not the job of the woman to know what steps to do. A firm lead is always appreciated since it is usually the woman that ends up looking bad when the man screws up. The oversized ego: since it is the man’s job to make the lady look good, it is impolite to for the gent to try and dance above the lady. Please be sensitive to your partner. Limp wrist spaghetti arms: lack of firmness is bad enough for the ladies, but it is impossible to dance when the man makes this type of “no no”. The Dictator: men who lead by barking orders & arm wrenching leads are unpleasant. Though this is rare, what’s more common are guys who lead by bulldozing, and dragging their partners across the dance floor. The Pervert: wandering hands, indiscreet stares, unwanted advances, men who circle the dance floor (sharks) checking out women. You know who you are!

Ladies & Gents ...
Finally, if your going to approach someone who happens to be a couple, Guys, always ask the man if you can dance with his partner! And Ladies, should always ask the woman if she could dance with her partner! This shows good respect.

Dance Floor Etiquette ...
Yes, there are rules about dance floor rights and wrongs. Here are some of them...

• It’s not cool to stand right ON the dance floor to socialize. Even experienced
dancers, who should know better, sometimes stand right on the dance floor talking, drinking, smoking. Do what you like, but do it AWAY from the dance floor!
• Speaking of which... be nice to fellow dancers and avoid bumping into them. If it’s crowded on the floor - and these days most floors are crowded, dance small. Most important, try to remember, your partner is not disposable - don’t toss her around like a bowling ball.
• A hardwood dance floor should be treated with care. Drinks and cigarettes on the dance floor are a NO NO! When you spill liquid on a hardwood floor, it becomes a hazardous wet spot. Even when it dries, this spot is pretty much ruined for dancers the rest of the night because it becomes “tacky” and you can’t slide across it.
• If you are a beginning dancer, remember that everyone out there has probably
experienced that same sweaty palm, stiff-as-a-board, jittery feeling. It will pass.
• If you or your partner screw up a step, get past the urge to argue about who’s
screwing up. Remember - there are no mistakes! It’s ONLY dancing, and everyone’s there to have fun.
• If you’re a woman who’s not being asked to dance, try standing near the edge of the dance floor; smile, tap your foot, and look like you really NEED to dance to this song. Make eye contact. Dance with the first person who asks. Once you get out there a couple of times with different partners, other potential partners will know you won’t turn them down. ALSO, don’t be afraid to ask guys to dance. It’s cool!
• Last point. We don’t mean to offend anyone, but if you want to look good dancing Ballroom, you should not take dance lessons from a ballroom instructor unless they have a real clear idea of the differences, between studio style of dancing and urban style. Nothing looks dumber than a ballroom dancer doing affected hand and toe pointing poses like a theatrical ballet dancer.

One point that bears repeating, and can’t be made strongly enough is: DON’T dance in a way that’s going to invite a problem or result in collisions with nearby couples. All too often, I’ve seen dancers on a crowded floor with no consideration whatever for other dancers. I think the problem is more of an “ego” thing than a lack of dance etiquette. I’ve seen otherwise excellent dancers, who should know better, do stuff they shouldn’t be doing simply because they get into their “performance” mode and suddenly they’re leading with their elbows and their butts - their brains totally turned off. They bump nearby dancers and swing their partners around to clear more space for themselves. Short of physical confrontation, and sometimes it comes to that, there isn’t a lot that can be done. You can either bump back, or move. The choice depends on the state of your own ego and the size of the offending dancer.

Lead with your brain, not your butt, and make the effort to be more aware and considerate of your dance environment. Otherwise, some of us will need to sign up for karate classes to go with our Ballroom classes.

MOST OF ALL, HAVE FUN! Dancing is a great way to exercise and meet new people.