Elements of Dance Etiquette
The dancing on a floor is done along a counter clockwise direction, known as the Line of Dance (LOD). This applies to traveling dances including Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Quickstep and Viennese Waltz, as well as Polka and Two Step in the country western repertoire. Latin and Swing dances are more or less stationary and have no line of dance. Sometimes it is possible to dance more than one type of dance to the same song. For example, some Foxtrots can also be swings, and many Lindy Hop songs are just great for Quickstep. In that case, swing dancers take the middle of the floor and the moving dancers move along the periphery in the direction of the line of dance.
Getting on the Floor:
Some caution should be exercised when getting on the dance floor, especially if he song has already started and couples are dancing on the floor. It is the responsibility of incoming couples to make sure that they stay out of the way of couples already dancing. Specifically, before getting into dance position, one should always look opposite the line of dance to avoid blocking someone's way, or even worse, cause a collision.
At the end of the Dance:
After the dance is finished and before parting, thank your partner. This reminds me of a social partner who, upon being thanked at he end of the dance, would answer: "You're welcome!". The proper answer to "Thank you!" on the dance floor is "thank you". The point is that the thanks is not due to a favor, but to politeness. If you enjoyed the dance, let your partner know. Compliment your partner on her/his dancing. Be generous, even if he/she is not the greatest of dancers. Be specific about it if you can: "I really enjoyed that double reverse spin. " "You led/followed that beautifully". If you enjoyed it so much that you would like to have another dance with him/her again, this is a good time to mention it: "This Waltz went really great. I'd like to try a Cha Cha with you later." Although remember that dancing too many dances with the same partner and booking many dances ahead for both violations of social dance rules.
Leaving the floor:
When a song comes to an end, leave the floor as quickly as it is gracefully possible. Tradition requires that the gentleman give his arm to the lady and take her back to her seat at the end of the dance. While this custom is linked to the outdated tradition requiring the gentlemen to ask ladies for dances, it is still a nice touch, although it may be impractical on the more crowded dance floors. In any case, remember that your partner may want to get the next dance. Don't keep them talking after the dance is over if they seem ready to break away to look for their next partner.
Leave entrances free:
Some dance floors have limited access space. Dancers and onlookers should avoid blocking these entrances. In particular, avoid stopping to chat immediately after exiting the dance floor. Also avoid blocking the entrances from the inside of the dance floor while dancing.
Sharing the Floor:
Responsible usage of the floor requires that one stays out of the way of others. Some figures require a momentary movement against line of dance. These figures should be executed with great caution on a social dance floor, and only when there is no danger of collision. Avoid getting too close to other couples,especially less experienced ones. Be prepared to change the directions of your patterns to avoid congested areas. This requires thinking ahead and matching your patterns to the free areas on the floor (known as floor craft). While this may sound complicated to the novice dancer, it eventually becomes second nature.
Sharing the floor sometimes means leaving the floor! For example, if there are too many dancers to fit on the floor, then a considerate dancer would withdraw every few dances to let everyone dance.The same idea applies if there aren't the same number of men and women. When there is a mismatch for each song; some people will be left without a partner, if there aren't enough partners, it would be nice to voluntarily withdraw every few dances so that everyone gets a chance to dance.
Another aspect of sharing the floor is to match one's speed to that of the others. In a recent social dance, a particular couple were moving with great speed and skill across the floor, and many times they came dangerously close other dancers on the crowded dance floor, many times other couples had to come to a stop and move out of their way. It was easy to see they were unhappy about this couple 'taking over' the dance floor.
Aerials and choreography:
The only thing to be said about aerials on the social dance floor is: DON"T DO THEM! While they may look 'cool', the execution of aerials requires training by a qualified instructor. Don't do them by yourself unless you are trained, and certainly don't do them on the social dance floor. Dancers have been badly hurt by either participating in aerials or unluckily being in the proximity of those who did. Aerials can be extremely dangerous.
The same principle applies to other lifts and (death) drops, as well as choreographed patterns that require a large amount of floor space.