A DANCER’S GUIDE ON HOW TO NOT BE ‘THAT’ PERSON ON THE DANCE FLOOR
As you know, we pride ourselves on teaching you practical life skills here at Groove Therapy with both our weekly adult beginner dance classes and our online dance classes. However, we’ve realised how irresponsible it is to constantly teach you rad new party moves in our studio and online classes, advocate for d-floor culture, then throw you into a real-life situation without running you through some basic d-floor etiquette first.
Whilst we’re all about self-expression, not caring what people think and generally just getting out of your head and into your body however, we’ve also experienced our fair share of people taking that as an invitation to forget social cues entirely.
Sure, the normal social rules may not apply when you’re dancing the night away but there are still a few common ground rules that will make the general d-floor experience a far better one for both you and everyone around you.
Here is our guide to 5 things you need to know about basic dance floor etiquette:
THE DANCE FLOOR IS NOT A WALKWAY
We thought this one was plain common sense but judging by the amount of people barging through the dance floor and ruining everyones groove, we though it might be worth mentioning.
We don’t doubt people have friends to find, drinks to drink or seals to be broken, it’s just that the inconsiderate stumbling mixed with general d-floor activity causes a ricochet effect of warm beverage being spilled all over everyone within radius. Not only is this a definite buzz kill, it’s also the perfect recipe for both a ruined outfit and a sticky d-floor. Both are equally unpleasant.
Basically all we’re saying is walk around.
SCREEN-FREE ZONE
Dancing is a screen-free activity.
You don’t need your phone on a dance floor and to be honest with you, you don’t really need your phone in in a club/at an event/party…period. The only time we see fit for your phone to be out is at the end of the night when you’re rounding up your mates for the awkward, “who’s ordering the Uber” game.
Some of you may argue that you’re just getting cute pics and vids to remember the night.
Be honest with yourself.
Do you really want a sweaty, gross pic of yourself as a constant reminder of why you should never drink again? Yeah, that’s what we thought. Besides, the aim of the game is to kill off on the dance floor and having a phone in your hand hinders your range of movement.
Put the phone away. Quit documenting the night to prove to your followers that you’re having a sweet ass time and actually have a sweet ass time.
THE D-FLOOR IS NOT A BOXING RING OR A SLEEZE OPP
Our entire class culture is all about making dance accessible to all walks of life. We work hard to give anyone the opportunity to experience the mental and physical benefits of dance.
So, OF COURSE we love seeing people living their best lives on the d-floor. We froth seeing people getting out of their heads and into their bodies by shaking off their hectic 9-5s and having a solid flirt over a two-step. Having said that, learn how to read your fellow human dancers and respect their boundaries. If a girl or guy doesn’t want to dance, the signals should be fairly clear. If they give you platonic vibes, keep your paws to yourself and show your fellow groover some respect.
Now within this platonic space, things can be hectic. Limbs flail, fists pump and bodies bounce, but please don’t punch people out amidst your enthusiasm. This doesn’t mean you can’t channel your inner black belt through dance though. We LOVE fighting inspired moves. FYI: Break dancing was heavily influenced by Bruce Lee and 60s/70s martial arts movies.
But if your moves start to look more like Muhammad Ali in the ring and you’re throwing 1, 2s into drinks and other human beings, that’s when we need to draw the line. Hip Hop is all about that peace, love and having fun and if your dancing is stopping others from having fun, it’s maybe time to take a breather, have a glass of water and rejig your groove.
If you’re not sure how, fam, we got you covered. Our classes will teach you Groove Therapy approved, dance-floor friendly moves and grooves.
No excuses 😉
NO REQUESTS
This is a PSA announcement from all our DJ friends:
We say this with all the love in the world but….
Stop heckling the DJ to play ‘your’ song! We don’t doubt it’s a banger. But let them do their job. Trust us, they’ve got this.
Don’t like their music? Go to a better party. A good DJ should have you cheering every time a new song comes on. A great DJ will have you wishing you brought your phone so you could Shazam her whole set because OMG what is the name of this TUNE!
HAVE A SHOWER
This is a big one.
Everyone has fallen victim at least once to a sweaty limb/pit/hair whip to the face. It’s never a never good time.
Whilst we know it’s inevitable that with a lot of dancing comes a lot of sweat. It should still be made aware that we all contribute to the overall d-floor vibe and… aroma (for lack of a better word).
So if we all make a pact right now to always have a shower, brush our teeth and anything else we deem necessary to keep our personal hygiene in check before going out, then there’s a good chance that accidentally getting into people’s grills might be a slightly more pleasant experience.
Deal?
Deal.
CONCLUSION
And that’s the break down. We’ve given you our top five tips on good dance floor etiquette.
We have now passed the Groove Therapy dance-floor etiquette baton onto you. Welcome fam! It is now time for you to go out and find as many dance floors around the world, get your groove on and help us spread the good word of Groove Therapy d-floor etiquette.
Trust us, the world will be a better place.
Want to learn some dance floor moves? Take a Groove Therapy beginner adult dance class with us in Sydney or Melbs.
Don’t live in any of those cities? Try out our online dance classes!
Feature Image: Malick Sidibé