First of all, becoming familiar with ballroom dance etiquette will make your dancing more fun.  That’s because these are the rules that keep people safe and comfortable on the dance floor.

When it comes to ballroom dance etiquette some rules are simply common sense.  For example, try not to step on your partner’s toes.  Others are good manners, such as thank your partner for the dance.  However, some are specific to ballroom dancing.  For instance, you must travel along the line of dance. (You’ll need to learn the rules regarding floorcraft from an experienced dancer.)

Many experts and studios have posted guides about ballroom dance etiquette. 

Here are 3 that I like.  

1. Floating on a Melody Ballroom

Floating on a Melody Ballroom is located in the Chicagoland area.  A very experienced dance professional named John Puskar runs the studio.

Beginner dancers will love this studio blog on ballroom dance etiquette.  In it, John covers a variety of basic rules, such as:

• Asking/refusing adance
• Entering and exiting the dance floor
• Navigating the dance floor
• What to wear
• Personal grooming

To be sure, a visit to Floating on a Melody Ballroom’s blog will supply lots of helpful information.

2. Alex the Dancing Fool

Aleksandr Biyevetskiy (who goes by the name Alex the Dancing Fool!) calls himself “a competitive ballroom dancer, blogger, and a student of life”.   Moreover, his blog is called Ballroom Dancing Tips & Advice for Kids and Adults.

In contrast to Dancing on a Melody Ballroom’s blog, Alex provides a more in-depth take on ballroom dance etiquette.  As a matter of fact, among his many tips are words of advice on:

• Leading/following
• Respecting personal space
• Avoiding collisions and accidents
• Dress code for informal, semi-formal, formal, and black tie events

As a result, Ballroom Dancing Tips & Advice for Kids and Adults blog will become a go-to for experienced dancers.

3. Walter Nelson’s Mass Historia

Walter Nelson is a social historian in southern California.  He specializes in vintage dance. 

Walter and his wife provide services such as vintage dance instruction and musical/historical character performances.  He is a sought-after vintage dance DJ and Master of Ceremonies. 

His very entertaining blog is called Mass Historia.

Using Professor Clendenen’s Fashionable Quadrille Book and Guide to Etiquette (1895) and Rules of Etiquette & Home Culture (1886) for reference, Walter has provided fun tips from the 19th century.

Learn about ballroom dance etiquette in the 19th century with Mass Historia.  It‘ll be a fun way to spend an afternoon.

• A man who knows how to dance, and refuses to do so, should absent himself from a ball.
• When gentlemen are introduced to ladies at a ball for the purpose of dancing, upon meeting afterward, they should wait to be recognized before speaking; but they are at liberty to recall themselves by lifting their hats in passing.  An introduction for dancing does not constitute a speaking acquaintance.
• The ball-room was not designed for the purpose of making love.
• Do not sway the body with each step, hold the arms stiffly, nor hold the arms out straight in imitation of a windmill-fan.
• If a gentleman wishes to dance with a lady with whom he is not acquainted, politely ask the master of ceremonies for an introduction.

There you have it, “3 Ballroom Dance Etiquette Blogs I Like”, and I know you will, too.  Your dancing skills and confidence will grow when you pick up a few guidelines.  If you decide that you’d like to create your own blog, here’s a Dance Safari post that can answer some of your questions, “Share Your Passion When You Blog Using These 4 Tips“.

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