Should Beginner Line Dancers Try Dances They Don't Know?
Bumping, tripping, toes stepped on... "If you don't know the line dance, get off the floor." This is a real comment some line dancers make on TikTok. Most experienced line dancers have experienced the safety hazards before. The questions that most often run through my head are: "Is this person intentionally being a pest?" "Do they legitimately want to learn?" "What do they know and not know about the dance floor?"
The Safety Hazards
Now, before you come for me, I want to preface this with a concern for everyone on the dance floor. In social dancing, all kinds of people are on the floor, which introduces different risks. Many factors also matter, such as what kind of bar it is, what type of music they play, and what rules the DJ or security enforces. I'm speaking for many dancers when I say our goal isn't to control the dance floor or act like we're better than everyone. We go out to have fun, and a lot of us don't want to go home hurt or be unable to work because we were injured dancing.
The truth is, many line dances these days are intermediate and can harm other people on the dance floor. Imagine a fast-paced song where you turn around and don't realize somebody is right on top of you trying to learn it. This can lead to a collision, toes being stepped on, or even someone ending up on the ground. Nothing ruins a night more than pain from a silly mistake. That's why most dance halls have dance floor etiquette.
Beginner Dance Floor Etiquette
Most dance floor etiquette is universal. You might find different cultural differences in your area, though. Many beginners start out learning on the "sidelines". That's how I learned, and I'm grateful for the people who were patient with me. When it comes to learning on the floor, etiquette says to stay in the back or on the side, with enough space so you don't create a safety hazard. We want you there; we want others to love line dancing as much as we do.
Many experienced dancers will try to move around you so that you can figure things out. Some, like me, will even point you in directions for dances to help you. Sometimes, though, we need a little grace. A lot of times we go out to "dance off" the week. We don't always want to teach, or sometimes the dances are too advanced to help. It's not always about not wanting beginners on the floor.
The Inebriated
Something else that I don't think many people realize is how many different kinds of people we meet every weekend. We constantly profile people to figure out whether they are intentionally being rude and coming into our bubble, don't realize how close they are, or are so drunk they'll stumble into us and create a safety hazard. We've met a handful of people who just don't care whether they hurt us or bump into us, and it puts a lot of us on guard.
Thankfully, our security will guide them off the floor if they're too dangerous or have a drink on the floor. This is something to consider if you're thinking about line dancing more. What are the dance floor rules? Are you allowed to just stand on the dance floor? Are drinks allowed? Do they only allow certain styles for certain songs?
So, Yes, Come Dance with Us
Ultimately, we want more dancers. We want the beginners to try. We want us all to enjoy the beauty of this dance style and the community. As experienced dancers who know the culture, we should be sharing these things with beginners. We should help them understand etiquette, simply guide them on where they should be, or tell them, "This one is a really hard dance." There's a reason we love the line dance community so much; my hope is that others can see what's so great about it and not become the "mean girls" of the dance world.
If you're ever in the Lake Havasu, AZ area and want to find a place to line dance, reach out and come say hi! We would love to meet you and dance with you!
- Tyanna
