A Flurry of Etiquette
I made my annual pilgrimage to the Dance Flurry this weekend, and, as usual, had a wonderful time. As often happens at large dance gatherings, I left with sore feet and a great many thoughts about comportment in crowds, particularly in crowds of enthusiastic, friendly, tired dancers and musicians. There being little I can do about the feet right now, I am recording the thoughts here, for the contemplation, and, I dare hope, enlightenment of others.
I love the Dance Flurry. I love the energy of the crowd. I love having the opportunity to try new dances, hear new music, and revisit dances I rarely get to do these days (Lindy hop and Scandinavian dances, I'm looking at you). I love walking down a hallway and finding three teenaged boys singing gospel tunes in three-part harmony, then, a few steps later, happening on a spontaneous jam session consisting of a flute player, a cellist, and a guitarist playing English country dance tunes. I love that the dance community consists of teenagers and octagenarians and people in between, and that they mostly find ways to dance together and socialize pleasantly. I love that, at least these days, I can say "No, thank you, I'm sitting this one out," when someone invites me to dance, and not have that person take it as an insult.
There are some things I really don't love, though.
Doors are for walking through, not for standing in
I do not love the tendency among dancers to enter a dance hall then stop inside the doors, while staring out over the assembled dancers to look for a partner or an entree into the dance. I do understand that sometimes, in order to make an effective entrance, one simply must pause, elegantly framed by the doorway, to allow those inside to admire the effect. One should, however, consider the damage to the desired effect should one be knocked over by someone else entering or leaving, and pause only briefly, and after ensuring that one is not blocking traffic.
There are four walls along the sides of most dance halls. Sometimes there are more than four walls, rarely are there fewer. If you are not dancing at that very moment-if you need to find a partner, the beat, or your shoes, for example-it is a kindness to others entering or leaving the hall if you move to a spot along one of the walls. That way, other people will be able to use those doors, which are, in general, smaller than the walls.
Backpacks can bruise!
Dancers at events carry many things with them: shoes, water bottles, changes of toilette, shawls, knitting, musical instruments, ear plugs, chocolate, and military history treatises, to name but a few. A backpack can provide a sensible and reasonably tidy vessel in which to convey these accessories from place to place, evenly distributing their weight over both shoulders. In a crowded dance hall, as on a crowded train or tram, it must be remembered that the very sensible backpack extends the turning radius of turning and creates blind spots for the wearer. An ill-advised turn can result in a real-life enactment of the sort that seems entirely amusing when seen in a vaudeville or other comedic performance featuring a two labourers and an extremely long beam. A backpack to the head is an ignominous way to end one's day of dance.
Chairs are for persons. Luggage, Terry Pratchett notwithstanding, is not a person
Speaking of luggage, your luggage does not need a chair of its own. Often, dance halls have chairs around the perimeter, positioned so that people who are taking a break from dancing, or who are just there to listen to the music and watch other people dance, can sit comfortably and not obstruct the dancing. Often, owing to the relatively limited amount of perimeter in relation to the overall amount of floor space, these chairs become relatively full. If your bag is on a chair, it is preventing someone else from sitting in that chair, leaving some weary person with the choice of moving your possessions or staying on their sore feet. Since your possessions do not suffer from sore feet, they may be moved, and you may find yourself looking for them. This is your own fault, for failing to consider that your bag does not need a chair of its own, and placing your bag in a spot near the coat rack with the other bags. If your bag contains your priceless violin, you should consider checking the violin before you dance, or finding someplace safer for it than a chair in a dance hall.
Dance floors are for dancing
It may be the paucity of available chairs that leads to people remaining on the dance floor when they are not dancing, thereby impeding the dancing of other dancers. The dance floor is a space designated for dancing. The dancers are within their rights to assume that any spot on the designated dance floor that is not occupied by other dancers (most of whom can be expected to be moving in a more or less predictable direction, given the nature of the dances of which we are speaking) is available to be danced upon. Persons who find themselves in conversation or who wish to enjoy an intimate, somewhat stationary, moment, or otherwise not dancing should remove themselves from the dance floor, and find a quiet corner of the room (or, perhaps an unoccupied chair), off of the dance floor, in which to carry on their non-Terpsichorean pursuits. The Flurry has a great many hallways, corners, lobbies, and other areas not designated as dance floors. It eludes me, then, why so many people felt it necessary to wander around on the (quite crowded) dance floors, presenting additional challenges to the dancers.
The caller is not there to just look pretty
Finally, I mentioned my love of the enthusiasm of the contra community, and that love is real. And I understand the desire to be friendly and to talk to one's partner and neighbours while one is face to face with them in a contra line. But this business of carrying on full-voiced conversations while the caller is presenting the walk-through must cease. It is extremely ill-mannered to talk when someone else is talking. Even if you personally do not feel that you need to know what the speaker is saying (and you should consider that you may be mistaken in your assessment), consider that the others in the room-your partner or your neighbours, as well as the others with whom you will be dancing-may not have your confidence on the dance floor. They may appreciate knowing that they will be required to turn one and a half times, rather than once. You may, in fact, appreciate their knowing this, as a partner who knows the dance is less likely to abandon you on the wrong side of the set facing the wrong person after the incorrect number of turns.
It is entirely acceptable to offer a sotto voce instruction or clarification to your partner or neighbour should your partner or neighbour request such a thing. I do not mean to suggest that you should remain entirely silent while dancing. But I have observed that over the past many years, the tendency to regard the walk-through as an opportunity to carry on conversation has spread, to the point where if a caller is to be heard, she or he must overpower the dancers. This race to cacophony can have no positive outcome-the dancers do not hear the dance, the caller feels redundant, and the sound person's job is made that bit more difficult. If your conversation is thrilling and scandalous, do consider making an assignation with your partner for after the dance, to better exchange all the thrilling details.
A change of toilette renders a dance partner more agreeable
Dancing constitutes vigorous physical activity, the effects of which may be seen on the face and clothing. Many forms of dancing also demand close physical contact, which can be delightful. However, when the effects of dancing are evident on the clothing of the dancer, that close physical contact may be rendered more distasteful than delightful. It is a fact that some persons show the effects of physical activity more than others; however, all dancers should be prepared for the moment at which their costume becomes overly moistened with the dew of exertion. When that moment arrives, the well prepared dancer will take the first opportunity to withdraw and attend to their toilette, returning to the assembly with fresh clothing and renewed enthusiasm. Such attention to the details of one's costume render a partner infinitely more agreeable and can only improve social success both on and off the dance floor.
I love the Dance Flurry. I love the energy of the crowd. I love having the opportunity to try new dances, hear new music, and revisit dances I rarely get to do these days (Lindy hop and Scandinavian dances, I'm looking at you). I love walking down a hallway and finding three teenaged boys singing gospel tunes in three-part harmony, then, a few steps later, happening on a spontaneous jam session consisting of a flute player, a cellist, and a guitarist playing English country dance tunes. I love that the dance community consists of teenagers and octagenarians and people in between, and that they mostly find ways to dance together and socialize pleasantly. I love that, at least these days, I can say "No, thank you, I'm sitting this one out," when someone invites me to dance, and not have that person take it as an insult.
There are some things I really don't love, though.
Doors are for walking through, not for standing in
I do not love the tendency among dancers to enter a dance hall then stop inside the doors, while staring out over the assembled dancers to look for a partner or an entree into the dance. I do understand that sometimes, in order to make an effective entrance, one simply must pause, elegantly framed by the doorway, to allow those inside to admire the effect. One should, however, consider the damage to the desired effect should one be knocked over by someone else entering or leaving, and pause only briefly, and after ensuring that one is not blocking traffic.
There are four walls along the sides of most dance halls. Sometimes there are more than four walls, rarely are there fewer. If you are not dancing at that very moment-if you need to find a partner, the beat, or your shoes, for example-it is a kindness to others entering or leaving the hall if you move to a spot along one of the walls. That way, other people will be able to use those doors, which are, in general, smaller than the walls.
Backpacks can bruise!
Dancers at events carry many things with them: shoes, water bottles, changes of toilette, shawls, knitting, musical instruments, ear plugs, chocolate, and military history treatises, to name but a few. A backpack can provide a sensible and reasonably tidy vessel in which to convey these accessories from place to place, evenly distributing their weight over both shoulders. In a crowded dance hall, as on a crowded train or tram, it must be remembered that the very sensible backpack extends the turning radius of turning and creates blind spots for the wearer. An ill-advised turn can result in a real-life enactment of the sort that seems entirely amusing when seen in a vaudeville or other comedic performance featuring a two labourers and an extremely long beam. A backpack to the head is an ignominous way to end one's day of dance.
Chairs are for persons. Luggage, Terry Pratchett notwithstanding, is not a person
Speaking of luggage, your luggage does not need a chair of its own. Often, dance halls have chairs around the perimeter, positioned so that people who are taking a break from dancing, or who are just there to listen to the music and watch other people dance, can sit comfortably and not obstruct the dancing. Often, owing to the relatively limited amount of perimeter in relation to the overall amount of floor space, these chairs become relatively full. If your bag is on a chair, it is preventing someone else from sitting in that chair, leaving some weary person with the choice of moving your possessions or staying on their sore feet. Since your possessions do not suffer from sore feet, they may be moved, and you may find yourself looking for them. This is your own fault, for failing to consider that your bag does not need a chair of its own, and placing your bag in a spot near the coat rack with the other bags. If your bag contains your priceless violin, you should consider checking the violin before you dance, or finding someplace safer for it than a chair in a dance hall.
Dance floors are for dancing
It may be the paucity of available chairs that leads to people remaining on the dance floor when they are not dancing, thereby impeding the dancing of other dancers. The dance floor is a space designated for dancing. The dancers are within their rights to assume that any spot on the designated dance floor that is not occupied by other dancers (most of whom can be expected to be moving in a more or less predictable direction, given the nature of the dances of which we are speaking) is available to be danced upon. Persons who find themselves in conversation or who wish to enjoy an intimate, somewhat stationary, moment, or otherwise not dancing should remove themselves from the dance floor, and find a quiet corner of the room (or, perhaps an unoccupied chair), off of the dance floor, in which to carry on their non-Terpsichorean pursuits. The Flurry has a great many hallways, corners, lobbies, and other areas not designated as dance floors. It eludes me, then, why so many people felt it necessary to wander around on the (quite crowded) dance floors, presenting additional challenges to the dancers.
The caller is not there to just look pretty
Finally, I mentioned my love of the enthusiasm of the contra community, and that love is real. And I understand the desire to be friendly and to talk to one's partner and neighbours while one is face to face with them in a contra line. But this business of carrying on full-voiced conversations while the caller is presenting the walk-through must cease. It is extremely ill-mannered to talk when someone else is talking. Even if you personally do not feel that you need to know what the speaker is saying (and you should consider that you may be mistaken in your assessment), consider that the others in the room-your partner or your neighbours, as well as the others with whom you will be dancing-may not have your confidence on the dance floor. They may appreciate knowing that they will be required to turn one and a half times, rather than once. You may, in fact, appreciate their knowing this, as a partner who knows the dance is less likely to abandon you on the wrong side of the set facing the wrong person after the incorrect number of turns.
It is entirely acceptable to offer a sotto voce instruction or clarification to your partner or neighbour should your partner or neighbour request such a thing. I do not mean to suggest that you should remain entirely silent while dancing. But I have observed that over the past many years, the tendency to regard the walk-through as an opportunity to carry on conversation has spread, to the point where if a caller is to be heard, she or he must overpower the dancers. This race to cacophony can have no positive outcome-the dancers do not hear the dance, the caller feels redundant, and the sound person's job is made that bit more difficult. If your conversation is thrilling and scandalous, do consider making an assignation with your partner for after the dance, to better exchange all the thrilling details.
A change of toilette renders a dance partner more agreeable
Dancing constitutes vigorous physical activity, the effects of which may be seen on the face and clothing. Many forms of dancing also demand close physical contact, which can be delightful. However, when the effects of dancing are evident on the clothing of the dancer, that close physical contact may be rendered more distasteful than delightful. It is a fact that some persons show the effects of physical activity more than others; however, all dancers should be prepared for the moment at which their costume becomes overly moistened with the dew of exertion. When that moment arrives, the well prepared dancer will take the first opportunity to withdraw and attend to their toilette, returning to the assembly with fresh clothing and renewed enthusiasm. Such attention to the details of one's costume render a partner infinitely more agreeable and can only improve social success both on and off the dance floor.