Culture, Values, and Etiquette

All right, fam. Let’s talk etiquette.

Before we begin, let me preface that each social dance will embody the values of the culture it comes from. We have stated that blues idiom dances are Black American dances, so many of the values in these dances will come from Black culture. They may also have values that are not shared across other Black dances. Black culture is not a homogenous entity, and neither are Black folks. Please don’t tokenize people.

As “blues dance” is a phrase that serves as an umbrella term for the many dances that came up with regional blues styles, different regions may also have local etiquette and values distinct from one another.

With that in mind, it also means that some of this etiquette will be shared across other social partner dances, and some of these may even conflict. It does not make certain values in the blues or in other dances wrong, just different rules for different communities and different contexts. Remember that there is no “universal” expression of etiquette and that even the same values across cultures may be expressed differently.

Blues dances are communal. What we mean by that is that they are a cultural expression of the individual’s experiences to their community. Whether a person is dancing solo or partnered, “dance like nobody’s watching” makes less sense in the context of Black dances. In mainstream culture, this phrase describes the mindset of being able to dance without inhibition and without the criticism and judgement of your peers, but historically in Black American communities, to dance is to establish yourself within the community by expressing its and your values to the music and to affirm one another’s humanity.

These values were compiled from conversations and observations in Black blues spaces, blues clubs, etc.. They are not comprehensive, and they may even differ from the values presented in the modern, majority White subculture.

Starting, Dancing, and Ending a Dance

1. Use your words. Unless it’s somebody with whom you have a well-established relationship where nonverbal cues are clear, it is preferred that you verbally ask someone if they would like to dance.
   • Refrain from sticking your hand out in a demand, grabbing at, or shoulder tapping someone you don’t already know and have an established connection where those behaviors are acceptable.
2. In the blues, the general agreement to dance is for a single song. You may ask for another dance immediately after the first or at a later point.
3. Do not cut in between other couples when entering a dance floor. If it is a crowded floor, make eye contact with someone, wait for them to acknowledge you and make space, and then enter that space.
4. Be aware of others trying to enter a space.
5. Dancing the blues is about sharing musicality and humanity with someone.
   • Value your partner and give them your full attention during a dance. Agreeing to share a personal connection with someone is a gift.
   • If something does not work, laugh it off and move on!
6. Observe a partner you’re about to ask to see if your dance values match up.
   • If you’re looking for a partner to do complex and challenging movements with you, then you should observe their skill level before asking them to dance.
   • If you are disappointed by someone’s lack of skill or interest in doing complex movements with you, then it is your fault for having set unreasonable expectations without observing your partner.
7. The “don’t be a jackass” principle. Whether you’re dancing solo, leading, or following, understand that the dance is about more than just you.
   • When dancing solo, acknowledge others sharing the floor with you. Own your space, interact with others, and recognize them as part of your community.
   • The point is not to “out dance” your partner. Express yourself, riff, and maybe even challenge them a little in a way that invites a response, but don’t steamroll your partner by showboating and leaving them behind. Unless you’re cuttin’. Then go ahead and throw down! 😉 But keep in mind that throwing down is about friendly one-upmanship, not about humiliating the other person.
8. Respect your partner’s body and agency.
   • Be aware of your partner, their comforts, and their limitations. Dancers of different ages, skill levels, and personal boundaries may not be comfortable doing the same things, so be aware that the triple turn or extreme body shaping or weight-sharing move you want to do may not work best with this partner.
   • Leaders – if something you’re trying doesn’t work, don’t keep forcing your partner to do it. Move on. Find a way to enjoy the music with your partner without that move.
   • Followers do not “need permission” to express their dance. Leaders are responsible for establishing a baseline and navigating, while followers are responsible for maintaining the established partnership, connection, and deciding how they want to express the direction.
   • People have different body types that fit together and respond differently. Adapt your dance and connection to be the most comfortable with your current partner, rather than dancing the same way with all partners.
   • Leaders – be clear but gentle on your partners’ bodies. Do not yank, push, or grab at someone to make them move. Your job is to be clear about your intentions. Your partners should move themselves.
9. Do not touch anyone’s hair or face without permission.
   • You may have seen performances or partners who know each other well do this, but this is an intrusion on personal space if you do not have that relationship.
   • This shouldn’t need to be said, but it doesn’t matter how much you admire someone’s natural hair, braids, or locs, do not touch it without permission! Use your words to compliment them.
10. “Switching” is a relatively new thing from the modern blues community. It was sometimes done historically but does not have strong historical or cultural roots. If you ask a person to dance with you in a certain role, respect their choice. If they agreed to dance with you as a leader, don’t surprise them by suddenly switching roles in the middle of the dance. If you wanted to switch, ask them at the beginning of the dance.
11. If you led someone onto the dance floor, it is considered generally polite to walk them back to where you found them or at least off the dance floor.

Environment

1. Be aware of your environment. You share the floor with other people. These could be dancers, or if in a bar or other mixed venue, other customers of the club, chairs, tables, musicians, waitstaff.
   • Always be aware of how much space you have – both leaders and followers! Both are responsible for the partnership, so both should inform the other and actively try to prevent any collisions.
   • Don’t attempt big moves on crowded floors. Be aware of not just the size of your steps but what you do with your limbs.
2. Respect everyone in a mixed crowd or public space, such as a bar or restaurant.
   • Even if there is a dance floor, unless the stage is raised, don’t dance directly in front of a table of folks trying to watch a band. They got a good seat, and now you decided to come block them – this is considered very rude.
   • Be mindful of non-dancing patrons, as they have as much right to be there as you do.
   • If at a bar or restaurant, support the business and tip the waitstaff.
   • If there is a band, applaud and tip the band. They provide your entertainment. They are not a jukebox.
3. Your dance should be different depending on context.
   • While you might do fancy lifts, dips, and tricks in a showcase, choreography, or competition context, these things rarely have a place in a social dance. Often, they take up too much space, or they are simply unsafe or inconsiderate to do with partners with whom you have not established a strong connection.
   • Simple things such as weight-shared movements can be done between partners with established trust, but avoid “surprising” your partner with things like unexpected dips, splits, and lifts. Most people at a social dance showed up to social dance, not to be in a performance with you.
4. The social dance floor is not a class or workshop space.
   • If you want to practice with somebody, move off to the side.
   • Do not give unsolicited lessons to someone on the dance floor. Never to a stranger. Comments concerning your personal physical comfort (e.g. “could you loosen your hold a bit”) are okay. On a case-by-case basis, a helpful tip can be useful if your partner seeks help, but these should be the exception, not the norm.
5. Be aware of the space needed to do your dance.
   • Though generally, our community is not at this level yet, there are idiom dances based in traveling movements that are meant to be done to certain genres of blues music. These usually fall under the “ballroomin'” family of blues idiom dances.
   • Traveling blues idiom dances should follow the line of dance(that’s counterclockwise). These include Stride and The Strut (distinct from Struttin’). If traffic is flowing slowly, dance or rotate in place and wait for it to start moving again. Never go backwards in the line of dance. Do not cut in and out of the lane. Do not hold up the flow of traffic in order to stop and do a move.
   • If you see that others are doing traveling idioms while you are doing a stationary or area dance, move to the middle of the floor. The outer “lane” of the floor should be reserved for traveling dances.
6. Do not put anything on the floors without permission.
   • If you are not wearing slick soled shoes – leather, suede, or something else that allows you to slide smoothly – don’t compensate by putting things on the floor. You could create slick spots that are dangerous for others who are wearing good shoes.
   • Especially on nice dance floors or historical wood floors, powder or wax could ruin the finish! Don’t do it.
   • While we understand that public mixed-use venues such as bars, restaurants, and music clubs could have floors that are not ideal, people often did these dances outdoors in the dirt. So just adjust your dance accordingly. Just like the above, putting something on the floor could make it a safety hazard for other patrons and those who work there. You are not the priority.

Personal Dress and Hygiene

1. For special events, dress as if you intended to be there.
   • If the dress code is casual, be casual. If the dress code is something specific, dress it up.
   • You don’t have to come out in a gown or a suit – dress your style! – but show some respect by putting in a little more effort than a wrinkled t-shirt and cargo shorts or something that looks like you just rolled out of bed or came from the gym.
   • Yes, the dress code extends to shoes.
2. Be aware of the venue and the other attendees.
   • If this is a family-friendly venue in a church or community center, modify your dress accordingly.
3. Take care of your hygiene! Remember that you are sharing space with another person, so respect each other by having good hygiene.
   • Make sure you are clean and wearing a set of clean clothing before you come out dancing.
   • Brush your teeth. Have mints or gum (depending on the location’s rules) to freshen your breath if you eat or drink something strong smelling.
   • Make sure to use and reapply deodorant regularly.
   • If you sweat a lot, bring a towel to dry yourself off between dances, some changes of clothing, or make sure you are wearing something such that your sweat does not travel onto your partner’s body.
4. Besides body odor, many people are sensitive to the smell of smoke or heavy perfumes or cologne.
   • Make sure that you do not smell of smoke and that if you wear any perfume or cologne, you apply it sparingly and far in advance of dancing so that you do not trigger allergies or other reactions.

Effort & Quality

I understand that talking about the quality of your dance and skill level as a part of etiquette is something that is generally skirted around. Keep in mind that I am talking about this in terms of the values of the blues dances. Considerations about skill fall under the umbrella of being respectful to the music and culture that was born out of hardships. It is not in order to make people feel small. So the important thing is to keep the values of the dances in mind. It is okay to be new. It is okay to struggle with learning new things.

1. Dig into and keep the values of the blues in mind as you dance. This shows your partner and the community that you value the culture and not just yourself.
   • Keep your pulse.
   • Rhythm is non-optional. Again, it’s okay to struggle, but not okay to disregard it.
   • Pay constant attention to the music while dancing.
   • If you ever feel like you’ve lost the beat, reset and find it again.
2. Listen to the music and practice in between classes and have your basics and a few variations down solid. Having depth in 1-2 idioms is more important than having a shallow knowledge of a lot of moves.
   • Where many dancers who did not grow up in the culture think of single idioms (such as “slow drag” or “fishtails”) as moves, these are full dances can have a lot of complexity and depth, but developing this depth requires consistent practice within a single idiom, rather than always mix-and-matching them like moves.
   • When it comes to practice, value the ability to adapt your dance to each partner and each song and a good connection rather than having a large library of moves.
   • Especially with leaders, this is all you need to give your partner a good dance and show them that you care about them. Don’t worry about being “entertaining” or performance anxiety until you have a handle on the above.
3. The quality of your dance is a reflection of the amount of dedication and effort you put towards it. Being new or being a slow learner is okay. Not valuing the time investment is not.
   • We are all at different levels in these dances. Where you are is less important than whether you are growing.
   • Regardless of your level of experience, it is important to understand that developing skill and nuance takes effort and cannot be crammed or rushed.
   • At any level, it is still important to be courteous and engage in your good dancing practices with each partner.
4. Do not expect to have all the best dances with all the best dancers without putting forth the effort.
   • Those who invest significant time and effort will be able to explore the dances in ways that are not accessible to those who have not.
   • It is reasonable for those who put lots of time and effort digging deeper into the music and culture, even if it’s just at home, to seek out and value dances with others (even new dancers) who are of the same growth mindset more than those who don’t care.
   • You may participate as much or as little as you wish, of course, but understand that nobody is entitled to the results of someone else’s hard work.
5. Technical skill alone does not make you a better dancer. There is a reason this section is placed at the bottom.
   • Skill does not make you a good person.
   • Skill will come with diligence and practice, but it does not make up for poor etiquette before, during, or after a dance, a lack of environmental awareness, or a lack of respect for the culture.
   • Skill in a different dance does not make you an expert at the blues. Show respect for the history and culture by recognizing that it requires its own training.

Overwhelmed? Feel like this is a lot? It is! It may be tempting to immediately pound out a response either agreeing thoroughly or vehemently disagreeing. I implore you to pause for a moment, though, and please take some time to process all that was written here, what is actually being said (versus what you think might be implied), and maybe your assumptions about “universal” etiquette. And then process what each part would mean to your experiences of the blues and the dances you might have. Then, discuss it with others and figure out what makes sense and what doesn’t in your local community.

Featured photo credit: Ben Hejkal Photography. Taken at Austin Blues Party 11.