Milwaukee Blues Dancing Code of Conduct



Be Cool, Relaxed and Groovy

Welcome to our dance scene! We encourage you to take deep breaths, connect to the music, pay attention to your partners, be curious, and have patience with yourself as you learn. We like you. You belong here. You have a role to play in making our scene awesome. We expect you to follow these guidelines and do your best! Please bring your questions or concerns to our organizers at any time.

Social Dancing Basics:

  • If you want to dance, ask someone! It’s always okay to ask and always okay to say “no”.

  • Anyone can lead and anyone can follow. Many dancers do both. Ask your dance partner which role they’d like when inviting someone to dance.

  • Love solo dancing (solo jazz)? Please solo jazz around the perimeter of the floor and in front of the band. 

  • Maintain awareness of the space you occupy and that of those around you, especially when the floor is crowded. 

  • Do your best to avoid collisions and apologize if you bump or step on someone. 

  • It’s great to build community and chat with your friends. Conversations should occur to the side of the floor, not while actually dancing.

  • Don’t offer unsolicited advice on the dance floor or in class. Side teaching is disrespectful.

  • When asking for feedback, listen, say thank you and move on. Asking for too much feedback (or asking the same person to dance too many times) can make others uncomfortable.

  • No air steps on the social dance floor. This includes throws, drops, lifts, or unsafe dips–anything that takes your partner off their feet.

 

Play Well With Others: 

  • It’s everyone’s job to make the scene feel safe, inclusive, relaxed and groovy. 

  • Be cool if someone turns you down for a dance. Don’t take it personally. 

  • Meet people where they are and don’t push anyone to do anything they aren’t comfortable doing. 

  • Pay attention to body language. If in doubt about someone’s comfort, mirror the energy/behavior you are getting from them. 

  • Dancing is not sex. Accepting a dance is not an invitation to engage sexually or romantically with your dance partner. 

  • If you are romantically interested in someone you meet dancing, hooray! But ask them to hangout outside the dancing environment before seeking a romantic connection. The social dance space is NOT a space for romantic pursuits. Do not ruin a hobby or comfortable space for another human.  

  • If dancing with your romantic partner, keep things PG. 

  • Open harassment or bigotry will not be tolerated. You will be asked to leave if unable or unwilling to adhere to these expectations.

    Pay Attention to Yourself:

  • Listen to your own needs, decline or stop dancing any time you wish to for any reason, even in the middle of a dance. 

  • Verbally and/or non-verbally communicate WHAT you do/ don’t want: 

    • “I want to sit down” (just sit) 

    • “I want to sit this song out” (shake head no thanks) 

    • “I don’t want to dance in close embrace today” (back away, maintain open or closed holds during the dance)

  • No need to explain WHY you do or don’t want things. 

  • If you have an uncomfortable dance encounter, please speak to one of the organizers so we can best support you. 

  • Please know that some of the holds/connection points in improvisational partner dancing may feel uncomfortable at first if unexpected. 

    • It is normal for swing dancing partners to connect by touching these body parts: hands, arms, shoulders, sides, backs, waists, or (rarely) knees. 

    • It is normal for blues and Balboa dancing partners to additionally connect by touching chests, legs and knees.

  • No improvisational partner dancing involves touching gential areas,  butts, or hands to breasts. Please inform organizers if a dance partner intentionally touches these areas while dancing.

    Respect the Roots of the Dance:

  • All blue and swing dancing variations stem from African American Vernacular Jazz which is a style of music and dance developed and passed down through generations of African American communities and families.

  • These dances involved a variety of holds & shapes including “close embrace” in blues dancing, and closed and open position in both swing and blues dancing.

  • Close embrace can be daunting/uncomfortable to those unfamiliar with vernacular jazz because of the amount of body contact. However, it is important to understand that it’s a part of how blues dancing is done. It is respectful to the origins of this dance that this contact remains part of the dance.  

  • Close embrace, when done correctly, safely, and respectfully is an integral experience of blues dancing. It may only be done for a few beats in a song but those dancing blues should be able to move comfortably into & out if close embrace in any given song. We recommend working up to close embrace if it seems too far outside your personal comfort zone at this time.