Every Wednesday there is social dancing at The Oxford Retreat. More up to date information including who is going to the event on our Facebook site.
The night starts with a Beginners level Salsa class from 7.30-8.30 pm with Gwyneth, and is followed by Social Dancing until 11.30 pm. Social dancing is a great way to practise your newly-acquired skills and to ensure you improve faster!
Class + social dancing:
£4 (member)
£6 (non-member)
RULES OF DANCE ETIQUETTE
NEVER TURN DOWN A DANCE
It’s just a couple of minutes out of your life and an opportunity to make someone’s night, encourage a beginner or make a new friend. That being said, it’s also good etiquette to ask someone near your own level. Slightly better is fine, we all want to learn: but if you’re a beginner, probably not a good idea to ask the best dancers yet. Perfect your skills and work your way through the levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced. Stay within your level.
Respondents; it’s courteous and benevolent to say yes to a person once. Feel free to say no if they ask again the same night.
NO JEWELRY
Sharp rings and bracelets can cut and scar. Latin dances are often fast with quick arm movements. You can tell advanced dancers because they’re the ones with no jewellery .
NO HANDBAGS
Beginners: don’t try to dance with something in your hands! If you’re worried about people stealing stuff, don’t bring anything with you that you can’t afford to lose. If you have a bag, put it down and try to keep an eye on it or have your friends do the same.
NO FOOD OR DRINKS ON THE DANCEFLOOR
Any dance floor deserves respect. There’s nothing worse than someone spilling their beer on the floor and you wiping it off with your new dance shoes. Respect the floor and keep it safe for other dancers please.
KEEP IT SAFE
Advanced dancers respect their partner AND OTHER DANCERS and keep them safe from getting hurt. You need to learn how to dance without putting your partner or other dancers at risk. This means keeping it small if the floor is crowded. It means not taking big back steps or swinging your partner out into the path of other dancers. If you or your partner do step on someone, show some courtesy and take a moment to acknowledge it and apologies…usually eye contact, a nod and apologetic smile will show you’re sorry.
DIPPING AND TRICKS
Ladies, if you are dipped, know that you’re not supposed to drop your body weight on your partner – you’re supposed to support your full body weight so you keep yourself safe at all times. Gents: don’t dip or do a trick with someone you don’t know without asking them first. Some of us have neck or back or shoulder problems and don’t want to get hurt.
DON’T BE RUDE!
If you just turned someone down, it’s rude to get up and dance immediately with someone else. Don’t keep stepping on someone. If you do, it’s your fault. Go find somewhere with more space or take smaller steps. One good rule of thumb is: the faster the dance, the smaller the steps!
FINAL PIECE OF ADVICE
At the end of the day, dancing is about a connection between two people. It’s about giving a little of yourself and ensuring your partner is having fun. Advanced dancers, don’t do advanced steps with a beginner, make a connection and try to dance at that person’s level. Make it fun for them.
Ladies, don’t be too hard on the guys. If the guy is simply doing steps, then he’s still learning and trying to figure out what’s coming next. He’s not ignoring you, he just hasn’t reached that level of competency where he can reach out and connect with you yet.
Make eye contact, smile and realize that at the end of the day, the best dancers on the floor are those having the most fun. So have some fun!