Ladies, have you ever been caught bending down, stooping, ducking, or bowing in the middle of a turn? I have. This ladies etiquette is probably more of a reminder for myself than for anyone else. I don’t know why, but I have all of a sudden picked up this bad habit lately of stooping in the middle of my turns whether my partner is short or tall. From the reactions I received, men see this as very impolite and as poor etiquette in Chicago-style steppin’. They don’t let it slide and will politely address it with me right away while we’re still dancing. I won’t even try to express in words why men feel this way and so strongly about it. If any gentlemen would like to chime in on this in more detail in response, please do so in the comments.
Good Posture is Everything
To do better, I am heeding the advice I received more than once. Stand tall. Posture is everything in this dance and helps any stepper maintain a good center of balance. Posture also becomes so much more critical in your dance as you learn to do more – multiple turns, spins, and misdirections to name a few. In appearance, good posture makes steppers look graceful and elegant with shoulders back, chin up, and back straight.
Another tidbit of advice for this ladies’ etiquette, I heard, is to “turn up” meaning to literally elevate in a turn. That means stand taller and rise to the ceiling on the balls of your feet while turning. Do not sink into the floor and become flatfooted or rest on your heels. Again, this adds to the elegance, poise, and grace in dance movement. For the holiday season if you will be twirling on a dance floor anywhere as I am sure to be, remember ladies stand tall and turn up!
