Gentlemen, as the leader it is your role to mark a space on the dance floor. This space is your lane and other men have marked lanes around you so everyone can dance comfortably without colliding with each other. The woman dancing with you needs to feel comfortable to commit to your signal and execute the move you give as if the way is clear to do so. Freedom of the mind! Look and manage your lane space well. In most forms of ballroom, the woman moves backward more than the man and you can see that too in Chicago Style Steppin’. You are truly the eyes in the back of my head. To truly dance I must trust that you have my back. Steppers have my back.
Bumping into someone should be no big deal. Just politely say excuse me and keep going. Right? Think about the last time you were on the dance floor and someone bumped into you or your partner. Someone probably gestured an apology, but then maybe you or your partner shook your head, repositioned, or kept watching to see if the offender would do it again. Now you’re focused on not being bumped instead of dancing.
So gentlemen, follow the lane flow and work within your lane. And please, if you are bigger than someone else, don’t bump and bully them to move over or change their lane. I encountered that before and those men prequalify for my “do not dance with that man ever again” list. Make an effort to have my back and be polite about it. On the crowded dance floors in Chicago, you’ll need this skill or even other cities because dance floors are getting crowded everywhere :-).
And, remember to keep the other etiquettes in mind:
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