Sense and Courtesy

North Hatfield, MA

(October 15th (06:37 PM))

I'm relatively new to the dance community, but I'd like to make some observations known. There are some tenets that I believe are essential to dancing.

1. Communication

No one can read minds. Not everyone is adept at interpreting a gesture. Communication is key to avoiding misunderstandings; Calm, rational speech is the best way to let your feelings and concerns be known.

2. Honesty

Truth is an amazing thing. To tell a falsehood is to invite people to question your character, and there is no easier way to earn someone's animosity than to lie to them.

3. Respect

Respect is acknowledgement of differences, being flexible enough to reach compromises, not pressing when told "no", listening to what others have to say, and apologizing when wrong.

4. One Unit Discourse

You and your partner are two halves of one unit, moving within the dance. Therefore, all communication should be done with your partner. TALK TO THEM! As rational humans, they'll listen! Let your partner know your needs and feelings, to their face, before the dance begins. This will circumvent most problems that could arise, and will make the dance easier for everyone.

5. Letting Go

Learn to let things go. If something happened in the past, it should stay there, and not be resurrected at the first sign of problems. Holding onto a grudge is petty and, more importantly, a drain on energy that could be used for dancing.

6. Variety Needed

Imagine for a moment that everyone in the hall used the same style of dance. Everyone danced the same way, all the time. Imagine doing the same thing over, and over, and over, because no one did anything different. Dancing would be boring! Variety is the spice of life, and we need variety in the dance as well, or it would lose one of the qualities that make it so enjoyable.

All these things need to work are common sense, and common courtesy. Let's get back to these tenets and move forward as a community.

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