Ballroom dancers who do waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, and other dances that travel learn quickly about how to maintain control of their movements out of necessity. No one wants to collide, step on, or to cut off other couples. But this skill called “floor craft” is a valuable one that some Lindy Hoppers tend to not think about much, if at all, often to our own detriment.

As someone who years ago, in a defunct restaurant and social dance venue (No, not Tia Juana’s.), was hit in the back with a flying woman, (Yes, really! Air steps and crowded social floors never mix, period. ‘Nuf said.) I feel justified in bringing up the topic.

With a figurative tip of my hat and literal thank you to ATOMIC Ballroom Instructor Peter Flahiff, who I’ve heard spent a good part of a group class covering floor craft last year, I delve into some thoughts and tips.

Although it’s great that more and more people are developing a love for dance, an inevitable side effect is that dance floors can sometimes get a bit crowed.

Most of us are familiar with the common courtesy of standing to the side of the room if you’re not dancing, apologizing if there’s inadvertent contact with another couple, etc. As we get more comfortable with our dancing and lose some of the tunnel vision of less experienced dancers, floor craft can help it feel a bit less like bumper cars out there.

Some ways that I practice floor craft to dance defensively:

– We’re all focused on ourselves and our dance partners (or at least we should be), but keeping your head up and staying aware of the couples around you goes a long way towards predicting where the couple next to you is probably going and proactively avoiding each other.

– Make your own movements smaller. Even if you have a big kick, arm flair, or a go-to move that travels a bit, you can challenge yourself to be conscious of your own body placement and adjust. You might even be surprised by an increased balance and control in your dancing.

– Try staying closer to your partner, especially on the rock step. Sure, you may typically have a pretty mammoth rock step behind you, but maybe it’s more appropriate to keep it more underneath you instead on a crowded floor. The connection can be just as satisfying when you travel less and keep your elbow bent a bit more than usual. Perhaps you’ll find that the connection with your partner has a whole new feel when you don’t cover as much ground. Even if your partner’s arm is fully extended, if you don’t match it, you might avoid rock stepping on someone behind you.

– It’s not wrong to abort a swing out to avoid someone who wasn’t there a second ago. In fact, it’s usually appreciated.

Follows’ Corner (no leads allowed):

– Although we aren’t always able to control where we’re led or avoid other couples, we do have some control, particularly over how we get there and whether we use all of the momentum we’re given. We share responsibility with our leads to pay attention to our own bodies, where we’re going, and where other couples are in relation to us. If I’m being led into another couple and can avoid contact, I will. No autopilot! Just because we’re led into a turn that’s supposed to travel, doesn’t mean that we can’t spin in place to avoid the follow who was just led into our path. I think our leads will forgive us.

– Many times I’ve not let my lead rock step into another couple just by keeping my elbow bent with no give, rock stepping behind me, or even giving a slight tug towards me. Often he’ll understand the message. It’s about communication, and I’ve gotten enough “thank you’s” to know that the feedback is usually appreciated. (By the way, it’s nice to recognize when your lead saves you too.)

Okay, welcome back leads:

Crowded dance floors might make you want to Balboa (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that), but like other dance skills, floor craft can be a valuable tool that can help keep everyone swinging out. Now, let’s watch out for our partners, ourselves, and each other.

Feel free to share your own floor craft tips.