The Importance of Line of Dance

Teacher, what is this important thing you speak of?  This line of dance?

Well, essentially Line of Dance is the proper direction to move around the dance floor on Standard and Smooth dances, as well as some of the Latin and Rhythm Dances which move.

Think of the dance floor almost as a two way street.  Everyone wants to move in the proper direction to avoid accidents.  Once you move in the opposite direction, you start running into people.

Here is a graphical representation of line of dance:

Line of Dance

The arrows indicate the direction in which we need to move around the floor, which is counter-clockwise.

At the areas on the end of the floor, we can move in two directions, while on the long sides we can only move one.  The sizes of these areas will vary with the size of the floor.

You are not allowed to cross any of the lines pictured unless there is an arrow pointing in its direction.  If you cross any of the lines without an arrow pointing at it, you are likely to cause a collision with another couple.

Pay attention to Line of Lance and the direction in which you are moving.  It will make the dancing experience much more pleasant for yourself and everyone around you.

-Aaron Mullen