It’s time to get dancing! But what to expect!?

What are the Expected structures for classes and Events?

Classes are typically one hour long and are structured over the semester to build new skills with each class.

In partnered dance classes, you end up switching partners and learning to dance with everyone. If you are nervous don’t worry, the instructors will go over everything with you.

Social dances are typically structured with a beginner lesson to start the evening, followed by 2+ hours of social dancing. Sometimes based on the theme or goal of the dance other fun things might happen but this is the general structure. The beginner lesson is structured like our classes but only focuses on people getting the skills they need to start dancing that night. It generally does not build on other skills. Social dancing is just an open dance floor with DJ’d music (or sometimes if you are lucky live music!), dancers ask each other to dance and have fun cutting a rug!

For other events like pop-up events, workshops, or exchanges there are general structures but each one is different since they are more unique events.

What Should I wear?

You are moving your body so it’s important to dress appropriately and remember that you dance with others so please be thoughtful about personal hygiene. You should wear things like:

  • Comfortable, non-marking indoor shoes (shoes that have not been worn outside)
  • Clothes you can move in
  • Deodorant
  • Kick shorts (if you want to make sure no one sees anything while wearing a skirt)
  • Hair ties/Scrunchies (Sometimes people like to tie their hair back if it’s long to stop it from getting in their face!)

It’s important not to wear things like:

  • Stilettos
  • Perfumes
  • Flip flops
  • Loose clothing
  • Large sweaters
  • Jewelry that could entangle someone

This is for your and others’ safety. These things could cause injury to you or others while dancing and we know that no one wants that!

What is Expected Of You?

To create spaces welcome for all when you dance at a TRUSU Swing class or event we expect that you will:

  • Respect human rights. 
    We welcome all dancers, music lovers, or anyone, regardless of gender/gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, religion, and so on.
  • Be welcoming! 
    You might have a core group of dance friends and it’s absolutely fine to enjoy them! But do your best to dance with and be kind and welcoming to everyone.
  • Respect everyone’s physical boundaries. 
    Do not engage in inappropriate or unwanted physical contact. Be sensitive to other people’s personal space, including dance floor space and physical proximity.
  • Respect everyone’s personal and emotional boundaries. 
    In social dance spaces, there are situations where you likely don’t know a lot of the people, not yet anyways! Make sure to be thoughtful of what you talk about and how you talk about things. Also, do not make unwanted advances. Be attentive to how an individual is responding to you, including their body language.
  • Respect the word “No”.
    Be okay with people saying no. If you ask someone to dance and they say no, accept their decision and move on. No one is obliged to dance with you. If someone doesn’t give you an answer, walks away, or in any other way does not consent to a dance or some other proposed activity, respect that too.

    It’s also okay for you to say no! If someone asks you to dance and you don’t want to, say something like “No thank you” and leave it at that. If someone is refusing to take no for an answer, do not hesitate to find an organizer and report it.
  • Be thoughtful of your words!
    Do not use offensive language. This includes but is not limited to; misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, and racist language.
More questions?

Need to know something we didn’t cover here?

Reach out and send us a message. You can reach out on any of our social media platforms, send us an email, or head to our contact page!

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