Contra Etiquette

Wear loose, comfortable clothing, and expect to sweat. Many of us bring an extra shirt to change into partway through the dance since we think dancing in a dry shirt is more fun and our partners agree! Drink lots of water: Dehydration is no fun, even if water leads to more sweating. Please also wear sturdy, clean, soft soled shoes to protect our floor. Many dancers bring shoes that they put on at the dance.
Contra dancing, unlike most sports, throws you into the arms of another new person every few seconds. Some dancers are hypersensitive or allergic to highly scented products such as perfume, after shave, cologne, etc, and others react to odors such as spices, onions or garlic. Please be thoughtful in your pre dance scent application. And, yes, fresh bathing and clean clothing win you points.
Anyone may ask anyone else to dance. Same gender dance partners are common. To be welcoming and to help people not fear rejection, we also cultivate a community in which you generally accept an invitation to dance unless you have good reason not to.
Many experienced contra dancers improvise during a dance. We encourage artistic expression and experimentation, but being on time to the beat and helping your partner be on time are always more important than nifty embellishments.
Dancers flirt to various degrees. Contra dance flirting is usually meaningless fun, but of course dancers do also find romance on the floor. Please pay attention to your partners comfort with flirting.
People dance in close physical contact but please hold yourself so that both you and your partner are comfortable. Remember that your partners comfort zone may be different from yours!
Eye contact can help prevent dizziness during swings and allemandes. Eye contact is also fun, friendly, and flirty. If youre not comfortable with eye contact, try using your partners ear, chin, collar, etc., as a dizziness preventing focus but be careful not to focus your gaze anywhere that could make your partner uncomfortable (e. g., down at a womans chest!).
You should be comfortable at a contra dance. However, different people are comfortable in different ways, so dancers can have a mismatch. In the event that someone approaches you or dances with you in a way that makes you uncomfortable, here are some suggestions: Your comments will probably be most effective in person, especially if the other dancer is unintentionally causing you physical pain. We suggest gently and forthrightly saying, "Please do not do X. When you do X, it makes me feel Y. I would prefer it if you do Z." This feedback can help people learn and grow. Remember that in all likelihood this person has no desire to make you uncomfortable and will be appalled at themselves and grateful to you when they find out. If approaching this person by yourself does not feel possible, please discuss the issue with a board member and we shall work with you to solve the problem. If you are not sure who the board members are, please ask the person who made the announcements or the cashier.
We welcome children. However, please keep your children who are not dancing off the dance floor for safety on all sides.
Contra dance demands coordination with yourself and with others. Dancing under the influence, just like driving, can be a tricky proposition. Please be responsible, especially so that your dancing does not impair the rest of the set.

WE dance for pleasure; and for the good of the community.

(Source "Cincinnati contra dancers" )