International Waltz: Do's And Don'ts On The Dance Floor

Step 1: What to wear

Although there isn't a strict dress code for dancing the waltz, as said before it's a very elegant dance, therefore you need to dress appropriately.

Men should wear a plain loose shirt, comfortable trousers and a pair of comfortable, preferably soft-soled shoes. Women should wear a loose skirt or dress and reasonably high, heeled shoes.

You may love your 'Sex is Great' skin tight T-shirt and torn jeans or think that a tiny mini skirt really shows off your legs. However these may offend others and can constrict your movement.

The waltz is a dance which moves a lot so you need to feel 'free' in what you wear and not as if you've been sucked into the tube of a vacuum cleaner.

Getting your footwear right is vital. Tatty or spanking, sparkly new trainers are a big no, no. And for women - be realistic! If you decide to break in your new 6 inches, you're more likely to end up in A&E than being crowned the new Dancing Queen.

Step 2: Orientation on the dance floor

It's not just by fluke that when professional dancers all waltz together, in a relatively small space, it doesn't look like London or New York at rush hour.

There are a few simple rules to follow to prevent horrible head-on crashes.

Firstly, you must always move anti-clockwise around the floor and never clockwise.

Secondly the floor is divided into 3 invisible lanes. The outside - or 'slow lane', is for the beginners; the inside lane for intermediates, and the centre of the floor for the advanced dancers only, who can more or less move to wherever they want.

Step 3: Facial expressions

When you think of ballroom dance, you may have the image of an orange suntan and 'cheesy grin' stuck in your mind'. Well you can forget about this in the waltz. In fact, it's not traditional to smile at all.

This doesn't mean you can sway around the floor looking like you're about to hit someone, just aim for a more neutral, friendly expression.

Step 4: Be respectful on the dance floor

This is pretty simple. If you're nice to others then others will be nice to you.

Use a hand signal to give way to other couples otherwise you could end up poking, prodding, elbowing, and even brawling - which would most likely get you thrown off the floor or out of the class and asked never to return.