Teaching on the Floor
There are two aspects to this point of etiquette:

- Unsolicited teaching:
This is unfortunately one of the more common breaches of dance etiquette. This often happens when a dancer stops in the middle of a song to correct his or her partner, or tell them how to execute a dance figure. Ironically, this error is often committed by individuals who are not fit to teach! Experienced social dancers dance at the level of their partners. Even for experienced dancers, the social dance floor is not the place to teach or to correct your partner. It is better to concentrate on patterns that both partners can do and enjoy. Unsolicited teaching can be humiliating and takes the fun out of dancing.

 - Soliciting teaching on the floor:
This is not necessarily a flagrant violation. For many, it is flattering to be consulted about a point of dancing. However, a little care and caution is always a good idea. Consider this hypothetical scenario: A polite dancer is excited when his favorite song comes on, and he asks the closest stranger for the dance. He really wants to dance this song, but she replies: ``I have never done this dance before. Can you please teach me?''
It is debatable how much one can learn, from scratch, in the 2-3 minutes a typical song plays, but that is beside the point. This is a song he really wants to dance to. For this or any other reason, he may not wish to spend time at that moment teaching someone, but she has left him no polite way of getting out. In this situation: (a) She doesn't know him (so cannot justify the imposition based on friendship), (b) she solicits teaching at the time he is asking her to dance, which puts him at a disadvantage, and (c) she does not know anything about the dance, so he cannot say: ``let's just do basic steps.''

Of course it's not always that bad. Dancers can learn quite a bit from each other in social dancing; observing a few simple points will make things enjoyable for all:

Don't say "teach me" the moment someone asks you to dance. If they are shy, they will feel trapped, will spend the next few minutes with you, and then for the rest of the night will avoid you like the plague. If they are not so shy, they will not teach you, and for the rest of the night will avoid you like the plague.

A good approach is the following: when asked to dance, one can say ``I would like to, but I don't know the dance.'' This shows that help would be appreciated, but without any pressure.

The asker in this situation can either offer to take the partner on the floor and do some basic steps, or if s/he is not so inclined, take it as a decline of dance: ``Oh, it would have been fun, perhaps we can do a different dance later?''

It is better to request help from friends, or at least someone you have had a dance or two with already, rather than someone you just met. If anythings, this is a great motivation to make friends in the dance community.

If you want to get pointers from someone, wait until s/he sits out a dance. Then go talk to her/him. This way they are not missing out on a dance by helping you.
Summary
Etiquette is here to ensure everyone has a good time in a social dance setting, so pay attention to it.

Your outfit and accessories should be comfortable, safe, and also reflect the culture and level of formality of the dance group. Most importantly, do not forget your dance shoes.

Ask everyone to dance. Do not monopolize one partner for the whole night.

Today's beginners will be the good dancers of tomorrow, so be nice to them and dance with them.

Do not decline a dance unless you absolutely have to. Having declined a dance, you cannot dance the same song with someone else.

Be considerate of other couples on the floor. Exercise good floorcraft. Do not cut other couples off. No aerials or choreographed steps on the social dance floor!

Stationary dancers (e.g. Swing dancers) stay in the middle, traveling dancers move on the boundary along the line of dance.

Avoid patterns that your partner cannot do: dance to the level of your partner.

Never blame your partner for missteps.

No unsolicited teaching on the floor!

Smile, be warm, be personable, be nice.

Author: Unknown