We attended a ballroom birthday party event recently for one of our dancing friends. One of the dancers was not very aware of floorcraft and knocked down an eighty year man and his wife.
He fell hard, did not get up and appeared to be dead. After a hour and a half with the medical technicians he finally came around some. Then he was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

This totally broke up the party and made me much more aware of what can happen social dancing in crowds, especially with older people. Can someone be charged with negligent homicide for bad floor craft? The injured guy is still in the hospital and in very bad shape.

The night before one of our friends got her car keyed by an scorned woman that thought the friend was being to friendly with her recent boyfriend. She can't prove who actually did the keying, but the scorned lady is the first suspect. Probably about $3000 worth of keying to a new car. An expensive night for ballroom dancing.

Is ballroom dangerous?

How much alcohol was being consumed?

Some alcohol was consumed, but not that much. The fall was caused mainly by poor floorcraft. We even had another fall earlier in the party by a guy getting his feet tangled up with another couple dancing Samba. He was down for about five minutes and finally got up and was ok. I am noticing more falls during dancing--especially older couples.

I suppose the responsible persons were going flat out with their competition routine. I always say that routines should be left at home.or used only in a lesson or a competition. The V. Waltz is the most dangerous of all the modern dances unless all on the floor are not beginners. The Quickstep runs a close second. I have very simple steps for all the dances that move in both Modern and Latin if I am at a social event.

We have been ballroom dancing for over 5 years and go ballroom dancing once a week. Falls and hard crashes are very rare. It's been a few years since, I even saw a bad collision.

Last fall was a lady, somehow steping on her dress with her heel and slipping. I think it hurt her pride more than her body. She is an excellent dancer.

We just go places with ballroom dancers and most of them make an effort to share the floor curteously. As conditions get more crowded, everyone dances a bit more conservatively.

"The V. Waltz is the most dangerous of all the modern dances unless all on the floor are not beginners."

If you cannot move as a reasonable part of traffic, you should simply not be on the floor yet for viennese waltz.

The time to learn dances you aren't yes comfortable meeting the traditions of is in lessons and practice sessions - not socials.

With intermediate dancers and above, viennese waltz is quite safe, as its traffic pattern is by far the most predicatable. It's like driving on the highway, not rush hour traffic in town.

One of the causes of these crashes are the much older generation dancing very slowly and without awarenes of their surroundings. Or beginners that have no floorcraft skills or awareness. Yes, they bring in revenue at dances, but if anyone is dancing at a intermediate level or above needs to very aware of these folks. Good floorcraft is not an easy skill to develop. There are not any or very few classes on floorcraft skills. With the boomer generation aging and taking up dancing as adults--these crashes could become more problematic.

Someone slowly schuffling around the floor, than suddenly making a big movement to the left or right, based on my experience are the biggest problems.

Beginners and old dancers schuffling around the floor in a consitent manner are not a danger, just an obstacle in my opinion. I take it as a challange to dance well and not reduce movement, when they are present.

People dancing way beyond their ability and floorcraft skills, are the other group that are dangerous, based on my experience.

Anyone that has had some decent dance training should have been taught right in the beginning to be courteous to other dancers, and to take into account their own capabilities.
This will ensure that all on the floor are being taken into account when you move around the dance floor.
Dance, don't barge people out of the way, and if you are going dancing, it should be the same as driving.
Don't drink and drive, and the same goes for dancing, dont drink and dance.
Lastly, all age groups go dancing for the enjoyment thereof, and all age groups have different capabilities, respect each other.
Happy dancing.

Don't drink and dance. Ha!

The dance clubs and dance studios that we frequent use alcohol to boost their profits. There is usually plenty of alcohol pushed and available. There are plenty of drunken fools tring to dance at most night clubs every night.

One club that we frequent stopped having certain bands and music to discourage dancers. Most dancers just don't drink enough to pay for the band and club overhead. In other words--most dance clubs want dancers that are heavy drinkers.

Drunken Dancing and really hurting a fellow dancer. Could this be a criminal offense--just like Drunken Driving?