Dancing with Sweaty Dance Partners.
Question by User monday_girl99
It honestly ruins everything sometimes.
The lead’s structure could be amazing, the chemistry could be amazing. Styles could be super compatible. But all of this can be ruined in a second when you start feeling cold drops of sweat pouring from his chin fall onto your shoulder and slide down your arm while dancing sensual bachata( yep this happened to me). You instantly loose focus, enthusiasm and responsiveness, how could you not.
I’ve seen some threads here wondering why certain follows weren’t responsive/how to make follows more responsive- that sort of thing. This might literally be a reason why there is sometimes a barrier.
A little bit of sweat is not the end of the world, but I’m talking about those guys with shiny faces you can spot across the room who look like they’ve been running in the rain or spent 2 hours in a sauna- inviting someone to dance when you’re in such a state is almost disrespectful.
Take a break in between dances once in awhile- go to the bathroom, wipe yourself, If you have heavy sweating problems bring a towel, maybe put a bit of deodorant. It’s not that hard- girls do it! You might notice your follows will suddenly feel much lighter.
Answers
User waitImcoming
I agree and think some responses are being a bit touchy. All you are saying is wipe it IF you are like you are coming out if a sauna. Sweat is fine but when it’s dripping like a faucet it’s fine to take a break to wipe it.
Same goes for follows of course. A friend(lead) told me how the worst is when the follow has a dripping wet pony tail that smacks in to his face when doing turns. Lol.
User JerkyMcGee
I worry about this because I sweat like mad during lessons. I’m going to be a pool come the Summer and actually in a club. I carry around a rayon buff in my pocket to at least wipe away the sweat when I can.
User curiouscheesecake
I think sweating is fine, its human nature to sweat. It’s just bad BO with sweat which becomes a bad thing which is what followers usually hate more (from what I hear). Think you mean, please shower and wear clean clothing for socials. Usually I apologise in advance but sometimes the followers are also sweaty so we just laugh off the sweaty times and enjoy the dance.
Usually salsa venues have either poor air flow or too many people dancing inside causing everyone to sweat. But yeah I usually go to the bathroom dry myself out, if its too sweaty I’ll swap into 1–3 of my spare tops I bring for these situation if I can’t dry myself out in time to make it more of a pleasant time at socials. I do this during the bachata songs lol.
tldr — In short leaders/followers shower and wear clean clothing, sweating is normal and take a minute or two to dry yourself in the bathrooms.
User JoyJones9
I like that idea of changing to another top. That’s an easy fix for those aware of their sweating/b.o. they just need to be aware of it. Sweating is an easy one to notice but b.o. is not always so easy to notice. I’ve been contemplating mentioning it to a friend but I’m not sure how to approach it or if it’s even my place. I really don’t want to make him self conscious and he seems to have a good time regardless so I might keep it to myself.
User JoyJones9
One of my favorite leads sweats buckets and also brings a towel. He does what he can and I ignore it. Another lead I know and love as a person doesn’t wipe as much and I still dance with him, though typically I’ll just make a little space so I don’t get soaked. I get your point. It’s not hard to stuff a towel in a back pocket, I’d do it if I sweat a lot. It just doesn’t bother me when I get a little sweat on me typically. Now one friend of mine has heavy b.o. after a certain point in the evening, a scent that really repels. I’ll sit a dance out occasionally if he asks because I know he can’t help it but whew.
We went to a different kind of dance/show recently together and he kept wanting to monopolize me and I kept declining to dance on my own. When I got politely asked by someone else to dance I started dancing with him and my friend tried to butt in to “protect” me. He thought my declining was because I just wanted to dance alone. That was some poor miscommunication on my part that I intend to remedy in any similar situation, though I might not inform him it’s because of his b.o…. maybe just the fact that I love dancing with lots of other people and not just him. I’m not sure how to kindly mention the scent or if it’s even necessary. Someone else might be attracted to his chemistry?
User El_Willster
Yeah this is a hard one. I usually bring 3–5 shirts a towel, and always try to wipe myself as much as possible. After two songs I am usually drenched, then after that 1 song equals=1 shirt (2 if I’m lucky). I think OP does have a point, nobody LIKES someone else’s sweat but some people mind a lot less then OP. If I am sweaty and someone wants to dance or I want to dance, I just ask, “Do you want to dance(usually they say yes) I am a bit sweaty, are you alright with that?”
User 9Q6v0s7301UpCbU3F50m
I do my best to dry my head regularly with a handkerchief, but it really doesn’t bother me when a follow is sweaty. I think there’s a balance between trying to look and smell good and stay dry to be considerate but also not being too precious about people being sweaty while dancing vigorously in a hot room! I like having a quick dry pack towl on hand… as well as light quick dry clothes to stay cool … have not yet started bringing changes of clothing
