Every group class starts with two founding principals: A) The guys are the leaders, and B) Rule #1.
Before I give rule number one, I ask to see who can guess. Most answers include some variation of “guys are in charge” or “have fun” or “be nice” or “have a good frame.”
All of those answers are excellent answers; all of those issues are important to understand and follow in order to have a great dance experience, HOWEVER- none of those merit the title RULE NUMBER ONE.
Rule number one has two parts: Part A)fresh breath; Part B)good hygiene.
Most of the people I dance with have impeccable hygiene. Their bodies smell good, or at least not bad. Generally, most people are great about keeping rule #1b. RULE NUMBER ONE, however, can easily be broken without the person even knowing! So, take precautionary measures: brush, floss, and mouthwash. Also, drink lots of water. Not only is water essential to life, it also keeps your mouth clean and hydrated. Bad breath tends to favor dry mouth.
Once you are at the dance, gum and mints are great to have handy.
Some of the best items I’ve found for those times between brushings are Colgate Wisp mini-brushes.These are single use, little brushes with a breath-freshening bead and a toothpick end. I recommend these when you are on the go. The other item I recommend is Breath Rx Gum. This is found at Walgreens in the dental care section, and can give you a complete assurance that you aren’t breathing fire.
Bad breath can keep the best dancers from getting repeat dances. But that’s not you 😉