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Original poster

Dancing at seated concerts

36 replies

doyoudanceinyourseat · 20/05/2019 10:57

If you went to a concert where audience had to be seated, no one standing up, the band were amazing, jazzy funky with brilliant saxophonist and guitars and drums - aibu to dance, move to music while seated, or is that not the done thing?

I was with one person and there was no one in the other seat but there were people behind

Just wondered what the etiquette is!

OP posts:
VanillaCoconutDove · 20/05/2019 10:59

I think you go according to the general vibe.

Football matches are technically seated but the majority stand, so it’s not an issue.

If you were in the minority standing then you’re creating an obstruction to those behind.

Drum2018 · 20/05/2019 10:59

How much dancing can you do while seated? It's unreasonable to be waving your arms about, possibly blocking the view of those behind you, but if you are just swaying a bit to the music then I'd say that's fine.

Hadjab · 20/05/2019 11:01

I find most people are sitting there, waiting for that one person to get up and move. I find impossible to sit still to good music at a concert, I mean isn’t that the point?

NataliaOsipova · 20/05/2019 11:04

I think it very much depends on where you are! At the Royal Festival Hall or the Barbican? Definitely not. A more relaxed outdoor event where people had drinks etc during the performance? Maybe. On balance, though, probably better to err on the side of “not the done thing”....!

Original poster
doyoudanceinyourseat · 20/05/2019 11:54

@drum2018 It was along the lines of nodding head in time and moving shoulders to the rhythm - while seated!

@hadjab I really agree, it was really hard to sit still - the people behind me were thumping their feet on the floor and probably moving a bit too from the sound of it.

I didn't look around though and we were near front and only afterwards wondered!

OP posts:
Magenta82 · 20/05/2019 12:41

I hate seated concerts, the atmosphere is never the same.

Drum2018 · 20/05/2019 19:13

I'd do that. I can't imagine being able to sit rigid throughout a concert.

Spudina · 20/05/2019 19:16

I have seen a certain singer 5 times. I am incapable of sitting down through the big hits (and honestly it would be a naff show if nobody got up). Luckily the seating has been tiered so it doesn't matter. You do your thing OP. Hopefully the person behind you will do the same!

MyDcAreMarvel · 20/05/2019 19:19

I am a wheelchair user and hate it when people stand up at concerts. I can’t, so I can’t see. If you want to stand then book a spot in the standing area.

Careradvice2019 · 20/05/2019 19:19

I did this at my daughters concert at a theatre .. there was a lot of music from the film The Greatest Showman . I got up to dance and got told off by my DH ... we went to see Tom Chaplin sings Queen last month , despite there being lots of people dancing ( seated venue ) I really wanted to get up but felt embarrassed and remembered how DH had told me off before , so it wasn't until right at the end I got up ... felt it ruined the evening a little as I was dying to get up and dance which was encouraged by Tom Chaplin ....

TheAssemblywomen · 20/05/2019 19:21

I've danced in the aisle at seated concerts.

DeltaAlphaDelta · 20/05/2019 19:22

I work at a theatre that has standing and seated concerts. If its seated, and a few people here and there stand up in their seats to dance, they get asked to move to the side and dance in the aisles, or sit back down so people behind can see.

If the majority get up we leave them to it. We dont allow dancing in the middle aisles, or people moving to the front to dance in front of the stage, but if the artist tells everyone to move to the front, we have to go with it.

I would never attend a seated concert as a customer, always standing for me!

Gottalovesummer · 20/05/2019 19:24

Just don't ask for advice about singing along!

MissUGirl · 20/05/2019 19:28

I am unable to stand due to a medical condition, so it pisses me off when I pay for concert tickets just to get a view of someone's rear end for two hours.

If you want to jump about you should book yourself into the general admission area rather than the seated area.

recrudescence · 20/05/2019 19:29

I agree - annoying and unnecessary. There is also a sense in which the offender is simply showing off how uniquely connected they are to the music. Dance at home if you must.

BreconBeBuggered · 20/05/2019 19:31

There's no one answer - it depends on the configuration of the seating. Some venues won't allow it anyway. Dancing in the aisle isn't always the ideal compromise i might seem, if you're blocking someone else's view of the stage from any angle that's not straight ahead. I've been to seated gigs where occasional standing's been fine, and others where it would totally fuck up the experience for people who couldn't get up.

CaptainWentworth · 20/05/2019 19:35

OP, I wonder if you were at the same concert as me last night - famous 80s guitarist and band? I also had a stand/ sit dilemma - ended up standing as everyone in front of me stood up so I couldn’t see anything unless I stood up too. It annoyed me somewhat, but the fab music made up for it!

alfagirl73 · 20/05/2019 19:36

I think it depends on the music and type of artist/venue.

My ticket for Hugh Jackman this coming weekend actually says "people around you may dance" - so the audience have been warned! That said, if anyone things I'm going to sit on my arse while Hugh Jackman is strutting his stuff they're out of their minds! LOL!

Eliza9919 · 20/05/2019 19:43

Standing and dancing in the seated area is not on. You may think that the people behind you can stand too, but I'm 5'1, I'd have to stand on my seat, so what then are the people behind me going to do?

Also, people could be disabled, and have booked standard seats instead of in the disabled seating area.

Book the standing section if you want to stand and dance.

EmpressLesbianInChair · 20/05/2019 19:47

Standing and dancing in the seated area is not on. You may think that the people behind you can stand too, but I'm 5'1, I'd have to stand on my seat, so what then are the people behind me going to do? Also, people could be disabled, and have booked standard seats instead of in the disabled seating area.

This. I’m 4’11 so if selfish arses in front of me are standing, I’ve got no chance.

Book standing or get seats at the back.

NotPennysBoat · 20/05/2019 19:51

I used to work at a big arena in a major city. I was always being called into arguments about people standing up ("I can't see because SHE'S standing up").
The official line was that you pay for the seat and the space in front of it, so if you want to stand up then you can. These were most often pop concerts though - surely you'd expect to dance??

HappyHammy · 20/05/2019 19:54

Some venues dont allow standing in seated areas, it can be a real fall safety hazard. Security will tell you to sit down. I'm only 5.1 so I cant see anything if people in front stand. Usually everyone is on their feet at the end and for encores. I get pissed off paying for a seat if people stand all the way through the concert if there are allocated standing areas downstairs. Saying that I wonder if the band find it depressing if people dont get up.

IvanaPee · 20/05/2019 19:57

I did this at my daughters concert at a theatre .. there was a lot of music from the film The Greatest Showman . I got up to dance and got told off by my DH

You got up to dance at your dd’s concert? Did everyone else??

Mrsjayy · 20/05/2019 19:57

@alfagirl73 Iam going to Hugh Jackman this weekend i might have a sway 😁

JaneEyre07 · 20/05/2019 20:05

Never sat at a concert in my life, whether I've had reserved or unreserved seating.

That's plain weird.