A word of wisdom from up above:

"Good dance music is played by musicians who watch the dancers dancing and play accordingly."

Stated differently:

"Good dance music is played by musicians who know how to dance."

Until you've done at least a little of it for yourself, you can't really know much of what to watch for. Even just shufflin' a little on the sidelines, while a good dance band plays for some good dancers will give you at least some feel for what's needed - and it will work even if you can only "half-time" the tempo that the regular dancers prefer and have to shuffle when the dancers step.

And you should NEVER try to use - or emulate - a metronome when playing for dancers. The tempo needs to vary to suit the moves, and you need to learn enough of the moves to know when to "swing it." Perhaps even more than varying the tempo is knowing when to "hold" a note, or a beat, when the dancers need (or want) it. (And how to "catch up the beat" for the ones who didn't want the pause, without either of the dancers noticing what you've done.)

John