The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word TWO-STEPS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
W
O
-
S
T
E
P
S
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Dances" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case dances = two-steps.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does TWO-STEPS mean?
TWO-STEPS noun- A ballroom dance in duple time, having long, sliding steps
- A piece of music for this dance