I guess the parents have zero experience with social dancing. It's rude to turn the man down, unless he's acting like a psycho (in which case the chaperones can boot him). But no boy gets to pester a girl repeatedly. That's what dance cards are for.
Good manners dictate that at a social dance, neither the boys nor the girls are supposed to cling to one person or the other, but get to know everyone there.
It's not a darn wedding; it's a dance. But parents in the age of "hook-up" may have forgotten that. Social dancing is a sane, casual way to assess grace, looks, manners, and character in members of the opposite sex, because everything is non-committal and out in the open. It requires you to be good company both to those you pine for and those you don't. (You learn a lot about someone by seeing how he handles this.)
That’s what dance cards are for.
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I don’t think one can find those in use any more.
You are making too much sense to be on this thread.
Very nice commentary SS #12
except for the dance card. :-)
When was the last time dance cards were used?
I don’t even recall my mother having them, and she was very proper.
I think it would be great.
I’m sick of the “have to have a date” approach to “socials” wherein one is indeed obliged mostly to “dance with the one that brung ya”. Those dances don’t really exist anymore.
I agree completely. A dance is 3-4 minutes and at that age, there should be a volleyball to basketball diameter between the chests of the dancer.
There is no good reason to not be polite and do one dance with someone one time.
I started dancing in 2001 after my ex-wife divorces me. It did tremendous things foe my emotional health, especially since my ex was not an affectionate woman.
There were many excellent women dancers who asked me to dance when I knew almost nothing about dancing. I got to be an excellent social dancer in very short order. Not saying I was addicted to dancing, but I once went dancing 21 nights in a row.
I attended a lot of Christian singles dances over quite a few years and always made it a point to ask women, even the fat ones, who were there for the first time to dance and offer encouragement.
Proper dance etiquette requires that you sit out the rest of a dance if you turn someone down. If you need to sit one out because you need a rest, the most polite thing to say is that you need a rest, but would be happy to do the next dance with them.
Saying yes to a dance request is just a response to someone who might need some affirmation. It could change their life knowing someone accepted them even in such a small way.
Excellent summary. Thank you.
Do the girls twerk as they do in high school?