When looking for your next dance partner, please know:

Anyone can ask anyone. Don’t wait to be asked.
If someone asks you to dance, it’s fine to say no.
You don’t have to sit out a dance because you declined an offer.
If you want to dance, ask someone right after the last dance ends. Sitting down means you are not going to dance.

We also ask that the caller reiterate this during the lesson and during the dance.

Claire Takemori

On 12/16/17 11:39 AM, Kalia Kliban via Callers wrote:

Hi all,

Those of us who started dancing 2 or 3 decades back probably remember
the rule about sitting out the dance if you turn down a partner offer.
A very competent male dancer I know who started around the same time I
did (late 80s) recently confessed to me that he never asks anyone to
dance because he doesn't want to put folks in the position of thinking
"If I don't dance with this guy then I have to sit one out.? Oh crap,
guess I'll have to dance with him."? For the record, he's a totally
solid and delightful dancer.

To what extent has that earlier etiquette norm either survived or been
replaced, and what has it been replaced with?? In your dance
community, do you have a written statement of the etiquette around
this?? Our community's statement doesn't directly address this issue.

Kalia
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