Square Dance Etiquette Question

[bjarvis]

A relatively new square dancer asked me the following question tonight:
How do you politely deal with someone who wishes to be your dance partner but makes you exceedingly uncomfortable?

I suggested pre-emptively ensuring you have a partner already arranged for the upcoming tip but this ducks the issue rather than dealing with it. Likewise choosing to sit out a tip rather than dance with the objectionable party is inadequate: one shouldn't have to sacrifice one's own participation in an event just because of one individual.

Thoughts?

Comments

[abqdan.livejournal.com]

I guess frequency of the request plays into it too. If it's a one-off, I grin and bear it - it's just 15 minutes out of my life. And frankly, who you square up with in an 8 person square bears little relationship to the fun of the square as a whole - unless the person is a really bad dancer.

Now if this is someone trying to hit on you, or someone who persistently makes a bee-line for you, then other remedies come to mind, including "I'd rather not - we don't seem to dance well together". Of course, as you get older, you get more comfortable being fairly blunt with people. I'd have had a much harder time with this in my 20's.

The other really difficult moment is - what do you do if the worst two dancers in the hall join a square you've already joined? Since you can't leave the square (that would be rude) you put it down to Karma getting you back for standing on that bug this morning...

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

If it's a one-off, I grin and bear it

Yeah, I do largely the same. I'll have to remember your "we don't seem to dance well together" phrase... it's direct without being accusatory or insulting.

The other really difficult moment is - what do you do if the worst two dancers in the hall join a square you've already joined?

Yeah, not much you can do except feign death but there's only so many times you can do that in a night before people start getting suspicous. Your hubby has it easy... he can always claim sudden arrhythmia. :-)