At a Dance.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 373, 2 July 1903, Page 7

At a Dance.

GIEL may perhaps wonder, in the first'place,' if she ought to SKjK help herself to one of the dance programmer laid read; on a table near the door of the ballroom. Sometimes a servant hands each lady a programme as she enters. But if this is not done, she should not herself take one, but wait until a partner presents himself. He will get one for her, and will probably, before handing it to her, ask her permission fcrputltimSßlf down for a dance • -ortwo.' * • It is a good ;idea to -Watch him as JheKwrites,, should he*-be a-stranger just introduced, for it is not always easy to read r a map’s name written in this Way.i ; . Should it be undecipherable, she might smile and say, ‘ I can’t read that,’ whereup'onhe would tell her his name, ■ A girl, however shy, should always sufficiently note a, new partner’s appearance to be able to identify him when his dance arrives, otherwise some awkwardness may arise, if he as is uncertain of her as she is of him. It is, however, much easier for a man to identify his. various partners, than it,.is for a girl. He can scribble on his card ‘ blue ribbons ’, qr ‘ pink roses,’ but there ' tore no variations in male costume for a girl to note. When he has handed Her back her programme, she tucks it into the belt of her igQFW-ior ties it to the ribbon of her .fan,' suspended from he# waist. .It is an awkward business when, one loses one’s programme jit should'be safely stowed away. -When other partners come up to ask -fcr dances, tho* girl 'produces the programme, and hands it to .them in the order in which they have been introduced,* or in which they have come up to her, should she have known them before. / Catting a dance,’ as it is called, when 1 * hj girl does not turn up in the ballroom to fulfil her engagement, is extremely rude and ill-bred. It is also, in the case bf„a private dance, excessively;-rude to one’s hostess, as been so badly, shirks a dance for which iffipbaA-engagcd - her self, though the temptation is some times great when the partner in question has proved dancer. Still; it is bad manners to shirk and the only excuse that is eyes .valid " cases is when the man in question hds Weq rude or impertinent, or has in CmtfTK&f m»bdmved:'“~ - - is perfwtly justified in re- ’ another maS, bywittiug out with him, she ~ a acting reprehensibly, and she may feel pe rfectiy certain thafctho hum she jsitai it 'j ißis|hlkh : forms nd very high opinion of I Jhr «eih;the circumstance. It is not always easy to hold up the dress .when dancing, and it is simply impossible jto hold up a trailing, heavily-trimmed petticoat' 'asweil. The . petticoat should be of just the length to clear the ground all toun'd.' ' As for the dress, many girls sew a loop rather low upon 1 the back of the skirt, and pass the left arm through this loop r. before beginning . to- dance. - Others t simply; clutch the skirt and hold it throughout j but it has a habit of slip- • . ping, and is apt to get trodden and badly torn in a crof ded ‘ t '. A very lon£ skirt is a great mistake in a ballroom. Men hate it, and the wearer of such often loses a dance, fpr, all other thing being equal, a good partner prefers the girl with the short gown. . Very often the partner holds up the gown, hia hand being better able to grasp i and retain the folds; but it is better to be quite independent in the inatter, and west a skirt that is easily lifted and easily held, l Satin is a terribly slippery material, and i constantly eludes.the grasp. ■> ’ ■ ‘ i The fan should be tied on with ribbons > that are fastened-to the belt; but these l ribbons should not be long enough to • allow the fan to swing outwards. It i might accidentally admiuster a sharp r blow to someone passing. • It is as wall to warn girls against letting I their partners fan them, for this often , results in the breaking of the delicate t sticks, and then two persons are sorry—- ’ the owner of the fan and the man who has 1 smashed it. a- ■ .1- 1 f By the way, should he offer to ‘have if L mended, it is wise to refuse, unless he t should happen to be an intimate friend i. It would soothe hia feelings to be allowed i to make reparation.. But m the case of e i comparative stranger the offer could nol i. be; accepted without loss of dignity, t Some girls make a practice of going t< tLe dressing-room immediately before oi immediately after supper, m order tx , make themselves tidy. After two or thre< a hoars’ dancing it is often a vpry necessary t operation, and it is moat refreshing tx l ’ bathe the face and wash the hands.