Ms. Poppy Chiffon — the doyenne of dance, the baroness of ballroom etiquette, the sultana of Southern hospitality — is pleased to answer your dance-related questions. Here are a few queries that Poppy deigned to extract from her mailbag this week. If you have a question that you would like Poppy Chiffon to address, please e-mail her at askpoppy@dancestationusa.com. Ms. Chiffon regrets that she cannot respond individually to questions.
Dear Poppy,
It’s hard to communicate with my partner on the dance floor. He seems to go in different directions than I do even when we are dancing. We bump knees and I don’t feel his connection. Does dancing improve communication in a relationship and how can we communicate better while dancing?
Detached
Dear Detached,
If you’re going in different directions, Honey, you need to establish who will lead and who will follow. Through communication with one another you learn about yourself, your partner, and the relationship. Dancing in a partnership puts you in the vulnerable position of having to communicate what you need in order to dance thedance. Whether dancing together will help your communication or not, generally, is up to the partnership. How is your communication off the dance floor?
Dear Poppy,
I asked my dance partner to communicate with me anything that might help our dancing. He told me that I was hard to lead just like pushing a plow around the floor. Now I wonder if communication is really necessary when working on a dance partnership? I thought that I was a pretty good dancer.
Deflated
Dear Deflated,
Verbal abuse should never be tolerated! Get Out Of This Dance Relationship Now! There is no reason for anyone to be so ugly with words, Sweetie. This is not good communication. There is no room for any kind of abuse on the dance floor or anywhere. Don’t be his workhorse any more! Be the good dancer that you are, Honey; find a leader who will appreciate you.
