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,
I thought that I was falling in love with my dance partner and that he was falling in love with me. When I confronted him with my feelings he seemed shocked. He told me that he really enjoyed dancing with me but he only wanted to be dance friends. My heart was broken. How can I better protect my heart on the social dance floor?
Mislead
Dear Mislead,
Perhaps you misread instead of being mislead. In partner dancing we are imagining the elegance of a Waltz or the sexy attitude of the Argentine Tango as we dance. The manner in which we dance does not imply anything beyond the dance. Misreading attention and mannerisms from your dance partner as a romantic interest can be painful as you have experienced.
Dear Poppy,
I am always being stepped on or getting hit on the dance floor. I feel like the lead is using me like a bumper on a car pushing his way through traffic. I am not out to play bumper cars or crash car derby.
Dancing on a Collision Course
Dear Collision Course,
Where are you dancing, Sugar? The lead must be protective of the follow! The follow is going backwards most of the time and does not have eyes in the back of her head. The lead guards the follow from all collisions and absorbs any unavoidable collisions!
