Ladies It is your duty to dance. Keep in mind that a gentleman secretly fears circled ladies consumed in conversation. He does not wish to sever you from fascinating discussions concerning your toiletry, nor does he wish to disappoint all the other young ladies by his obvious preference for you. He may even take such behavior as indication you do not wish to dance and move on to another lady. Show your eagerness to dance in all ways appropriate but do not pant, as such behavior is rarely becoming in a young lady. Attempts at alleviating the gentlemen's difficult task of choosing a lady will be rewarded by many dances. If you intend to dance, accept him who asks first. If you dislike his company so much as to refuse him, it is proper to make the excuse of being excessively weary, dizzy, sickened almost unto death, or ill at your stomach, for which reason you must sit out the dance. He will comfort himself in the arms of another woman and you may join the wallflowers. Please do not slap a gentleman in the face unless he really deserves it; some find this treatment unnerving. Gentlemen It is your duty to dance. Please note that if a lady is in the building, she has come for that purpose. Don't be deceived by furtive efforts on her part to convince you otherwise. It is not considered proper to ask a lady to dance more than three times during the evening, so no pairing up.  Please liberally bestow your charms about the room. It is the gentleman's pleasure to attribute all errors or mishaps occurring in the course of a dance to himself, rather than the lady. She is always right, even if clumsy. Once a dance concludes, the gentleman will give the lady his arm and escort her to the ends of the earth, preferably her original position on the dance floor.  Parents We strongly encourage them to dance. It makes the cotillion that much more fun. And how often do they have an opportunity of exhibiting their superior grace and skill? Children For practical reasons, children under the age of 10 will not participate in all dances. Mr. Smith will announce the dances appropriate for their age group; these will be interspersed throughout the program. During the more difficult dances, children are free to play or dance on the sidelines as they please.