Dance Etiquette vs Cultural Customs

“In Mexico it was a serious breach of etiquette for a woman to refuse a dance and then allow another man to have the same dance.” In the United States, it has actually always been considered ill-mannered to refuse a man a dance when asked politely, then to go on to dance with another gentleman who was not already written in on your dance card. Presumably, this was the reason for the popularity of the dance card and for dance cards filling up so quickly at the beginning of an evening. Gentlemen would ask for certain dances and their names would be written on the line for that particular numbered dance. A young woman’s escort or date to the dance was noted by an X on the lines for the particular dances promised to him.–   Public domain image of “Lolita & Juan” on a postcard.

RESENTS “QUEER” U.S. CUSTOMS AND LANDS IN JAIL

Ignacio Martinez. 21, Mexican, can’t understand American customs. Because his wife refused to dance with him a second time on Saturday night at a dance held by Mexicans in El Centro, and because she then accepted the dance with another man, Ignacio objected. He made such a disturbance that a city police officer was summoned and the young husband was placed under arrest. He was fined $30.00 in police court this morning. Failing to raise the money be was taken to the county jail to begin a 15 day term. 

Ignacio said that in Mexico it was a serious breach of etiquette for a woman to refuse a dance and then allow another man to have the same dance. Martinez was recently arrested on a charge of wife abandonment, but when he agreed to provide a home for his wife and to support her, he was released. The two are said to have separated again since then. – Imperial Valley Press, 1924

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber of The RSVP Institute of Etiquette, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia