Amid the debate over the morality of young people dancing together, here is an original take on the issue- done properly, dancing should be seen as the perfect activity for building strong marriages!
Wonderful reflection. Reminded me of Chance or Dance by Thomas Howard, which describes the Catholic faith as a kind of dance versus the chance universe of atheists.
It’s probably wise to keep out of the heated debates about dancing (I’ve been unfortunate enough to hear them back in my trad days) and consider the activity as an art form. Speaking as a teacher, I think dance rituals like Prom and Homecoming are going by the wayside, which makes me sad. There’re some lessons to be learned, like you bring up, about how to approach the opposite sex. It’s an important step to courtship and romantic relationships.
Without any formal dancing, I’m afraid you mostly just end up with twerking and grinding or no dancing at all.
Great points, Auguste! And, thank you for your kind words. Fortunately, there are still remnants of those wholesome Proms and Homecomings here and there - usually associated with classical academies, from what I've seen.
True that! Funny you should mention Thomas Howard- one of the sources mentioned in the article (who was kind enough to comment on it and restack it!) mentioned it as a great source. I agree, and I was lucky enough to send my sons to an all-boys Catholic school that provided mixers and dances with the young ladies in the all-girls school across the street. I also volunteered to chaperone at them to keep them clean and courteous. But the parents always held clinics at the school where they gave basic dancing and etiquette lessons as well as guidance on how not to make a spectacle of oneself when it came to their attire- especially some of the ladies who there was always that 1% who wanted to push those envelope and show a little more skin than was allowed. Kids!
Wonderful reflection. Reminded me of Chance or Dance by Thomas Howard, which describes the Catholic faith as a kind of dance versus the chance universe of atheists.
It’s probably wise to keep out of the heated debates about dancing (I’ve been unfortunate enough to hear them back in my trad days) and consider the activity as an art form. Speaking as a teacher, I think dance rituals like Prom and Homecoming are going by the wayside, which makes me sad. There’re some lessons to be learned, like you bring up, about how to approach the opposite sex. It’s an important step to courtship and romantic relationships.
Without any formal dancing, I’m afraid you mostly just end up with twerking and grinding or no dancing at all.
Great points, Auguste! And, thank you for your kind words. Fortunately, there are still remnants of those wholesome Proms and Homecomings here and there - usually associated with classical academies, from what I've seen.
True that! Funny you should mention Thomas Howard- one of the sources mentioned in the article (who was kind enough to comment on it and restack it!) mentioned it as a great source. I agree, and I was lucky enough to send my sons to an all-boys Catholic school that provided mixers and dances with the young ladies in the all-girls school across the street. I also volunteered to chaperone at them to keep them clean and courteous. But the parents always held clinics at the school where they gave basic dancing and etiquette lessons as well as guidance on how not to make a spectacle of oneself when it came to their attire- especially some of the ladies who there was always that 1% who wanted to push those envelope and show a little more skin than was allowed. Kids!