the 1times1 universal code of tango etiquette
On
Asking A Gentleman For A Dance
(or, Asking By Not-Asking)
It is commonly understood among those who have an iota of sense in them that One Who Considers Herself A Lady would rather be asked by a boy to dance than to have to ask the boy herself.
This, however, does not mean that One Who Considers Herself A Lady is utterly powerless in the project of securing dances with those she finds personally delightful. Au contraire.
How does this work, you ask? How does a Lady inspire the correct Boy to ask her to dance? How does the Correct Boy know that he is the one, that he Ought to Ask For A Dance Now? Well my friends, it all boils down to The Codes Ladies Use.
In Buenos Aires, the code is quite well established and is based upon a very subtle thing called Eye Contact. A Boy will not ask a Lady to dance with him until she has made discreet yet strategic Eye Contact with him, thus inviting him to ask her.
In New York there
is also a code through which a Lady invites a Boy to ask her to dance. It is
called: Striking Up A Conversation. Any Lady who goes out of her way to stand
or sit next to a Particular Boy and converse with him may be reasonably understood
to be expressing to Said Boy her willingness to dance with him, and to be encouraging
him to ask her for a dance. (Unless of course both parties know better based
on previous conversation or interaction.)