Figure 1.--A method used by some dancing teachers is to let boys practice with manequins before allowing them to actually dance with a real partner. This isn't usually necessary for girls.

Boys are often difficult subjects for dancing teachers. Thery often come to class involuntarily--if not under considerable duress. Not only is their attitude not the best, they tend to be rougher and often more clumsey than the girls. The girls often come to dancing school with a basic knowlege of dancing. There mothers may have preped them or they may have practiced with frioends or older sisters while listening to music. Boys on the other hand or not likely to have practiced with friends. As a result, dancing teachers often have to use considerable ingenuity.

Manequin

One inovation to save wear and tear on the girls is to have a novice boy dancer practice weith a manequin or doll. This usually is not necessary with girls, but may be useful for a particularly clumsey boy who keeps troming on the toes of a real partner. I'm not sure what the boys involved might have thought of this, but presumably was only possible with younger novice dancers. Some boys, however, may well have preferred to dance with manequins. HBC is not certain how common this method was or actually how well it worked. We do know that it was a methhod employed by some teachers.