For Experienced Dancers who find themselves in a Quadrille with Clueless Beginners

It is no disgrace to be a beginner who doesn't know which way to turn. We were all beginners at this game, and we all have sympathy with those who are clueless through lack of experience.

If you are an experienced dancer and can size up the situation, you are permitted to suggest changes which will make the dance more pleasant for everyone.

Sometimes we see a set where two experienced couples are in the head positions and two very inexperienced couples are at the sides. The first times through the figure are beautiful, but the next times with the inexperienced dancers are like a train wreck. If someone had suggested that one experienced and one inexperienced couple trade places, there would have been a friendly and knowledgeable vis-a-vis to help guide each beginner couple through the patterns.

If you can persuade a beginner couple to let you and your partner separate them, that can also be helpful.

These gestures can be quite kind and should always be suggested with a smile and understanding manner. One should never order fellow dancers around. That is one of those self-evident principles that I feel the need to point out.