Dancing

Dancing is an important part of any ball, providing an opportunity to show off one's skills and, more importantly, a socially acceptable avenue for a courting couple to have a private conversation. Three dances, each less than 5 minutes in length, will occur at every ball in The Social Season, at times signposted at the start of the session by the GM. These dances provide a different format for roleplay and may be an important plot element for some characters (particularly those looking for love), but there is no pressure or expectation for players themselves to dance.

The choice of who to dance with has great IC significance, as it shows who a person is most interested in courting. Generally, a debutante will dance with many partners throughout a ball, but a particularly in-love couple may only have eyes for each other. Some characters may not wish to dance at all at balls - perhaps they are attending as a chaperone, they are already married and the novelty has worn off, or they are terrible at dancing and wish to protect the feet of everyone else at the ball. Characters who are interested in dancing at the ball will each have a dance card where they write the names of people they have promised to dance with - the GM hopes to be able to provide these to players for physrep, and they will likely be useful both IC and OC to keep track of who is dancing with whom.

A section of the room will be clearly designated as the 'Dance Zone', and the characters portrayed by players sitting, standing, or even dancing themselves in this space will be assumed to be dancing in-character. If players choose to physically dance themselves, there is no expectation for this to be accurate to any real-world dance - for example, players may stand together swaying to the music or adopt a more traditional ballroom dancing position. It is very important that participants obtain OC consent before making physical contact at any point during the game, and OC calibration is expected before and during dancing, to ensure that everyone is comfortable throughout. It may be the case that most, or even all, players prefer to sit in the Dance Zone, rather than dance themselves.

Instrumental classical musical will be played at a low level during the dances to ensure that conversation is still able to take place. More discussion about the accessibility of this game element can be found here, and participants are encouraged to talk to the GM if they have any concerns, as this game element can be altered to make sure everyone is comfortable.