Under the heading of: Observing Dancing Etiquette

"The dance floor was the perfect place to observe the good manners that characterized Austen's England. But while these elements are wonderful to practice, they sometimes made courting on the dance floor a little difficult.

Because dancing was a communal activity, certain rules enhanced the feeling of community. Check out the following examples of proper dancing etiquette:

1. Rescue the wallflowers: While dances usually had more young woman than young men present, the gentlemen were expected to ask the young ladies who were seated without a partner to dance. Failing to do this was ungetlemanly and went against the community. Missing these moments in Jane Austen's novels is also to miss the first of the "do's and don'ts" of ballroom etiquette: Gentlemen should ask seated young ladies without partners to dance."

*The good example: I will not quote directly but it is Mr. Knightley asking Harriet Smith---"the only young lady sitting down."

*"The bad example: When at the Meryton Assembly, Darcy, "catching [the] eye" of Elizabeth Bennet, who "had been obliged, by the scarcity of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances," turns back to Bingley and says he is "'in no humour at pesent to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.'" He insults Elizabeth, making sure she hears him, but he also sees a young lady who is sitting out two dances for lack of a partner and does nothing about it."

There are 4 other rules listed which I will give without its accompaning explanation and good/bad examples.

*Respect one's partner and don't bother another man's partner.
*Show up for the dance you requested.
*Decline a gentleman's request to dance with grace.
*Adhere to the two-dance rule. :-)