Our friend Devin Toma recently gave some tips for how to get more from dances. We thought they were funny. These are not intended to be gospel doctrine, but just something fun to think about. 
The two tips are:
1. No yakking
2. No chimping.
Brother Toma said that the first rule is no yakking. That means, don’t act like yaks. When yaks are scared or threatened they sometimes gather together in a big group — like this:
He said “young ladies be careful that you don’t get together in a herd when a slow song comes on. That could intimidate some of the boys.” No yakking.
No chimping was Brother Toma’s rule for the boys. He showed a picture like this
and reminded the fellas that unlike this chimp they need to listen. “Don’t just talk about yourself” he said — listen to what the ladies have to say. He had some other funny chimp pictures too that reminded the boys to take a shower before the dance.
What are your suggestions for how to have a better time at dances?
The dances that include everyone by just waving people onto the dance floor are the most fun. I’ve seen circles get bigger and bigger until everyone was dancing.
Hi Tony!!!! I just bought your book and you just signed it for me in Salt Lake and we just partied at your mom’s for Grandma’s 80th and Denny’s 50th Birthday! I had to make a comment on this problem. I recently chaperoned a youth dance. What a revelation. I hadn’t been to a youth dance in years, if not decades. My tips:
1. Dance
2. Don’t stand in the middle of the dance floor in one gigantic group of yaks and just talk, or occasionally jump up.
3. Request danceable music to the DJ. Something upbeat with music and rhythm to make you dance. Sooo many songs aren’t danceable enough.
4. Request more line dancing or group dancing music to the DJ. I loved it when the large mass of yaks would all of a sudden form dance lines and do the Cotton Eyed Joe or the Chicken Dance or the others that everybody knows.
1) Stop caring what you look like when you are dancing.
2) Dance as much as possible
3) If you don’t know what you are doing, at least pretend.
4) If you don’t know how to dance, study others who seem to know.
5 Find people to hang with who aren’t uptight. (The self consciousness of people around you can make you self conscious too. Fight it.)
I for one think that the music the DJ plays should be not that “heart controlling throb” style of music, because lets face it, if I wanted that type of music I would go clubbing. Lets be real. Who wants to go home with ringing in their ears for an hour longer than the dance because of the loud music? I for one do not.
Don’t be a seagull. mine mine mine mine mine Don’t make someone off limit to your friends, just because you have a crush.
Haha, Brother Toma is hilarious! I really enjoyed the EFY dance because,
1. People weren’t afraid to ask people they didn’t know.
2. The guys twirled!
Guys, if you want to have fun at a dance, or make girls want to dance with you more, my advice is to not only be respectful, but twirl like no other. Every time a guy twirls me I get a huge girn on my face, showing him how much I appreciate it.