Cotillion eager to get back into the swing of things
Plus: Teen talk; Charlotte's top news of the week; Harvest moon over uptown
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Dancing classes on pause during Covid; Promenade of Charlotte ponders return to gloves, increased line dancing, ‘Zoom etiquette’
SIMPLER TIMES: Back before Covid, students worried only about catching cooties, like at this ballroom dance practice during a Promenade of Charlotte cotillion class at Myers Park Baptist Church. Some even appear to be smiling.
by Cristina Bolling
The receiving lines and the foxtrots will have to politely wait.
Cotillion classes, those time-honored traditions in southern households where middle schoolers shuffle off with a groan to learn etiquette and ballroom dances, have been paused during Covid.
After all, many of the foundations of etiquette training, from mastering the perfect handshake to making your way graciously through a receiving line, are tough to teach over Zoom. Not to mention the dancing.
Just ask Elizabeth Jones and Linda Booth, who teach Promenade of Charlotte weekly classes to some 400 sixth through eighth graders each year. They’re hoping to figure out a way to get their program started back in early 2021, likely with some modifications.
“If we have to teach a different way of going through a receiving line, maybe they stand a little further apart and they nod at each other and just look each other in the eye,” Jones said.
“We have talked about the kids sitting father apart, maybe we don’t dance quite as much as we would in previous years,” she said. “Maybe more line dancing, and less partner dancing. … And we have talked about asking the children to wear gloves.”
Gloves are a “throwback,” Booth chimes in, “because when cotillion first started, girls were required to wear gloves. When I got involved (15 years ago), we didn’t want anyone to have to wear gloves, but it’s funny that here we are looking at that as a good option.”
A likely new curriculum addition: Zoom etiquette. Jones already knows what they’ll teach: “Wear something decent, don’t have a lot going on in the background, and alert your family that you’re going to be on Zoom.”
Promenade of Charlotte turns 66 this year, and its classes are held at Myers Park Baptist Church and Trinity Presbyterian Church, neither of which are currently open to groups. N.C.’s Phase 3 reopening rules prohibit indoor gatherings of more than 25 people.
In the meantime, Jones and Booth say, there are lessons parents can reinforce to prevent a Covid manners backslide.
Nod to the handshake: “We spend a ton of energy talking about the purpose of a handshake and what it does,” Booth said. “To think of this moment right now where we’re not shaking hands, is a little stunning. I’m hopeful that this is just a pause, and that we’ll be back to shaking hands.”
What do they recommend in its place?
“An enthusiastic wave, a smiling wave, especially when you’re greeting people in a Zoom situation, … or clasping your hands and putting them over your heart, like, ‘If I could hug you I would,” Booth said. “I don’t know that Promenade is ever going to go to the elbow bump.”
Dance parties: While kids aren’t able to learn the foxtrot, cha cha and box step in class, Booth recommends families “have dance parties at home within your family bubble.”
If you know ballroom dances, do them. If not, “just put on some music and dance. You can dance around and spin around and it does a lot for your emotional health.”
Social media and e-mail manners: Today’s Promenade classes have a component you wouldn’t have found even 10 years ago — cell phone and social media etiquette. For example, “when you go thru a line at the Harris Teeter, you are standing in front of a human, and therefore the human takes precedence” over phone calls, Booth says.
And they teach kids to do “an emotional proofread” before sending every email. “Always try to put yourself in the place of the person who is about to get that email, and read it as if you are that person and make sure it is being said the way you’d like it to be said,” Booth said. “Always with kindness.”
Maybe they really do miss it?: Jones and Booth say they know the eye rolling and fusses middle schoolers make to protest going to cotillion. But, they say, “99 percent of the time, it’s not true. They’re just at an age when they don’t feel like it’s appropriate to say, ‘Oh gosh, I love cotillion. I love going to Promenade. I love learning about manners,’” Booth said.
“They are not going to say that, but deep down they love it and they don’t want to miss it. Those boys are lined up in their coat and tie, ready to come in, and they’re pumped. Parents think, ‘I’m torturing them,’ but truly they love it.”
Cristina Bolling is managing editor of the Ledger: cristina@cltledger.com
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Teen talk: Build your vocabulary
Impress and delight the young people in your life by using the words they use. The Ledger shows you how in this occasional Saturday feature.
Today’s word: Sus (adj.)
Pronunciation: Suhs
Definition: Adjective used to suggest that someone or something is suspicious, shady or questionable. It is usually used when someone does something that is considered bizarre or creepy.
Used in a sentence:
“Wasn’t Logan being super quiet at Midwood Smokehouse last night? He was acting kinda sus.”
“I thought I saw someone walking around in my yard last night. It was super sus.”
“Isn’t it kinda sus how the new teacher got fired after a week?”
Ledger analysis: Sounds like a straight-up abbreviation of “suspicious,” but with more of a bent toward something odd rather than dishonest.
— Caroline Mecia, age 17
This week in Charlotte: Tillis tests positive for Covid, Cunningham sends racy texts, CMS changes plans, N.C. enters Phase 3, Duke Energy rejects buyout offer
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Politics
Tillis Covid diagnosis: (WBTV) Sen. Thom Tillis said Friday night that he has tested positive for Covid. In a statement, the Republican senator said he has no symptoms and feels well and plans to stay at home for the next 10 days. Tillis’ opponent, Democrat Cal Cunningham, said he wishes Tillis a speedy recovery. Tillis is one of at least seven people, including President Trump, who attended a White House Rose Garden event a week ago and has tested positive.
Cunningham admits to racy texts: (News & Observer) Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham admitted late Friday to exchanging sexually charged text messages with a California PR strategist. Messages to the woman from Cunningham, a married father of two, included “you are historically sexy,” “I’ve had the most amazing dreams of our time together” and “Would make my day to roll over and kiss you about now.” In a statement Friday night, Cunningham said: “I have hurt my family, disappointed my friends, and am deeply sorry.”
Judge approves absentee ballot settlement suit: (Observer) A Wake County judge approved a settlement that modifies how absentee ballots are handled in North Carolina for the 2020 election. Under the ruling, absentee ballots will be counted up to nine days after the election as long as they are postmarked before 5 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Education
CMS modifies K-5 reopening plan: (Ledger Hot Breaking News) The Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools board voted Thursday to bring elementary students back two days a week for in-classroom learning. The previous plan was to have them return to school on rotations that would have them in school for one week, then learning remotely for two. Elementary schools reopen starting Nov. 2.
Screen time guidelines are the same: (WFAE) Following complaints from parents, CMS released new graphics outlining screen time requirements for students while they learn virtually. The updates look flashy but still recommend students sit in front of their computers for 5 hours and 45 minutes a day, which some parents feel is too much.
Local news
Entering Phase 3: (Agenda) Gov. Roy Cooper lifted additional business restrictions effective Friday. Movie theaters, amusement parks, outdoor arenas, bars and indoor live-performance venues are allowed to open with capacity limits. Bar owners at a protest uptown on Thursday said the restrictions are still too severe.
Officers resign ahead of video release: (Observer) Four Charlotte Mecklenburg Police officers and a sergeant resigned two days ahead of the release of a video showing Harold Easter in their custody. Easter suffered a seizure and passed away on their watch, prompting Chief Johnny Jennings to cite them for termination for not administering medical assistance.
App State student dies of Covid-19: (Observer) Chad Dorril, a former high school basketball player from central-North Carolina, died Monday amid complications from the coronavirus. Dorril was otherwise healthy but contracted the rarest form of Covid-19, according to doctors.
Business
Duke Energy approached with buyout offer: (Ledger Hot Breaking News) Local energy titan Duke Energy was the target of a buyout offer from Florida-based NextEra Energy. Duke turned down the offer, the Wall Street Journal reported, and NextEra said later in the week it would not pursue a hostile takeover.
Is Charlotte the new “Lithium Capital” of the U.S.? (Ledger 🔒) A major deal with an international company is helping pave the way for a new lithium mine just west of Charlotte. The city is already home to several of the country’s biggest lithium companies.
Amazon opens new sites in Charlotte area: (Observer) Amazon is opening distribution centers in Charlotte that will create upward of 1,100 new jobs. The first of these new sites opened Sept. 20 on Reeves Ridge Drive.
Sports
Panthers use coronavirus killing robot: (WCNC)(WBTV) Yes, you read that right. The Carolina Panthers are implementing several safety measures for the team’s first home game with fans of the year on Sunday. Among them, a UV-ray-emitting robot that zaps viruses and pathogens.
Election central: voter guides and other info
Charlotte Agenda’s voter guide and breakdown of judicial races
The Charlotte Observer’s voter guide (for Observer subscribers only)
WFAE’s handy guide to important dates, registering, requesting absentee ballots and early voting
Good reads
Remembering Arthur “Gene” Grier: (Observer) Grandson of Arthur S. Grier, founder of Grier Heights, and beloved by many in the Charlotte community, Gene Grier passed away Sept. 22 at the age of 77.
Is Queens University haunted? (Charlotte magazine) Greg Lacour examines some of the ghost stories at the university in Myers Park: “It was founded 163 years ago, four years before the outbreak of the Civil War. That’s a lot of time for spirits and stories to accumulate.”
Two politicians walk into a bar: (Observer) Two candidates for the N.C. House ran into each other at a Charlotte brewery. And they were polite, maybe even friendly. Peter St. Onge writes that the episode is “a reminder in these coming weeks and months that our political battles don’t have to be fought on all fronts, and that no matter how much is at stake this election, if we let it overtake the basic decencies we show others, we’re in bigger trouble than we think.”
Other Ledger originals
Active adults: (Monday) The number of communities appealing to the over-55 set is growing in Charlotte, with some developers adding apartments in urban areas to appeal to baby boomers who want an active lifestyle. Some residents hold “dorm parties” on their balconies to keep their distance with staying social. One of the few single men living at Overture’s Cotswold location told us: “I get to cross this off of my bucket list, living in a sorority house.”
Lifestyles of the rich and famous: (Wednesday 🔒) Former Panthers coach John Fox sold his house on Baltusrol Lane this week, according to records with the register of deeds. The mansion, on Quail Hollow Club’s 14th fairway, is nearly 15,000 s.f. and has six bedrooms, six full baths and three half baths, according to property records. Fox left the Panthers after the 2010 season.
Home accessories superstore inbound? (Wednesday 🔒) Is a new superstore taking the empty space formerly occupied by a BJ’s? Or will the Metropolitan-area site remain empty a little longer?
Apple pickin’: (Wednesday 🔒) Apple orchards are in high demand nowadays, as people are hungrier than ever for outdoor activities. More than 10,000 people jammed the ticketing system at Windy Hill Orchard & Cider Mill in York, perhaps in part because of a favorable mention on Martha Stewart’s website.
Hot debate in Huntersville: (Friday 🔒) Developers want to build a mixed-use project next to Discovery Place Kids in downtown Huntersville, which they and town planners say could give the downtown new life. But some residents oppose the plan and say they would prefer a park and more retail shops.
At the bookstore: (Friday 🔒) We checked in with Park Road Books, the independent bookseller at Park Road Shopping Center. It’s been around since 1977 and is having to adapt to fewer events, a new preference for “comfort reading” and increased competition from Amazon.
— David Griffith
Harvest moon over uptown
Stunning photo Thursday night by Myles Gelbach. Reprinted with permission.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: David Griffith