the 1times1 universal code of tango etiquette
When You Refuse A Dance (Ladies)
Refusing a dance is an OK Thing To Do. No one expects that every Lady will be able to dance with all the Magnificent Gentlemen whose interest and attention she will rightfully pique! Ladies, please know, however, that due to the Tenderness of Male Egos, we must be clever. A gentleman who asks you to dance, whose embrace is not objectionable to your sensibilties, must be handled with Care.
If you are not able to dance with such a gentleman when he asks you, then do be aware that a Gentleman Of Good Breeding may deduce that he Does Not Measure Up in some way, and may Fret, and may moreover swear to himself that he, in his abject inferiority, will Never Again Bother You For A Dance. Gentlemen Of Good Breeding are awfully sensitive this way, Ladies!
Thus, if you refuse any Dashing Gentleman's request for a dance, you Must Must Must Must find a way to show him that you Still Like Him And His Dancing Very Much. No words can explain this better than asking them to dance at the Very Next Opportunity you have.
If someone you find Objectionable asks you to dance, however, and you refuse them, you needn't do a thing. Specifically, you need not ask them to dance later out of guilt. You may continue to refuse their requests for dances until they Cease And Desist from asking you ever again.