I think it depends on the state. In New Jersey permission can be granted per dance or per event, but in New York you need to get a written waiver from the spouse for each step, wiggle, or turn. For some of those fast-paced dances (merengue?) the legal documentation needed can reach hundreds of pages. For married folks, I’d definitely recommend consulting an attorney before even purchasing dance shoes. It might not even be worth the effort.
It’s just dancing so I don’t see the issue. My son’s high school has an annual “dancing with the teachers” contest. It’s not serious and everyone plays it for laughs. The teachers are known beforehand but they just ask for kids to volunteer at the time of the event (it’s part of a pep rally) so it’s all spontaneous. It would never occur to anybody there that there’s anything inappropriate at all!
It makes me think professors are people too.
I think that’s part of the problem. We used to host dances for the department and there were nearly always a couple professors on the make. Of both genders.
I’d be willing to bet that 100% of the married participants have the approval of their spouses. Anyone disagree?
(BTW, I did not use the word “permission.” I said “approval.”)
Would any of you married folks sign up for something like this without your spouse’s knowledge–or against his /her wishes? This is not a one time dance at an event. This involves close personal body contact with a much younger member of the opposite sex, (who may/may not be attractive/scantily clad. . .) for several hours a week of training/rehearsal throughout months of the semester. Imo, spouses have to be OK with this, and I’m sure they are.
My D has been creeped on by several older profs, some married. So I ask myself–Would I want my D dancing with a middle-aged married guy like my H? or Would I want my H dancing with an attractive young student like my D? My answer is “No” to both questions. Do I have to explain why? D would probably, naively, be thinking that it is all good clean fun. But my H (not anyone else’s H, of course) would very likely have something else on his mind the second he put his hands on a young woman.
I truly neither know nor care what my partner does all day at work. (Though his bosses are a lesbian couple so I doubt he’s much their type 
). He went to a party this weekend (I was invited but chose not to go) back with our friends from undergrad. I have enjoyed creeping on pictures of him dancing and having fun at the party.
Truly, not every old man wants to sleep with every young woman. I think people sell men short.
What’s next? Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!
I don’t see the problem at all.
Would the people who see problems with this object to a middle aged woman dancing with a young man?
Academic version of Dancing with the Stars?
I’m just going to refer to the title of this thread and say no 
“Would any of you married folks sign up for something like this without your spouse’s knowledge–or against his /her wishes? This is not a one time dance at an event. This involves close personal body contact with a much younger member of the opposite sex, (who may/may not be attractive/scantily clad. . .) for several hours a week of training/rehearsal throughout months of the semester.”
If I wanted to fool around, I wouldn’t need to sign up for a dance in order to do so. Either my spouse trusts me, or he doesn’t. I would likely inform my spouse - because it’s courteous if I’m going to be absent - but I’m not asking permission here.
yeah - I can’t imagine the idea of asking “permission” from a spouse. Tell them where I’ll be - sure. But if my spouse doesn’t trust me to dance/be in close contact with a younger person without some sort of sexual overtones, then there is a problem in the relationship. I don’t care if my h travels with a younger, rather cute assistant. And I assume he has the same feelings about me.
I suspect that many of us don’t exactly ask our spouses for permission to do things, but we probably say something like, “What do you think about the idea of my joining a barbershop quartet that practices every Thursday night?” Most of us probably know what the answer is likely to be, also.
Again, I didn’t use the word “permission.” Someone else said that. If you all feel free to sign up/inform your spouse because you already know he/she will be OK with it, great. If for some reason he/she objected when you informed him/her, would you cancel, or would you say, “I’m doing it anyway”? ( I doubt anyone would be in this situation because if they knew their spouses would object, they wouldn’t sign up in the first place.)
I’m sure my H would have no problem if I wanted to enter the competition with a young man. He trusts me.
Because I am considering their individual personalities, looks, and past experiences, I’m sticking with my original post that this is “not something I’d want my H or D to participate in–but could be fun for others.” Seems like people have gotten off track on this or I have been misunderstood. No one said dancing is “sinful.” I’m not objecting to anyone else’s (imaginary) participation–just my H’s. JustOneDad said that at his dept. dances there were nearly always a few people on the make–of both genders. That is a potential problem that should be acknowledged.
Personally, It seems like fun to me, and is something I would like to do. For me, no problem. For H (just my H, not your H, not all men, etc.), and D–potential problem. (When I say my D has been “creeped on,” I mean inappropriate behavior/stalking, scary stuff–not that someone looked at her FB page.) Not objecting to the concept or anyone else’s participation.
I think it’s great!
When i was in my 20’s, i had a middle-aged dance partner. We would hit all events in town because we loved to dance! There was never a single awkward moment. When my parents came to town to visit me, they loved to watch us dance.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar…
“Someone else said that. If you all feel free to sign up/inform your spouse because you already know he/she will be OK with it, great. If for some reason he/she objected when you informed him/her, would you cancel, or would you say, “I’m doing it anyway”?”
I think there’s a difference between “gosh, we don’t spend a lot of time together as is, I really wish you wouldn’t do an activity which requires you to be gone every Thursday night for the next 8 weeks” - which I would understand and be sympathetic to - and “I don’t like the idea of you doing an activity with a person of the opposite sex” which would require some more discussion as to why my spouse was uncomfortable / suspicious / jealous / whatever.
I would just say that people who are on the make don’t need dances to be on the make.
Funny thing; dances seem to facilitate things like that.
Things like what?