Why did Noah ask Delphine to dance with him?

Noah finds Delphine attractive, but he is also described as somewhat defiant.... he dares to be different.

People hung back. It wasn't our kind of dancing. It wasn't a square dance called by Mr. Chilly Attabury. But couples edged onto the stage. Then in this night of wonders, Noah was bowing over Delphine, putting out his hand for all our world to see. My land, he was handsome, though defiant around the eyes. Delphine pressed her feather fan against her bosom and cast great fringed eyes up at him. He was asking her to dance, and it was a waltz. She held back only a short while.