I think your instincts are correct about close physical contact of the nature you describe, with girls sitting on your lap.  That's an extremely volatile situation which could easily be miscontrued by the parents or even by some of the girls who might be experiencing sexual feelings toward you.  

We don't want to see you doing the perp walk on the nightly news, with your head under a coat as you are led out of the studio with your hands cuffed behind your back!  You should speak to the instructor at once.  Ultimately, she is responsible for anything untoward that happens in her class, so it is in her best interest too to rein in the girls and establish boundaries where you are concerned.  

Hope this helps.  Good luck!

>Hi. I'm a straight, single male in his late thirties. I have been doing ballet off and on for the past several years. Here's the issue. The ballet I am doing is partnering. With girls aged between eight and fifteen. I was asked to do this by both the girls and the teacher (who is a friend of mine). The teacher and the girls are very appreciative of me doing this for them. First off, is it REALLY ok for a guy my age to be doing this? Secondly, on occasion, one or two of the girls will get a little too close to me than I am used to (since I am not REAL used to children). Sometimes they like to hug me, or they like to sit on my lap with their arm around my neck. Is this normal... or if it's not, how do I get a kid to stop this without them feeling like I'm pushing them away? Also, how would a parent react to their child exhibiting this behavior around me or seeing a late-thirties male lifting their daughter?? I do think I should quit because I don't want to get arrested for accidently stepping over what appears to be a very, very fine line. But I don't want to let the girls or the teacher down. Any advice??