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Balls during the Victorian Era

Balls Victorian Era: Victorian Balls were formal occasions where many people, mostly from the upper classes mingled with each other, mostly for the prospect of an engagement. Balls during the Victorian Era were intimately planned events with no room for any mistake.

There were planning committees which planned the seating charts, food to be served and the music to be played to the minutest detail. The Balls mostly composed of dances where people could meet their prospective husbands and wives.

During this time, there was the particular season when there were numerous high society Balls held in big towns and cities for the particular reason of meeting protective alliances. There were also Debutante Balls which announced the arrival of a young girl into society and that she was eligible for marriage.

The planning committee, which was also known as the Committee of Arrangements was in charge of hiring a hall, arrangements for food and a band which was often a quadrille band. Their most important duty was sending out the invites to people who were going to attend the dance.

Outfits were worn by Ladies during Victorian ball dancing

Outfits for balls differ according to the age and the social position of the person. A young woman who is in search of an alliance will wear light colored outfits often made out of tule, gauze, net and the outfits would not be very heavy since they have to be danced in.

Generally, ladies who will be dancing will not wear silk. However, some exceptions have been made with this rule where the ladies wear dresses made out of silk with the appropriate accessories and trimmings. Women in mourning wore scarlet, violet or black.

Older, married women are permitted to wear silk in light colors and minimal accessories and jewelry. All outfits competed with long gloves which weren’t removed at all during the course of the evening. An extra pair was always available in case a glove split or became dirty.

Women wore satin shoes with their outfits. The shoes were white for lightly colored dresses and black for the darker hues.

Outfits were worn by Men for Balls Victorian Era Dances

When it came to clothes, men, on the other hand, did not have as many options of outfits as the women. They wore fitted dress coats with a matching pair of pants. The outfit was completed with either a black or a white colored vest.

The waistcoat worn during these occasions were not decried with extravagant trimmings but were decorated with gold buttons. The man’s outfit was completed with a necktie which was in the form of a cravat, early colored leather boots, and white gloves.

Music and Dance

Most dances at the ball were quadrille dances. Quadrille dances were danced in groups of two to four couples who formed a square and took turns in dancing to the band which was hired for the occasion.

It was customary for a lady to not go without a partner through the night. If the lady came with a partner, his friends would reserve dances by entering their names on her dance card. It was not required for the man and the lady whom he accompanied to dance with each other through the night. they could exchange partners and dance with different people.

The End of the Ball

In the end, if the party was a large one, it was not required for the guests to thank the host and hostess. however, that was not the case if the company was small. It was considered customary for the guests to meet the hosts a week after the ball to thank them for the invitation, discuss the events and leave a card.

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