Since the time of Peter I, balls were not just dances, but a kind of ceremonial - subjects circled around the emperor, the ruler, emphasizing the unity of the ruler with his people. Later, balls began to be arranged not only by tsars, but also by wealthy aristocrats. Marrying girls were taken to balls to be married off. Older people met at balls to admire the youth and discuss business. Times changed, some ballroom dancing gave way to others. So what, when and how did our ancestors dance?
It is necessary
To feel like at the ball of the previous years, it is enough to learn how to dance the waltz - the most beloved and popular dance since the 19th century. You can also try dancing mazurka, minuet and polonaise
Instructions
Step 1
In order to imagine the ball of the past years, one should know that initially, in the seventeenth century, the theme of country dances was popular. But that was so long ago that few people (even specialists) can recreate such dances with maximum accuracy. A century later, in the 18th century, the baroque became fashionable - both in art in general and in dance. You can get an idea of the balls at the court of Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine the Great from historical films. These ballroom dances were technically difficult, and our contemporaries are unlikely to be able to master them (with all their desire) with all the nuances.
Step 2
The balls of the nineteenth century are much closer and more accessible to us - the waltz, beloved by many, has already been danced at them, however, since then it has changed somewhat. The waltz was accompanied by a polka, a mazurka, a square dance. At balls, including school balls (in gymnasiums), there was always a steward - a kind of ball conductor, who had to be obeyed. At the ball, it was necessary to adhere to the etiquette, which was inherited by modern balls, which are held in noble meetings. If this is not a masquerade, then the gentleman invites only the lady with whom he is familiar or to whom he has just been introduced. You can dance no more than two dances with the same partner in one evening. A lady whom a gentleman invites to dance may refuse him if the dance has already been promised. If the gentleman liked a lady who is in the company of another, before inviting a dance, you should ask his consent.
Step 3
During ceremonial dances (minuet or polonaise), you should get up already behind the standing couples. The distance between the pairs is about a meter. In the dance, the gentleman leads the lady, if there is some awkward collision with other dancers, it is the partner who answers and apologizes, and not the partner. The dancers keep upright, look at each other, have a light conversation - they can exchange lines. After the dance is over, the gentleman takes his lady to the place where she was before the invitation and says goodbye with a polite bow, to which the lady responds with grace appropriate to the setting.
