In the nineteenth century, dance was the foremost means of entertainment. People worked long hours every day except the Sabbath, and breaks were few and far between. When leisure time arrived, folks dropped their work, gathered up some musicians, and set up a dance. Whether it was the elegant grand ball or the local barn dance, it was special, and people would come from miles around for the "hoe-down."

Typically, the dance began around sundown on Saturday, after the chores were all done, with the Grand March and the first waltz. Music would continue until around midnight when the revelers would break for supper. After eating a sumptuous meal, followed by sweets, and washed down with the libation of choice, it was back to the dance floor until dawn. Finally, the strains of the last waltz would echo into the hills just in time for folks to pack up the buggy and get to the Sunday morning church meeting.

The Grand March

The Waltz

Following the Grand March, dancers remain with their first partner and proceed directly into the first waltz. The waltz was once considered too risqué for God-fearing Christian folks because of the way the dancers held each other throughout the dance. In pre-Victorian dances, couples generally only made contact by occasionally taking hands. To mitigate this scandalous behavior introduced with the waltz, set dances in ¾ time, like the Spanish Circle and the Varsouvianna (described below) were introduced as a more acceptable alternative to the free waltz. Later in the century, the waltz became not only acceptable, but quite popular.

The Virginia Reel

Grand Island, Nebraska

The reel is a vigorous and rousing dance of Scottish origin. It is a variation of the contredanse described below in which couples face each other in a line with the ladies on one side and gentlemen on the other. The name comes from the movement (seen above) in which a couple "reels the set," a whirling, spinning maneuver that resembles the reeling drunk weaving his way home from the tavern.

The Contra or Contredanse

The name is French for "country dance." There are many variations of contra dances. The common threads are the lively tempo and the formation in which couples face each other in lines. In some dances the ladies will be all on one side, as in the Virginia Reel described above, and other variations have the couples alternating. The Contra is a predecessor to the square dances and line dances so popular today.

The Polka

This is a lively round dance in 2/4 time thought to have originated in eastern Europe, hence the name, which literally means, "Polish Woman."

The Jenny Lind

Named for the famous "Swedish Nightingale," the Jenny Lind Polka is a set dance in polka time. The Jenny Lind is a "mixer" in that each time through the chorus, dancers will move on to a new partner. A mixer is also known as a progressive dance as people progress, either as individuals or couples, to different partners.

The German

"German" was a name for many dances that were more party game than dance. The most popular was known as Favors The Rose in which ladies and gentlemen took turns seated in three chairs and, through whatever means available, had to convince the lady or gentleman seated next to them to dance with them rather than another. The rose in question was then taken by the loser in the contest while the joyous couple would sashay or polka to the end of the hall and take their places at the end of the line.

The Spanish Circle Waltz

This is an elegant set dance in ¾ time that was an acceptable form of waltz (see above) in the early days when waltzing was considered inappropriate. It is a progressive dance where couples will advance and dance with other couples throughout the dance.

The Schottische

"Schottische" is a German word for a "Scottish" dance that probably did not originate in Scotland. The Schottische is a stately but vigorous round dance in 2/4 time. It can be danced as couples or pairs of couples (the four-horse hitch).

The Varsouvianna

Here is an elegant round dance that was an acceptable form of waltz (see above) in the early days when waltzing was considered improper. The Varsouvianna comes from France and is danced by independent couples often aligned with other couples facing the head of the hall.

Dancers, both ladies and gentlemen, were issued a dance card that had a list of all the scheduled dances for the evening. The card was a convenience, not only to display a handy agenda of the dances, but which was used to record the names of partners to whom one had committed each dance. It was considered bad form to promise a dance to a partner and then renege for any reason other than medical emergency, such as the "vapors." It was also common, however, for the dancemaster to add unscheduled dances during the evening.

In the old country (whichever old country that may be) people were taught their traditional dances in childhood. Thus it was rare that there would be adults at a dance who didn’t know the steps by memory. A "caller" was unnecessary. In the United States, the evening generally was made up from dances originating in many different European cultures. Inevitably there would be people at the dance who weren’t familiar with at least some of the dances. The solution was to have a dancemaster, or caller, for the dances. The caller would sing out the steps as the dance progressed so anyone, even the most novice dancers, could easily follow along. This uniquely American tradition has survived to this day with the modern square dance caller.

It was considered a serious breach of custom to violate the following social rules:

• It is expected a gentleman will dance the Grand March, the first waltz and the last waltz with his lady.
• It is expected all dancers will participate in some dances with other partners.
• A lady must be escorted to and from the dance floor by her dance partner.
• A gentleman will never approach a lady to whom he has not been properly introduced.
• A gentlemen may ask a lady’s escort or any male member of her family for an introduction.
• Any such request for an introduction may be refused.
• A lady may capture a gentleman’s eye through discrete, ladylike gestures with her fan.
• A lady will never engage herself with a gentleman to whom she has not been properly introduced.
• A lady should honor commitments made to gentlemen on the dance card.
• A lady may refuse a gentleman’s request for any dance.
• A gentleman should accept such refusal gracefully.
• Gentlemen should remove their sabers and spurs prior to the first waltz.
• A gentleman should refrain from smoking, spitting, fighting, or using colorful language on the dance floor or any other location in the presence of ladies.