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Go directly to the collection, An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490-1920, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.
An American Ballroom Companion, ca. 1490-1920,
provides materials with which to do several create visual projects as
well as to study examples of non-fiction. Guides with detailed descriptions
and numerous illustrations provide a captivating starting point for creating
costumes based on historical and literary figures. Illustrations, descriptions,
and the collection's short videos can be used to understand the expressive
nature of dance and to create a dance of one's own. The collection also
contains both a drama and cautionary tales that can be used to study social
criticism, while guides for instructors provide the opportunity to examine
the process of teaching.
Having a Ball
| The guide, "Masquerades,
Tableaux and Drills" (1906) provides detailed instructions for
a number of once-popular activities, such as holding a ball, creating
a tableaux or living picture, and performing drills. In addition
to providing an interesting look at forms of entertainment before
the advent of film and television, this guide can provide the basis
for any number of creative projects that can be combined with the
study of history or literature. |
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Illustration
from "Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills," 1906.
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Illustration
of a Martha Washington Costume from "Masquerades, Tableaux
and Drills," 1906. |
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The section on "Children’s
Tableaux" suggests creating scenes in which children dress
up as characters from fairy tales or nursery rhymes. This idea
can be modified. Participants can choose a character from a fairy
tale or fiction and write about why they chose the character and
how they will create a costume that conveys the identity and significance
of the character. The culmination of the project can be a fairy-tale
ball, or some other similar event at which participants wear their
costumes.
Another possibility is to hold a Martha Washington Ball. These
February 22 events feature "the ladies dressed in the Martha Washington
and other costumes of the eighteenth century . . . and the gentlemen
in the Continental and Revolutionary costumes," (page
12). After researching some eighteenth-century historical
figures, choose one person and write an explanation of his or
her accomplishments.
- Why did you select this person or character?
- How will you express this person's unique identity through
a costume?
- How do you think that this person would have behaved at a
ball?
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Create a Dance
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Like any art form, dancing allows for the creative expression
of ideas. Arabella Moore’s "The
Dance, Ancient and Modern" (1900) briefly describes the various
religious and secular purposes of dancing throughout history.
While discussing contemporary dances, Moore describes the Polka
Mazurka as expressing "sentiments of sweetness and tenderness.
It is full of elegance . . . its slowness has something aristocratic
about it, even a little haughtiness. The waltz has more passion,
but there is grace also in the undulating and gliding Mazurka,"
(page
27). An example of the Polka
Mazurka is available in this collection’s Video
Directory.
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Illustration
of Waltz from "The Dance, Ancient and Modern," 1900. |
Drama as Social Criticism
| Thomas Wilson’s play, "The
Danciad" (1824), is a discussion, in verse, on the "state of
ball-room dancing" and offers an opportunity to understand how a
drama can be a medium for social criticism (page
i). From its dedication "To teachers of merit, (particularly
those at whose request "The Danciad" was composed, and who are most
capable of deciding how far the author has done justice to the subject)"
to its extensive footnotes, Wilson’s "The Danciad" offers a critique
of the London dance scene in the early nineteenth century (page
3). |
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Dedication
from "The Danciad,"1824.
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In one scene, a character named Jemima announces that she knows some
dancers "on and off the stage" and many of the alleged "Dancing Masters"
are frauds: "These mean impostors bring to disrepute, / This polite
art, and teachers of repute. / Nothing like science do they teach or
know, / They are quacks in dancing, which I'll plainly show" (page
6). An accompanying footnote provides insight into Wilson’s
creation of this character in its description of the casting requirements
for the role: "It appeared requisite . . . that this lady should possess
confidence, together with experience and abilities . . . [to expose]
. . . the deceptive pretensions and impositions of various self-created
and self-entitled ‘Professors of Dancing,’" (page
5).
- How does Wilson's depiction of the early-nineteenth-century dance
culture characterize that culture?
- Why do you think that Wilson was critical of "self-entitled ‘Professors
of Dancing’"?
- Why do you think that Wilson wrote the "The Danciad?"
- Do you think that writing in verse helps or hinders his play?
- How do the footnotes add to your understanding of the play?
T. A. Faulkner’s Cautionary Tales
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Illustration
from "The Lure of the Dance," 1916.
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T.A. Faulkner’s anti-dance guides, "From
the Ball-Room to Hell" (1892) and "The
Lure of the Dance" (1916), feature the ruined lives and assorted
evils associated with dancing. "The Lure of the Dance" is actually
dedicated to Faulkner’s own sister, who "died a victim of one
of these human vultures infesting the dancing schools and ball
rooms of our land," (page
6).
Faulkner peppers his rhetoric with questions such as, "Would
you like your parents, your friends, and people for whom you have
the highest respect and whose favor you wish to secure and retain,
know what your thoughts and feelings were while engaged in the
dance?" (page
25).
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He also vividly describes scenes in which children succumb to the temptations
that surround them. In one example, a young woman goes to dinner with
a young man she just met at a dance:
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She hears her companion order a bottle of wine opened . . . One glass and then another, and the brain . . . is whirling and giddy. The vile wretch . . . whispers in her ear many soft and foolish lies . . .
The wine has done its work.
When she awakens next morning, it is in a strange room . . . [H]e who has brought all this upon her has promised to right the wrong by marriage . . . but such trifles as this he thinks nothing of; it is too common an occurrence about the ball-room. Days grow into months, and now added sorrow fills her cup . . . She is to become a mother, and the girl cries out in bitter anguish, "My God; what shall I do; must I commit murder! Oh! that I had never entered a ball-room."
page 71
- What does Faulkner's starting his book with a dedication to his
sister contribute to the overall effect of the tale?
- Does Faulkner narrate the story from the perspective of the man
or woman? What does this viewpoint contribute to the overall effect
of the piece?
- Who is Faulkner’s intended audience?
- How does Faulkner’s work compare to that of religious leaders who
were part of the anti-dance movement?
- How does this work compare to Wilson’s play in its ability to affect
social change?
Instruction
Although the majority of dance manuals in this collection are designed
for beginners, some instructors developed guidelines for others to teach
dancing. Frank Clendenen offers two guides that provide instructions
for instructors with the "Treatise
on Elementary and Classical Dancing," which offers technical basics
and "The
Art of Dancing; Its Theory and Practice," which promotes the physical
benefits of dancing.
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Other guides in this collection address more practical matters
that are often associated with teaching. C.H. Cleveland’s "Dancing
at Home and Abroad" includes information about selecting a
building for teaching dance, choosing music, monitoring student
progress, and managing balls. Horatio Grant’s "How
to Become Successful Teachers of the Art of Dancing . . .,"
on the other hand, suggests how to open classes and conduct private
lessons. Grant also offers details such as the distinction between
how men and women learn in dance classes: "It has been my experience
that gentlemen have more trouble in acquiring the art of dancing
. . . from the fact that they have to gain the knowledge of guiding
their partners . . . but if both are accomplished dancers, the
gentleman is not conscious of leading the lady," (page
5).
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From
the Cover of "Dancing at Home and Abroad," 1878.
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- Imagine that you were going to teach someone a skill that you are
good at (drawing, telling a joke, reading, etc.). How would you explain
the steps involved in the skill? Write out a list of steps.
- Imagine that you were helping this person teach a third person this
skill
. What would you add to your instructions?
- What do you think makes a good teacher?
- What do you think makes a good student?
- How do these guides for instructors differ from the manuals written
for beginners in their presentation of dancing?
- How else might potential dance instructors gain this information?
- What information might an instructor want that is not available in
these guides? What potential situations are not discussed?
- Do you think that these guides would help someone become a successful
dance instructor? Why or why not?
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