How to Dance at a Debutant Ball

The night a young woman makes her entrance into society is marked with various elegant festivities, including dancing. At the vast majority of debutant balls, the music and dancing of choice will be ballroom dancing.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Dance at a Debutant Ball

1. Prepare for traditional dances. Some of the most popular dances at a debutant ball are the waltz, the fox-trot and the Viennese waltz. The waltz is a smooth dance noted for its romance and grace, while the Viennese waltz is similar, just a little faster. The fox-trot, on the other hand, is a slightly faster-paced method of dancing that requires a lot of style and skill.
2. Take dance lessons several months in advance to get the steps down completely. Some traditional debutant ball dances, especially the fox-trot, are notoriously difficult to master. Becoming adept at this dance is motivating and rewarding, but it takes several months of dedicated practice.
3. Consider choreographing a dance or two. A debutant-escort or father-daughter dance would be particularly nice to choreograph. Consult with a dance teacher to see if he or she would be willing to choreograph something for you.
4. Practice at home on your own. Although this is very different from practicing with a partner, it will help reinforce the steps you've learned and help you perfect your timing. In addition, practicing daily may help make your movement more fluid.
5. Ask if you will have the opportunity to dance to contemporary music at the debutant ball. While most dances feature mostly classical music, an increasing number of parents are hiring DJs to play modern music toward the end of the evening.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask the person you wish to dance with directly rather than have a friend do it. This is a much more socially acceptable way of asking someone to dance. It is also considered more polite and will give you an air of confidence, which is essential at a debutant ball.
• Discourage favoritism by dancing with several people at the ball. You may prefer one guest to the others, but unless you have no other offers at the moment, it's not polite to refuse other invitations in favor of the same person.
• Although it is polite to accept every dance invitation at a debutant ball, sit out dances you're unfamiliar with. Even if the person offers to teach you the steps, it is far more polite to decline when you don't know the steps. Instead, you may want to offer your hand for the next dance.

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