How to Facilitate a Cotillion

Candle table decor gives any room an elegant ambiance.

Practicing formal etiquette, dancing techniques and other social graces is common at cotillions. It is a formal dance with an instructional and informative basis. Typically, cotillions are given to teach young teens and college-age students the fine art of attending a formal evening. It gives them a chance to practice manners, dances and conversational techniques they have been learning in preparation for the big night. Facilitating a cotillion is not difficult, and proper planning will ensure the evening will be a night to remember.

Things You'll Need

• Light finger foods and drinks
• Baskets with numbers or party favors
• White cloth or paper tablecloths
• Floral centerpieces or candles
• Crepe paper streamers
• Helium balloons

Instructions

1. Pick the venue for your cotillion months in advance, particularly if it is during the holiday months. Choose the venue with the number of people in mind. Make sure you allow space for seating around tables, a food table and a dance floor.

2. Hire instructors to help lead the dances. If you are a teacher with multiple classes, this may be necessary in order to keep the cotillion flowing well and to help students who need pointers.

3. Plan your menu. Cotillion food is typically light snacks such as finger foods or chips and dip. Make sure the food is bite-size and easy to transport from the food table to the seating area. Don't serve foods that are messy. Depending on the budget, you may choose elegant appetizers or choose to keep the food casual. Provide chilled punch and carbonated beverages to quench the thirst of the dancers.

4. Pass around two baskets that contain numbers for the guests to pick; one for the females and one for the males. This is a fair way to determine who each person's partner will be for the beginning portion of the cotillion. Set a time to draw a different number two or three times throughout the evening. This will ensure everyone gets to practice their conversational skills and dancing techniques with different types of people. Another idea is to make beautiful, pastel favors with a mate in each of the two baskets. For instance, if a female chooses a beautiful, tissue paper butterfly to pin to her dress then her partner will be the male who chooses the same.

5. Instruct the attendees on the dress code at least two or three weeks before the event. Most cotillion dances are formal, but you can tell the guests to wear their Sunday best or to come in a period costume for a masquerade cotillion theme.

6. Hire a small band or a deejay to play the music. Choose popular music that the age group will enjoy. Mix in beautiful classic songs throughout the evening so that they can perform all the dance steps they have been practicing.

7. Decorate the tables with white tablecloths to give the room an elegant look. Add a floral centerpiece or simply place a candle votive in the center to light during the party. Toss some confetti onto the tables to add a festive atmosphere.

8. Use crepe paper streamers and colored balloons to add to the elegant and festive ambiance of the evening.

References

• "Dancing Made Easy"; Charles J. Coll; 2009