Balls
In the context of balls, the term "first dance" has two meanings.
At various formal balls the first dance was led by the guest of honor, which was usually the person of the highest social position in a given context, such as a member of the royal family, if any were present. Their dance was the opening of the ball. As these were generally long country dances, the guests of honor would be the first people to go down the set, not the only two people dancing for the entirety of the first piece of music.
In 17th-century France, the minuet, also called "the Queen of Dances", was the first dance.
In the Victorian era of Great Britain the first dance was a quadrille.
In 19th century Russian Empire balls were opened with Polonaise.
Another meaning is the first occurrence of a young lady in a social gathering. It could have happened either during a usual ball or during a specially arranged debutante ball or cotillion.
Read more about this topic: First Dance
Famous quotes containing the word balls:
“I count those feathered balls of soot
The moor-hen guides upon the stream,
To silence the envy in my thought;
And turn towards my chamber, caught
In the cold snows of a dream.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“If the head is lost, all that perishes is the individual; if the balls are lost, all of human nature perishes.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)
“look the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,
put up your little arms
and i’ll give them all to you to hold”
—E.E. (Edward Estlin)