From the Ballroom to Hell: Grace and Folly in Nineteenth-Century Dance [Paperback]

Elizabeth Aldrich (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Dancing and etiquette are inseparable," wrote one 19th-century dancing master quoted in this scholarly glimpse into ballrooms past. Newly moneyed Americans of that era craved guidance on how to comport themselves, and publishers responded with scores of manuals on etiquette, fashion and dance instruction. As dance historian Aldrich demonstrates through more than 100 excerpts from these guides, balls and dance offer a key to understanding the social aspirations of the period. These volumes gave unflinching advice, from injunctions against nose-picking to the proper way to lead a partner through the quadrilles. In a brief historical essay, Aldrich dissolves the veneer of naivete from these admonitions, placing them in the context of a society in which woman's role had become centered on domestic affairs and in which the ballroom was the showcase for one's social accomplishments. But while Aldrich supplies quotations at length, her attenuated analysis of these mores and of the dances themselves--from the initially notorious waltz to the "German," whose figures offered a strange representation of relations between the sexes--fails to illuminate their underlying ethos. Illustrated.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 225 pages
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press; 1 edition (December 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810109131
• ISBN-13: 978-0810109131
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Popular

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Superb ettiquitte manual, March 23, 2000

By 

yardoftin "mailcoach" (Attica, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Ballroom to Hell: Grace and Folly in Nineteenth-Century Dance (Paperback)

This book does indeed give the reeder a close look at the society and ettiquitte of this period. Since I was researching the Regency when I purchased it I was a little disapointed to find that it's focus is primarily the latter part of the nineteenth century (1830-1890), and is based primarily on American publications of ettiquitte manuals. I was delighted to discover a wealth of information about everything from dance steps to party preperation to elaborate flirting rituals that can be caried out with parasols and gloves. It certainly says everything Emily Post might have at that time as well as providing a vivid picture of society in a bygone era. A must have for anyone enamored of the Victorian era and usefull still though slightly less relavent for Regency fanatics.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bits and Snippits, April 11, 2000

By 

Cris Goodwin (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Ballroom to Hell: Grace and Folly in Nineteenth-Century Dance (Paperback)

Consists primarily of bits and snippits from Victorian American etiquette manuals. Some insights into high society life and how it changed through the course of the 19th century can be drawn, keeping in mind these were the suggested forms of behavior not necessarily what was actually done. There is plenty to read between the lines. Some sheet music in included along with some dance steps. There are also recipes for makeup and concoctions for cleaning. Fashion descriptions are fairly superficial, but adequate. Over all, I'm glad I bought it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being a Woman can be tough!, August 10, 2008

By 

Sylviastel - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Elizabeth Aldrich is an expert on the dance and social structure of the 19th century where cotillions, debutante balls, assemblies, etc. were when women set an impression upon possible suitors. Aldrich does an excellent job in explaining everything from manners to dance styles and music performed for the dances. Young women were expected to know the dances, wear white gloves, and act properly among the company of society. This book is great for people interested in dance, social structure, and life in the 19th century. It was not an easy life for women then or now. They were expected to wear oversized dresses, act properly, and get married to right the man. They didn't have the option of being independent. Women became nurses and teachers simply because they have too. Women's dependence on men is clearly important in understanding why women went to such great lengths of preparation and studies to help in securing a life with an eligible bachelor who could provide her future.