Debutante ball

For other uses, see Debutante ball (disambiguation).

The dance known as Cotillion came from France in the 1700s and was originally made up of four couples in a square formation. The Cotillion was one of many contredanses or "country dances" where the participants (especially those from royalty) gathered to introduce themselves and to flirt with other dancers through the exchange of partners within the formation network of the dance. By the 1800s, the Cotillion evolved into more couples with many complex dance figures and was the forerunner of the Quadrille. American square dance is a form of contredanse that also descended from the Cotillion. The direct translation from French to English of the word "Cotillion" is the word "petticoat' but the more appropriate translation is the word "ballgown."

A Debutante Ball is a formal presentation of young ladies, debutantes, to polite society. It is in use in the United States, more so in the South, and some other countries. Debutantes are usually recommended by a distinguished committee or sponsored by an established member of elite society. Modern debutante balls are often charity events; the parents of the debutante donate a certain amount of money to the designated cause, and the invited guests pay for their tickets. These balls may be elaborate formal affairs and involve not only "debs" but junior debutantes, escorts and ushers, flower girls and pages as well.

In the United States, Cotillion has become training that children and young adults attend to learn manners and proper social behavior in the context of formal dance. The participants dress up in formal attire and some cotillions emphasize the use of white gloves. Modern day Cotillion takes the form of classes and parties. These programs use dance as an interactive tool that breaks down inhibitions and teaches important social skills. Some of the dances currently taught include waltz, fox trot, tango, swing, cha cha and many other ballroom dances. The parties are typically "graduation" parties usually held after a series of classes. At the party, the students sit together in tables in the front while the family members sit in tables in the back. A master of ceremony guides the evening and, if funds are sufficient, dinner and an orchestra may be included. Usually after each dance, a couple may be recognized with a modest prize for best executing that dance.

Some notable debutante balls in the United States

Alabama

• Birmingham
  • The Ball of Roses
• Huntsville
  • The Symphony Ball

Arizona

• Phoenix:
  • Board of Visitors Ball (formerly St. Lukes Ball)
  • Scottsdale Honors Cotillion
  • Phoenix Honors Cotillion
  • Desert Foundation Auxiliary (DFA) Ball (http://www.dfaaz.org/)
  • Brophy/Xavier Cotillion

A souvenir recording released by Verve Records in the summer of 1959 featuring longtime San Francisco bandleader Ernie Heckscher playing for The Cotillion at The Fairmont. The cover photo models are the previous winter's debutantes and their escorts

California

• Los Angeles:
  • Las Madrinas Ball, which benefits Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
• Newport Beach:
  • Debutante's Cotillion
• San Francisco:
  • The Cotillion
  • San Francisco Debutante Ball
• La Jolla:
  • La Jolla Debutante Ball

Colorado

• Denver:
  • Fine Arts Foundation Summer Debutante Ball [1], held yearly at the University of Denver, which benefits the Fine Arts Foundation, an organization supporting the arts in Colorado.
  • Bal de Ballet, which benefits the Colorado Ballet.
  • Colorado Junior Cotillion [2]
• Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • The Debutante Ball in support of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center's

Connecticut

• Greenwich
  • Junior League of Greenwich Cotillion

District of Columbia

• Washington, D.C.:
  • The National Debutante Cotillion and Thanksgiving Ball, which is having it's 59th Anniversary in 2008, thus starting in 1950 and benefitting the Children's National Medical Center.
  • The Washington Holiday Ball, held annually at the Mayflower Hotel

Florida

• Jacksonville
  • The Magnolia Ball
  • Commodore's Ball
• Lakeland
  • Lakeland Assemblies Cotillion Club
• Orlando
  • The Bridgadette Club Inc.
• Sarasota
  • Sarasota Cotillion Club
  • Sarasota Debutante Ball

Georgia

• Atlanta:
  • The Harvest Ball
  • The Christmas Ball
• Augusta:
  • Cotillion of the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club
  • Augusta Symphony Guild Cotillion
• Columbus:
  • The Cotillion Ball
• Savannah:
  • The Christmas Cotillion

Illinois

• Chicago:
  • The Passavant Cotillion
  • The Christmas Ball

Indiana

• Indianapolis:
  • The Dramatic Club Presentation of Daughters, held at Christmastime every other year. It is conducted by The Dramatic Club, founded in 1890.

Kansas

• Wichita
  • The Cotillion

Kentucky

• Lexington:
  • The Bluegrass Charity Ball
• Frankfort:
  • Investor's Hertaige

Louisiana

• Baton Rouge:
  • The Charity Ball
  • Le Cirque De Baccus
• New Orleans:
  • The Debutante Club Ball
  • Le Debut des Jeunes Filles de la Nouvelle Orleans
• Shreveport:
  • The Cotillion

Maryland

• Baltimore:
  • The Bachelor's Cotillion

Massachusetts

• Boston:
  • The Boston Cotillion, which benefits the Vincent Memorial Hospital.

Michigan

• Detroit:
  • UESA Detroit Chapter Debutante Ball.

Mississippi

• Jackson:
  • The annual ball of The Debutante Club, founded in 1933.

Missouri

• Kansas City:
  • The Jewel Ball, founded in 1954, which benefits the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kansas City Symphony.
  • The Belles of the American Royal Ball (abbreviated "BOTAR"), which benefits the annual American Royal.
• St. Louis:
  • The Veiled Prophet Ball, founded in 1878, which caters to the members of the Veiled Prophet Organization, a secret society of prominent St. Louisans
  • Fleur de Lis Ball, a Roman Catholic ball founded in 1959, named after the symbol associated with French kings and the city's French heritage, which raises money for the Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital.

Nebraska

• Omaha:
  • Omaha Symphony Debutante Ball
  • Omaha Chapter of the Links Cotillion

New Mexico

• Albuquerque:
  • The Senorita Ball

New York

• New York City:
  • The Junior Assemblies, a collection of debutante balls held annually which comprise the traditional "debutante season" of New York society
  • The Viennese Opera Ball in New York
  • The Quadrille Ball
  • The Northeastern Conference Coronation
  • The Infirmary Ball, officially called the "Debutante Cotillion and Christmas Ball," which benefits the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
  • The International Debutante Ball, held each even-numbered year 2006, 2008, 2010
  • The Thanksgiving Eve Ball, held each year, benefits the charitable activities of the New York Junior League
  • The Paas Ball, held each year
  • The Annual Debutante Ball and Reception, held each year by the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of New York
  • The Debutante Cotillion of the Kosciuszko Foundation Annual Dinner

• Rochester, New York
  • The Bachelors' Cotillion, a white tie ball at The Genesee Valley Club held since 1902. Gentleman aged 22-35 are selected by a committee from prominent families in the community. It is one of few "Gentlemans" balls in the country.
  • The Lilac Ball, held each spring, debuts around 30 young ladies from the community aged between 18-20. Held in conjunction with the city's famous Lilac Festival, it benefits local hospitals.

North Carolina

• Charlotte
• Durham
  • The Debutante and Christmas Ball
• Greensboro:
  • Greensboro Symphony Presentation Ball [3], founded in 1978
• Raleigh:
  • The North Carolina Debutante Ball, held annually in September and sponsored by the Terpsichorean Club, a secret society of prominent Raleigh residents.

Ohio

• Cincinnati:
  • The Bachelor's Cotillion
• Cleveland:
  • The Assembly Ball
  • The Cotillion Society Ball
  • Jack & Jill Cotillion and Charity Ball
• Oxford:
  • Miami University Western Honors College Cotillion, held for college-aged men and women each autumn

Oregon

• Portland:
  • The Portland Holiday Cotillion Ball

Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia:
  • The Assembly of Philadelphia (dating from 1748), an elite private party held annually around Christmas. Private membership and guests attend. Cotillon is danced.
  • The Philadelphia Charity Ball (founded 1884), a debutante ball held at Thanksgiving every year for Philadelphian families, drawing mostly on prep school graduates. Proceeds go to charities selected by the previous year's debutantes.
• Pittsburgh:
  • The Cinderella Ball, the 'second oldest debutante ball' in the country, founded in 1926.
  • The Medallion Ball, named for the medallion each debutante receives from the city's Catholic bishop

South Carolina

• Charleston:
  • The St. Cecilia Ball

• Greenville:
  • The Assembly

Tennessee

• Chattanooga:
  • The Cotton Ball
• Knoxville:
  • The Dogwood Ball
• Memphis:
  • The Holiday Ball
  • The Summer Presentation Ball

Texas

• Dallas:
  • Idlewild Club (1884), Terpsichorean Club (1898), & Calyx Club (1911) Balls
  • Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball
  • La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas
  • University of Dallas Winter Cotillion
• Fort Worth:
  • The Assembly Ball
  • Steeplechase Ball
  • Ambassador Ball
  • Fort Worth Assembly Ball
  • Hispanic Debutante Ball
• Houston:
  • Allegro Ball
  • Houston Country Club Thanksgiving Ball
  • The Assembly Ball
  • Bolero Ball
  • River Oaks Country Club Debutante Ball
  • Lunar Rendezvous Coronation Ball
• Tyler:
  • The Junior Symphony League Ball
  • The Texas Rose Festival

Vermont

• Springfield:
  • Apple Blossom Cotillion

Virginia

• Lynchburg:
  • The Spinsters Ball
• McLean:
  • Old Dominion Cotillion
• Norfolk:
  • The German, held each Thanksgiving by the Norfolk German Club
• Portsmouth:
  • The Thanksgiving Debutante Dinner-Dance, held each Thanksgiving by the Portsmouth Assembly
• Richmond:
  • The Bal Du Bois
  • The Richmond German
• Staunton:
  • The Spinsters Club of Staunton

Washington

• Seattle:
  • The Christmas Ball

External links

• The Beautillion Militaire

• San Francisco Beautillion

• New York: Bal des Berceaux