Winter Ball Schedule
February 7, 2009
The RACW Winter Ball will be held on February 7 2009 from 6:00 to 11:00 pm. The location is the Veteran's Memorial Hall in Red Bluff, CA. Dance to the delightful tunes of the TBA, while our dance callers, TBA, will guide you through the steps of the dance. Contact Ball Coordinator Janice Drake now and secure your tickets for this delightful event. We encourage all to come and enjoy an evening of peaceful companionship.
A special dispensation has been issued by US President Abraham Lincoln AND by CS President Jefferson Davis that all hostilities will be set aside for the evening! Both leaders wish to encourage attendance at this festive event and allow a reunion of friends and family sundered by the tides of war.
The evening will be carefully recreated so that vintage dance enables you to experience the customs and flavor of the period. Almost all dances of the period were "social dances" requiring a group of dancers to interact with each other in various formations. During the 1860's, a ball was one way to forget, at least for an evening, the "fiery trial" of the Civil War. Everyone at a ball had a social duty to mingle and to ensure that everyone else had a pleasant time. Please do not feel that it is necessary to be accompanied.
The vintage decorations and skilled musicians will reproduce the feel of an 1860's ballroom. Bring your family and friends and let them experience a delightful evening of living history. This is an excellent recruiting opportunity, as the public have been invited to join in this festive event.
Period apparel permits you to enjoy the culture of the era, however it is not mandatory. What you would wear for any nice evening out will be fine. The ball is open to the public and period attire is not required, but we do understand that it is great fun to dress for the occasion. Members of the RACW have extra period clothing that they are willing to loan out for the evening.
On-site photography by the Wizards of the Rogue will provide the opportunity to take home a keepsake portrait. Preserve the image of you and your family in your ballroom best.
Social Hour will be from 6:00PM to 7:00PM, the Ball will begin with the Grand March at 7:00PM and last until 11:00PM. Refreshments, coffee & punch will be provided to all. A no-host bar will dispense festive libations for a nominal fee.
Directions
Volunteers and Raffle
Purchase your Tickets
Pre-event tickets are on sale now at $10.00 for members, $20.00 for couples, and $15.00 for all non-members. Family tickets will be $25.00 up to four and after four they will be $5.00 each. All children must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Buy tickets early, for at the door they will be $15.00 for members, $25.00 for couples, and $20.00 for all non-member. Family tickets will be $30.00 up to four and after four they will be $10.00 each. Contact Janice Drake at (530) 200-4100 for more information.
To purchase tickets, send a check for admission (made out to the RACW), a note indicating how many will be attending. Tickets will be held at the door until the event and not mailed .
Janice Drake
2056 Stonybrook Drive
Red Bluff Ca 96080
Volunteers are needed to assist with set-up, clean-up, decorating, ticket sales, crossing guards, and serving refreshments. Please call Janice Drake at (530) 200-4100 to volunteer now! Volunteers may have their entry fee waived--help support this fun event.
Consider donating a lovely prize item to our fund-raising raffle. Many lucky attendees went home with fabulous raffle prizes, and the proceeds help to defray event costs. Prizes should be reenacting or Civil War items. Contact Roberta Klien or Alysen Sylvester at (541) 476-4021 for more information.
Dancing was enjoyed by almost everyone in America during the Civil War & young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural, North and South. During the 1860's, a ball was one way to forget, at least for an evening, the "fiery trial" of the Civil War. Unlike modern dancing that is couple oriented, dancing in the mid-Victorian era was much more "social." Almost all dances were done in formations of circles, squares or lines, with couples interacting with other couples. It was considered ill mannered to dance with the same partner all evening. Everyone at a ball had a social duty to mingle and to ensure that everyone else had a pleasant time.
Dancing in the mid-nineteenth century was very different from dancing today. Back then; there was no separation of types of dances into various categories. They did not have events, as we do today, that are solely for ball room, polka, rock and roll or square dancing. A typical mid-1800's ball would feature both traditional dances and currently popular dances. Additionally, almost all dances of the period were "social dances" that required a group of dancers to interact with each other in various formations. Dances of the period were intricate patterns of movements that, to a certain degree, reflect Victorian notions of cooperation and their fascination with clockwork machinery.
Dancing was not seen as a couple oriented activity, where a man and woman "did their own thing" on the dance floor, oblivious to everyone else. During the mid 1800's, a typical ball with two dozen dances might have one to four dances that were couples' dances. It was not until the later part of the century that couples' dances became associated with the sophisticated urban ballroom and group dances were relegated to quaint country barns. Although dancing was part of the courtship ritual, it was not just an activity for those "in love." Dancing and mixing with people was seen as a social duty. That is why it was not proper to dance with the same person too often. In fact, if the company were large enough, it would have been considered ill mannered to dance more than once with the same person.
A sampling of rules for the ballroom:
A gentleman always removes sword and spurs before commencing to dance.
Although there were strict rules of behavior, they tended to add an agreeable degree of formality and decorum that has been lost in today's world.
Never forget that ladies are to be first cared for, to have the best seats, the places of distinction and are entitled in all cases to your courteous protection.
If you accompany your wife to a dancing party, be careful not to dance with her, except perhaps for the first set.
Be very careful how you refuse to dance with a gentleman. A prior engagement will, of course, excuse you but if you plead fatigue, do not dance the set with another.
Dance quietly, do not kick and caper about, nor sway your body to and fro, dance only from the hips downwards.
Lead a lady as lightly as you would tread a measure with a spirit of gossamer.
The fall of a couple is not a frequent occurrence in a ballroom, but when it does happen it is almost always the man's fault. Girls take much more naturally to the graceful movements of the dance, and are, besides, more often taught in childhood than their brothers.
Never remain in a ballroom until all of the company have left, or even until the last set. It is ill bred and looks as if you are unaccustomed to such pleasures and so desirous to prolong each one. Leave while there are two or three sets to be danced.
It is best to carry two pairs of gloves, as in contact with dark dresses, or in handling refreshments; you may soil a pair and thus will be under the necessity of offering your hand covered in a soiled glove to some partner. You can slip unperceived from the room, change to a fresh pair and then avoid that mortification.
The Veteran's Hall is located at 735 Oak Street in downtown Red Bluff. Contact the Red Bluff Chamber of Commerce for more information on lodging and dining.
From the North: Travel south on Highway 5, take the Highway 36 west/Central Red Bluff exit. Turn right on Highway 36/Oak Street. Go over the bridge and through old town Red Bluff, the Hall is on your left after crossing Monroe Street.
From the South: Travel north on Highway 5, take the Highway 36 west/Central Red Bluff exit (go under the overpass). Go west (right) on Highway 36/Oak Street. Go over the bridge and through old town Red Bluff, the Hall is on your left after crossing Munroe Street.
Map of downtown Red Bluff showing location of Veteran's Hall
Highway map showing roads to Red Bluff
