A Tale Of Two Centuries In Dance
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(Tuesday) January 26, 2010
By Carla Branch
alexandrianews.org
Hoop skirts twirl as satin-gloved hands clap to the beat of the Virginia Reel. (Photo: Regan Kireilis)
It is Jan. 23, 1860 and there is a ball at Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria. Ladies are wearing their finest clothes and their gallant escorts fetch them food and drink and hope for a stolen kiss or permission to call. The ball opens with the Grand March, followed by a variety of waltzes, several reels and a Gallop.
On Jan. 23, 2010, there was a winter formal at the other end of King Street at T. C. Williams High School. Students came decked out in an assortment of clothing ranging from cocktail-like dresses to clean blue jeans. There was no live music but teenagers danced to the sounds of the 21st century spun by a disc jockey.
TC students dressed to impress for a night of dancing in the school's cafeteria. (Photo: Regan Kireilis)
The two events, which were representative of Alexandria’s past and present, were well attended. The Civil War ball at Gadsby’s Tavern kicked off the City’s commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. It was sold out. The winter formal was the fourth annual such event at T. C. Williams. Nearly 300 students attended. Everyone at both dances reported having a delightful time.
“The last Civil War ball was held at Gadsby’s in 2006,” said Gretchen Bulova, director of Gadsby’s Tavern Museum. “The museum plans to host at least one ball each year for the next five years.”
