A dance card or ''programme du bal'' (also known by its

German-language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

name, ''Tanzkarte'') is used by a woman to record the names of the men with whom she intends to dance each successive dance at a formal ball.

History

Dance cards appear to have originated in the 18th century, but their use first became widespread in 19th-century

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, especially at the large balls during

Fasching A variety of customs and traditions are associated with Carnival celebrations in the German-speaking countries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. They can vary considerably from country to country, but also from one small region to another. T ...

before

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and L ...

A dance card is typically a booklet with a decorative cover, listing dance titles,

composers A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, and the person with whom the woman intended to dance. Typically, it would have a cover indicating the sponsoring organization of the ball and a decorative cord by which it could be attached to a lady's wrist or

ball gown A ball gown, ballgown or gown is a type of evening gown worn to a ball or a formal event. Most versions are cut off the shoulder with a low décolletage, exposed arms, and long bouffant styled skirts. Such gowns are typically worn with an opera ...

. From the 19th century until

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, dance cards for the elite of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

were often very elaborate, with some even incorporating

precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lu ...

s and jewels.

Modern times

In modern times the expression "dance card" is often used

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

ically, as when someone says "pencil me into your dance card," meaning "find some time to spend with me". Conversely, claiming one's "dance card is full" implies that even though they may be interested, they have no time for another person.

Air crews

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

aircrews in general, and those involved in flight tests in particular, use the term to describe the first card in a "deck" of flight or test maneuver cards. The "dance card" contains administrative data about the mission, aircraft, and aircrew as well as a list of the maneuvers to be flown. The card serves as a table of contents for the mission and a quick reference for the aircrew's use during the flight.

Pictures

File:DanceCardCoverUSPresidentialCandidatesGroverClevelandEtc1884.jpg, Dance card cover depicting 1884 U.S. presidential tickets File:DanceCardInsideView1884.jpg, Inside of 1884 dance card File:Dance card.jpg , 1912 Dance card of Gladys Ewing. File:St. John's Wood Dance Card 1886.jpg, St John's Wood, Queensland (Australia) Dance Card 1886

References

External links

*Examples of dance cards from the 19th century a
The Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dance Card Balls (dance party) Dance culture Ephemera