Gilded Age Dance Decrees

Any sound in the ballroom other than the music and hum of conversation will invariably be considered objectionable.

The Decree of Leaders

In the code of discipline of the American Society of Professors of Dancing there is a rule to this effect:

“Hand-clapping to time during square dances is positively prohibited in a select ballroom. The practice of encoring a number is a violation of etiquette, and interferes with the successful carrying out of the programme. Any sound in the ballroom other than the music and hum of conversation will invariably be considered objectionable.” The American Society of Professors of Dancing is the recognized standard of ballroom etiquette.– Hanford Journal, 1895

 

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