The early 19th century
Many view the early 19th century as the beginning of the modern ballroom dance era. During the early 19th century the first of what would become a classic modern ballroom dance was introduced: the Waltz. Before the Waltz was introduced, social dances by couples were accomplished with limited physical contact. By contrast, the Waltz was danced by couples in a close embrace, the gentleman's hand around the lady's waist while they spun in a series of circles while moving around the ballroom. As old-fashioned and innocent as the Waltz appears to us today, it was shocking to a society where close physical contact with a member the opposite sex, especially in public, had been nothing short of scandalous. From the time of its initial introduction and popularity, the Waltz gained wider acceptance. Its acceptance was bolstered by the arrival of the Polka in the 1840's. The Polka helped to pave the way for the introduction of other Eastern European dances into the ballroom. Those dances included the Mazurka, the Redowa and the Polka Redowa, all of which were done in 3/4 time, and included a series of intricate hops, glides, and leaps. Quadrilles likewise maintained their popularity, although all figures came to be done primarily with plain, far simpler walking steps. The old-fashioned Schottische would find its place in that grouping of dances, and would be reborn at the end of the century as the Barn Dance. [...]
Waltz, dance for couples, is perhaps the most beautiful and elegant of them all. It is a simple step, but it does require you to be on the balls of your feet most of the time, which can be quite hard on the knees. The dance is done to a waltz beat which is one-two-three, one-two-three. Contredenses, or Contradances, also known as "Country" or "Contra" dances were also highly popular in the first part of the 19th century. A Contradance was a dance performed by folks in long rows, gentleman lined up on one side and ladies lined up on the other. During the course of the dance, couples would progress up and down the row, briefly dancing with every other couple over the course of the dance. The Quadrille is a form of the Contradance. Done in a square by four couples, the Quadrille came into popular use in the early 19th century. As a rule to which there were exceptions, quadrilles were done in five sections, with each section played four times to allow each couple in their turn to lead off the figures. The figures, or floor patterns, in each particular dance were fixed. Personal variation in the steps used to execute each figure seems to not only have been permitted, but to also be a normative part of the dance. In America, it became a popular practice to have a "caller" who would call out each Quadrille figure before it was done, thus helping to ensure that the dancers would all be doing the same thing at the same time.