"Virginians will Dance or Die!"

An 18th century diarist said it so well! For Virginians in the colonial period, dance was their dearest diversion.

While Mom was visiting, she sweetly offered to watch the girls one evening while Dave and I went out. We were originally going to try to see a movie, but we realized we'd have to rush through dinner to make it on time. As evident in so many of my posts, Dave and I LOVE spending a quiet evening in Colonial Williamsburg, but most of the time we have the girls with us so we have to forego the quiet, if you know what I mean.

So we were thrilled to get the chance to eat at one of the restaurants we'd been wanting to try and then stroll down the street to the Governor's Palace for An Evening of Dance. The event is spectacular! I wish I could have taken more photos, but to preserve the historic "aura," guests can only takes pictures before and after the dance. We all gathered in the palace ballroom and were greeted by some fancily-clad characters ready to host an evening of dance much like one often enjoyed by colonial Virginians in their large plantations by the river.

We watched as romantic drama played out among the colonial party-goers, and we watched them perform exquisite reels, minuets and cotillions. The musicians were wonderful and the candlelit chandeliers made the ballroom look lovely. Once in a while, the colonial dancers would pair up with the party-goers to teach a more complicated dance. Dave was selected to join one of the colonial ladies in a reel. He did quite well, despite his two left feet. :) Below is a picture of him and his dance teacher.