Loudoun Cotillion hosted their third annual Victorian Ball on Saturday, February, 25th at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg. The Ball immersed 50 Loudoun high school students in a traditional Victorian experience including a three-course meal, parlor games, and dancing.

Coordinated by Jean Ann Michie, director of the Loudoun Chapter of the National League of Junior Cotillions, the Victorian Ball is an annual tradition for Loudoun Cotillion. Students dressed in Victorian evening gowns and suits. Decor included flowers, candlelight, and a basket of sugared fruit.

The Ball opened with aperitifs as students mingled, comparing costumes and discussing dance partners for later in the evening. Students then took their seats for a three-course meal catered by local chef Terri Driscoll of It's A Peace of Cake Catering. Salad, Coq au vin, and a final course of chocolate dipped strawberries and cupcakes gave students opportunities to practice the table manners learned in previous cotillion classes. Students also tried out Victorian-era social graces including fan language and dance cards.

Dining and socializing set the stage for the Ball, but dancing was the "main event." Dance Master Dr. Lawrence Keener-Farley and members of the Civil War Dance Foundation's performing troupe guided students through dances set to Civil War era music. Girls in swinging hoop skirts filled the dance floor as they waltzed, reeled, and quadrilled with partners.

Cotillion parents had their fun as well. Stone Tower Winery hosted a "Date Night" for parents with wine, cheese, and dinner offerings in an upstairs room. Between drinks, parents visited the ballroom to watch their children dining and dancing.

The Victorian Ball is the climax of Loudoun Cotillion's five-month program of classes and events. According to Mrs. Michie, it's important to have events where etiquette and dancing are present but take a backseat to other activities. "Afterwards, students realize etiquette is already becoming second nature; it's a big confidence booster."