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Just as Athens was considered the cradle of civilization, so the wealthy Bostonians saw their city as the cradle of democracy.3 They believed that their prosperity brought with it the responsibility for both leadership and social consciousness. They embraced intellectualism, literature, and art. Boston's wealth was managed through social networks and marriages that promoted economic prosperity. An alliance known as the Boston Associates formed among approximately forty of Boston's wealthiest families.4 These families influenced Boston's politics and began to support the city's cultural, educational, and artistic institutions. It was these Bostonians who garnered the label of the Boston Brahmins: a title that infers both their status, and the insular nature of their alliances. The Brahmins used their wealth and influence to establish some of Boston's greatest institutions.
Selective balls offered the perfect opportunity for the Boston Brahmins to interact socially in a formal setting with prescribed etiquette.
During the nineteenth century, dancing masters gained a strong foothold in New England. To combat continued opposition from some church leaders, they emphasized skills beyond the steps and focused on “gracious conduct, serenity of mind, elegance of motion, ease and gracefulness of person,” training each citizen to “perform every duty that may fall to his lot in life with the greatest propriety.”6 One of Boston's most renowned dancing masters, Lorenzo Papanti (1799–1872), established his dancing school in 1827.7 Papanti's success in Boston during the nineteenth century demonstrated his understanding of the importance of Boston's upper-class social network and provides the reader with a model for the inception of twentieth-century schools of dance. As a young man, Papanti fled political strife in Italy. He immediately understood that he