Dances and Balls: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

Dancing. An occasion for gathering and celebrating. Also for gossip, intrigue, and romance. Often occurs at other celebrations, such as a feast.

 

[[Super-Trope]] of [[High School Dance]], [[Dance of Romance]] and [[Masquerade Ball]]. In an action series, expect a [[Ballroom Blitz]].

{{examples}}

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* In ''[[King of Bandit Jing]]'', there is an arc called "The Masquerade Ball of Zaza." It turns out it's not actually a ball with dancing, but a huge coliseum tournament. However, after Jing manages to steal the object he wants and {{spoiler|have the Queen realize the error of her ways}}, it ends up reverting to being a normal ball. Funnily enough, the beautiful [[Girl of the Week]] isn't shown dancing because [[I Will Wait for You|she's saving her first dance for Jing]].

** It's renamed the "Mas Corrida" which amounts to "Bullfight With People Instead of Bulls". With a lip service story about why the Masquerades turned into a brutal fighting tournament. In a rather nice moment of storytelling, {{spoiler|Jing and the [[Girl of the Week]] actually fight in the finals of the tournament, and it degenerates into something resembling a dance.}}

* Relena's birthday party in ''[[Gundam Wing]]'' featured a ball where she danced with Heero and talked to him about his motives. Then the mechs arrived to assassinate her and the evening kind of went downhill from there.

* In [[Victorian Romance Emma|Emma: A Victorian Romance]], Emma is convinced to attend one, and is shown to [[She Cleans Up Nicely|clean up nicely]]. The only problem is that she's pretty much [[Blind Without'Em|blind without her glasses]], but since she looks much better in the dress without them, she's told to put up with it.

* ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'' has one, which includes a subplot with a water-soluble dress and enough [[Les Yay]] to make men ovulate and females have hard-ons. It also doubles as an invitation to throw all everyday logic out of the window, if the previous episodes hadn't already convinced you to do so, with massive epaulets hidden under a shoulderless dress, and a functional outfit made from a tablecloth in a matter of seconds.

* In ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]'', the club hosts a dance party with a surprise that the chosen Queen gets to receive a kiss from the King (which ends up being Haruhi). After playing [[The Matchmaker|matchmaker]] by putting Tooru and Kanako together and allowing them to have a beautiful waltz, [[Wholesome Crossdresser|Haruhi]] ends up accidentally losing her [[Sacred First Kiss]] to [[Les Yay|Kanako]] while dancing with her. A very drama-filled Dance Ball indeed.

* In the world of ''[[Berserk]]'', the only way for the aristocracy to deal with the constant war, turmoil and bloodshed that they put their citizens and troops through is to hold pimped-out balls for themselves, even if they all end on a horrible note:

** Later, the King holds a Dance Ball for the Band of Hawk after their victory. All the members of the Band of Hawk dress fancily as nobles. Both [[Action Girl|Caska]] and [[Men Are Uncultured|Guts]] are shown to be extremely uncomfortable at such fancy social events (especially while wearing such frilly and expensive clothing instead of armor). For Caska, however, the series made it clear that [[She Cleans Up Nicely]], despite [[One Of The Guys|her protests]]. (And Guts's reaction makies it [[Crowning Moment of Funny|even better]]). Oh, and then {{spoiler|a botched assassination attempt happened on Griffith by the Queen and her mooks. Don't worry, Griffith is [[Disney Death|alive and well]] in [[Make It Look Like an Accident|order to burn the Queen and her mooks alive]] with the help of [[The Mole|another mook]] who he had [[blackmail]]ed [[I Have Your Wife|into helping him]].}}

** A few volumes later, Farnese is shown attending a ball that her rich, aristocratic father hosts. There she dances with her [[Arranged Marriage|fiancee, Roderick]]. Of course, true to ''[[Berserk]]'' fashion, the party ends with huge amounts of violence and bloodshed via demonic tigers and and soldiers from Kushan. What better way to end a grand evening in the Berserkerverse?

* In ''[[Gankutsuou]]'', while Franz and Albert were visiting the Carnival on Luna, Franz was shown attending a ball and dancing with the Marchioness. Of course, he has a really hard time enjoying the ball when the aristocrats there warn him that [[Horrible Judge of Character|Albert]], being out alone at night, is probably going to get mugged and beaten up (which is exactly what happened, plus getting [[Damsel in Distress|kidnapped]]).

* In the ''[[Black Cat (manga)|Black Cat]]'' manga, Train is duped by [[Classy Cat Burglar|Rinslet]] into pretending to be her lover so that she can attend Madame Freesia's Birthday Ball. Train, being a [[Heroic Archetype]], [[Men Are Uncultured|loathes fancy events like that and dancing]]. So although Rinslet wanted to spend more romantic time with Train at the ball, he [[Moment Killer|ends up instead running off to fight and capture a bounty]].

* ''[[Code Geass]]'' : The Sino-Brittanian pre-wedding party is just such an example, complete with plenty of [[Melodrama|drama]] when Zero & Co. [[Wedding Smashers|crashes the party]]. {{spoiler|And the day after he does it again, because [[Large Ham|Lelouch can't do anything in moderation]].}}

* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' has a HUGE ball in the Magical World, where Negi and Co. are invited by Governor Godel. It turns out to be ''very'' plot important, as well as being filled with requisite amounts of [[Ship Tease]].

* ''[[Pandora Hearts]]'' has a fondness for balls that end...badly. The ball for Oz's coming of age ceremony at the very beginning of the series ends up with the Baskervilles attacking and Oz getting thrown into the [[The Underworld|Abyss]]. The next major ball we see occurs during the Isla Yura arc in his manor. It begins with [[Pimped-Out Dress|beautiful clothes]], [[Bishie Sparkle|sparkles]], and humorous encounters. It ends with blood, fire, [[Cold-Blooded Torture|torture]], {{spoiler|[[Tomato in the Mirror|brainwashing]], and [[Heroic Sacrifice|death]]}}.

 

== [[Fairy Tale]]s and Folklore ==

* In "[[Cinderella (novel)|Cinderella]]", the king holds a ball so that his son may meet eligible women.

* In [[The Brothers Grimm (creator)|Grimms']] "[[The Twelve Dancing Princesses]]", the twelve princesses would sneak out in the middle of the night and go with twelve princes to a special castle where they would dance the whole night. The King was perplexed as to why all his daughter's shoes would be worn out after every night.

* [[The Fair Folk]]'s dances are very, very, very dangerous. Mortals who see them are often caught up in the dancing and are unable to stop. The lucky ones don't crumble into dust when it finally ends. One folk explanation of tuberculous was that its victims were forced to dance every night at the fairy hills, and wasted away for the lack of sleep.

 

* Disney's ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]'' had one with only two participants. (Yes, it does make sense and is visually impressive... but it's a few steps above showing off.)

** Of course, the Beast has his own, personal ballroom, so yeah...

* In ''[[Anastasia]]'', Rasputin curses the royal family during a ball to celebrate the Romanovs' multiple centuries of rule over Russia. It works, because shortly afterwards [[Hammer and Sickle Removed For Your Protection|not-Lenin and the not-Bolsheviks]] raid the palace and Anastasia barely makes it out of there.

* In ''[[The Princess and the Frog]]'', most of the action kicks off at Charlotte's Mardi Gras costume party. It even includes a parody of the Cinderella dance, when Naveen {{spoiler|or rather, Lawrence disguised as Naveen}} shows up and has a romantic dance with Charlotte. He plays it completely seriously, however [[Genki Girl|Charlotte]] is...rather excited.

* Almost any film about high society in any period of history, particularly an era known for its [[Gorgeous Period Dress]], will have at least one scene set at a ball or other grand party. Movies based on the novels of [[Jane Austen]], [[Edith Wharton]] or [[Henry James]] will almost certainly have a Dances and Balls scene, for example.

* In the fourth ''[[Harry Potter]]'' film, there's the huge Yule Ball, with pretty much ''everyone'' dancing. One of the highlights of the event was the opportunity to show Hermione [[She Cleans Up Nicely|looking unusually beautiful when she tries]]. Mind you, this is taken straight from the book.

* In [[Patricia A. McKillip]]'s ''The Bell at Sealey Head'', Dalia mulls over what to invite Miranda Beryl to: a ball or a dinner with dancing. Since she arrived because a woman is dying and she will inherit, a ball is shot down as too festive.

* Sadly, this is a relatively underused trope in ''[[Discworld]]'', as Lord Ventinari has no balls. In fact, there's a well known song about that...

** And while wizards don't have balls either (ahem), they do hold their annual Excuse Me.

* In ''[[Mistborn]]'', these are such a big deal that their ballrooms' designs are based on real-world cathedrals.

* In [[The Witch Watch]], Sir Brook invites Lord Moxley and the other influential noblemen who failed to support him to a dinner and ball. And of all places it's there he chooses to {{spoiler|announce his treachery.}}

 

* [[T. S. Eliot]]'s "East Coker"

{{quote|''you can hear the music''

''Earth feet, loam feet, lifted in country mirth.'' }}

 

* The second act of the Lloyd-Webber version of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' begins with a massive masquerade ball (which the Phantom, of course, crashes).

* ''[[Wicked (theatre)|Wicked]]'' has two: the dance at the Ozdust Ballroom in act one, and Glinda's engagement ball in act two.

* ''[[Girl Genius]]'' does [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081121 their version] of "[[Cinderella (novel)|Cinderella]]" ... '''for science!'''

** There's also Agatha's [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090311 outburst] about her friends wondering which guy she'll end up with.

...

'''Agatha:''' ... Well of course. Assuming you're still alive. }}

* ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]''—Bob and Jean [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20100130.html attend a royal ball] on an alien planet at Princess Voluptua's invitation. Most of the dancers are Nemesite butterfly people, and do their dancing in midair. Major plot/character development stuff ensues.

* In ''[[No Rest for The Wicked (webcomic)|No Rest for The Wicked]]'', [http://www.forthewicked.net/archive/01-20.html November met Princess Colette at one.]

 

== [[Web Original]] ==

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

 

{{reflist}}