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Dance Cards, 1900-1970’s
Dance Cards, 1900-1970’s
Donors: Tom Jones (Class of 1963), Patty Dilling Dobbling (Class of 1955), and Joan Wilson Haas (Class of 1953)
Story Contributors: Bill Waddell (‘58) and Amy Thompson Leigh (’82)
Web Page Designer: Brayden Moeves, Class of 2024
The featured dance cards are from the Highlands Junior Proms in the 1950’s and 1960s Dance cards like this (which originated at formal balls in the 18th century) were still being used at the Highlands Prom as late as 1974. Dance cards would be carried by students planning to attend prom. The cards were used to plan who the card owner would dance with for each song played at prom. Before someone’s name was written on your card, you had to verbally agree to dance with one another, thus both the boy and the girl would write each other’s name on their card.
Sometimes cards were worn on a girl’s wrist during prom to keep track of her dance partners and corresponding dances for the evening. Dance cards remained in fashion until the 1970’s when dances became less structured, and songs were mixed (playing continuously) by a DJ or band.
As you can see, the covers of these Highlands dance cards feature the theme of that dance. Typically, each prom was decorated for a certain theme. The dance cards, the refreshments, and the décor all followed the theme. The Highlands gymnasium was magically “transformed” from ceiling to floor with elaborate décor. This tradition continued until 1962, when Highlands caught on fire, at which time, prom was moved to an off-campus location.
The phrase "my dance card is full" meant that a lady was popular enough to have a man lined up for every song at a dance and was occupied the whole evening. The term is not commonly used anymore, but when it is, it refers to the idea of not having time for someone.
When a couple was “going steady,” the girl typically saved the first and the last dance for her sweetheart. Case in point, Patty Dilling’s dance card (see below)shows her boyfriend, Willie Dobbling, (who later became her husband) as her first and last dance of the evening!
(Click link or picture below to open each dance card)
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