Balls of Paris

Bal S existed from time immemorial, perhaps with Lutèce, under the Gallo-Roman ones, surely with the Moyen-âge and the Renaissance, where they are attested by several authors.

At the time modern, they begin officially on December 31st 1715, when the Régent opened the room of the Opéra of Paris, three times per week, to dance there. Many theaters imitated this example at the 18th century (Comédie-Française, Op3era Comique, Commedia dell'Arte).

Under the French revolution, the jubilation multiplied the public balls. In 1790, there were approximately four hundred balls in Paris.

In addition, transfer them to multiply the private balls, given in the Hôtel S private individuals of the Aristocratie or the Bourgeoisie

History

Particular balls

the masked balls and the disguised balls, (public or deprived), particularly many during the Carnival.
particular balls:

Bal of the Sainte Catherine
Bal of the Conscrit S
Bal of the Boarding school
Bal of the 4 ' zarts…

These two last was certainly more “hot” of Paris…

Public balls

the Directoire saw the success of the Tivoli, of the Folies of Chartres to the Parc Heap, of the Jardin Biron, the Jardin Bourbon (Elysium), of the Pavillon of Hanover, the Idalie (street Marbeuf).
In the middle of the 19th century, it is with the Bal Mabille (which occurred Montaigne), between 1840 and 1875, that Chicard introduced the Cancan, whereas Rigolboche and Céleste Mogador occurred there.

But the Ball Bullier of 1847 to 1907, was the greatest ball of Paris. The old man squares, collective dance, disappeared and one dances there Polka S, Valse S and Mazurka S, dances of couples if it is.

Under the Second Empire, one dances much in the living rooms but also in public and the ball of the Opera reaches its apogee; at the same time appeared in particular:

the Spider, true tavern of the Gangsters, with 100 boulevard de Clichy
the Cicada, boulevard Rochechouart
the Moulin-Rouge which animates Pigalle and Montmartre and where, with its opening, one danced the “Chahut”
the Tabarin with Montmartre

In 1863, Alfred Delvau raises in Paris 63 balls, of which it makes drafts. It is:

the Spider
the Ball of the Cellar
the Ball of the Opera
the Ball Mabille
the Ball Montesquieu
the Green Bars
the Beautiful Reaping-machine
the Black Ball
the Casino of Asnières
the Casino Junior: “With the Casino, six hundred people about, stink of gas, odor, heat and vapor of the piled up bodies. There are small recesses where one can drink, a species of hearth where one coudoie; that and there, of the benches of old used velvet, a furniture of furnished hotel” (Hippolyte Taine).
the Tower water
the Cicada
the Elysium Montmartre
the Hermitage (ball)
the Madnesses of Chartres
the Madnesses Robert
the Large Thatched cottage
the Snap fastener (with the wood of Boulogne)
the Idalie (street Marbeuf)
the Garden Biron
the Garden Bourbon (Elysium)
the Garden of Paris
the Mill of the Wafer, guinguette with Montmartre
the Moulin-Rouge
the House of Hanover
the Prado (ball)
the Pre Catelan (with the wood of Boulogne)
the Room Barthelemy
the Room Markowski
the Living room of the Victoire
the Living rooms of Cellarius
the Tabarin
the Tivoli
the Thirteen street With the Mayor
the Ancient oak

According to Alfred Delvau, Cythères Parisian. Anecdotic history of the balls of Paris , Paris, Dentu, 1864.

Under the Restoration, one dances even more than under the First Empire and the balls are the great distraction of the evening. The ball starts with 20:30 or 21:00 and continues until 4:00 of the morning.
At the end of the century, to successes of the Moulin-Rouge, Tabarin, the Mill of Wafer, is added those of the balls of the Rue of Lappe. Without forgetting the innumerable bars where danced about it by pushing the tables, after the meal, especially at the “Bougnat S” in the inner rooms of “coffee-coal”. These balls auvergnats will be called quickly “balls with the haversack” (the haversack or Cabrette is the name of the Cornemuse auvergnate), then quite simply “haversack S”.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Accordéon (that it is chromatic or diatonic) replaces the cabrette and settles in the balls haversack. The slow waltz and the java supplant the Bourrée.
First World War: the balls are closed on order of the Préfet of the Seine.
the years 1920 to 1940 were one period ostentation for the accordion music: Paris counts more than 300 balls, for which it is necessary to add the Dancing S, the Guinguette S and the balls parquet floors of suburbs and province. There, swaying Waltz and java, our “national” dances, had to yield the place to their little sisters of America:

Boston, charleston, One step;
Tango, Paso doble, Rumba, samba…

Second world war: the balls are closed on order of the Prefect of the Seine.
With the Release, where one dances in the streets, the balls find a glorious decade. And if one will dance quay of Grenelle (to the Bal of the Navy very badly famed) or with the Bastille, street of Lappe (with the famous Balajo and Bal Bousca), one also goes there for “encanailler”.
the balls must little by little yield the place to the party S and others parties, but especially to the Dancing S, Night-club S and others nightclubs, in particular because of the omnipresent real pressure.
Little will remain beyond this decade.

Customers

For the men: apaches, soldiers in permission, people in service; in end of the week: craftsmen and workmen, students in goguette…
For the women: shopgirls, washing machines, people in service, “gigolettes”, “lorettes” (courtesans, grisettes, name of the district of the Church of Notre Dame de Lorette) in goguette and, in end of the week, workers…
Without counting the “good middle-class men” who came encanailler…

Reflections

Closed during the two world wars, the Parisian balls, symbols of altogether happy times, had lived. They had been the reflection of manners, modes, of musics, which one could believe quite Parisian, but which was quasi universal. And it is for this reason that it is necessary to remember it.

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