Christina Cullers stood in her green empire-waist dress and tried to explain her love for grand balls. "It's the only dancing I get to do, and I can be graceful," the 14-year-old said.
The tan, brown-haired girl, a ninth-grade home-school student from Glendale, joined in with more than 100 women who also were dressed in long gloves and puff-sleeved gowns at a recent ball in Phoenix. They curtsied to the men, who bowed and tipped their top hats accordingly.
The light music began to play and dancers weaved in and out in simple patterns. They pretended it was the 1800s, but in reality it was October. The 150 to 250 participants were not in a real ballroom in newly-formed America, but at a gym in Phoenix. Still, they were making history come alive.
The grand ball was sponsored by We Make History, a local historical re-enactment organization that has been putting on balls and related events since 1999. The only group of its type in Arizona, We Make History brings together participants of all ages, locations and socioeconomic backgrounds and allows them to relive history in the modern world.
College students, home-schooling organizations, churches, high school clubs and re-enactment enthusiasts are just some of the groups found at the balls. Attendees wear outfits from past eras, musicians play songs from early American time periods and people are taught the dances of old.
Scott Douglas MacIntyre is just one of several ASU students who participates in the We Make History balls. An ASU piano performance senior, MacIntyre has attended eight to 10 balls with his family of five. The balls provide society with something unique, he said.
"I love the ability and experience of dressing up and acting out the dances of a [different] time period," he said. "I enjoy the wholesome family atmosphere and social interaction."
While dancing might be tough, MacIntyre has other problems then just two right feet--he is legally blind. This visual handicap does not stop MacIntyre from participating in the fun. The 19-year-old has a lot of experience with dancing, having taught salsa and swing dance lessons in the past.
"It's a lot of spatial memorization," he said. "I've also really developed my ears a lot. You'd be amazed at what you can and can't hear."
Richard Sherwood, a 57-year-old mailman from Phoenix, said the balls are a very good thing because "a lot of people learn how to act [properly] --- men to be gentlemen and ladies to be ladies. It's a good mix of people."
Sherwood originally found out about We Make History because he used to deliver mail to Scott Hinkle, the organization's founder.
Hinkle, an experienced re-enactor affectionately known as "Lord Scott," founded We Make History because of his love for history and family.
"I have a real passion for reconnecting people with their heritage," he said. "[I have] a sensitivity for families and young people in need of wholesome activity."
Running We Make History is almost a full-time job for Hinkle, though he does some acting, events promotion and business consulting on the side. While a group of about 12 to 20 volunteers who help during events, Hinkle and his wife Lesa keep the organization going.
The couple's only income from the organization is the money they make at the events. The balls cost anywhere between $15 and $25 per person, but Hinkle said a lot of that money goes toward hosting future events.
MacIntyre said he thinks tickets are fairly priced, especially for what is offered. "It's not just a ball, it's a whole re-enactment," he said.
The organization puts on five to seven balls per year between September and April and usually holds one in the summer. The balls cover several time periods between the 1600s and the 1800s. Some themes this season include the 1865 Civil War Remembrance Ball, the Victorian Christmas Ball, "Her Royall Majestie's Grand Ball" and most recently the Pride and Prejudice Ball.
Hinkle said that at any given ball, between half and three-quarters of the people who attend are in some type of historic outfit that they make, rent or buy. Others wear formal dresses, suits or tuxedos.
Christina, who has been to four or five balls with her parents and three older sisters, said she has only bought her dresses, but loves "dressing up and feeling like a girl." She added that her 17-year-old sister Danielle took three months to sew herself a Pride and Prejudice gown.
Lesa Hinkle said she loves observing all the different outfits. "One of my favorite things is seeing the guests and their enthusiasm," she said. "I think the work they've put into their dresses makes it special."
She herself has an array of elegant outfits, as she must always play the sophisticated hostess of the balls. On this particular October evening, she wore long white gloves and an ankle-length dark blue gown with short puffed sleeves, an empire waist and gold embroidered stitching on the top half.
Her dark brown hair was pinned up in tight curls that bounced as she greeted guests and followed her three young daughters around the lobby, all of whom were dressed in the same pink ruffled dress and white slippers.
Sherwood wore a black coat, a burgundy vest with a white shirt and neckcloth that his wife made. He said he and his wife enjoy getting dressed up and use the balls as an excuse to get out of the house.
"My wife and I make a big night of it," he said. "We spend the whole day preparing for it. We have dinner together [at a restaurant] and a lot of people talk to us and question us."
Hinkle said he tries to base the balls on how things would have been in the past, but there are limitations to what they can do. "Obviously we cannot copy a historic ball down to the last detail," he said. "We don't have any 200-year-old buildings, we use electric lighting rather than candle lighting, etc. But we try to incorporate enough historical aspects that people can get a feel for the times.
"I think we succeed in that despite having to do it in the modern world."
These aspects include the dress, music and dances particular to the time in which a ball is set.
Other We Make History events range from the "School of the Re-enactor" workshops to the American Heritage Weekend, which is held in Queen Creek and is the largest living history event in the Southwest. Participants in the workshops can learn more about re-enacting and how to perfect their character portrayals.
Hinkle said the second annual American Heritage Weekend, which was held Nov. 13 and 14, included crafts, musicians, battle re-enactments from the Civil War, character portrayals, a historic church service and more.
"I wanted to see a large-scale re-enactment in the Southwest," he said. "They are done on a large scale in the East, but why should Williamsburg [Va.] have all the fun?"
However, Hinkle said the balls seem to be the highlight and best-known aspect of the organization. Organizing a ball is a tremendous amount of work, Hinkle said. He has to line up the musicians, the volunteers and the facility. The past few dances have been held at the activity center and gym at Southwestern Bible College, 2625 E. Cactus Road.
In addition Hinkle must publicize the event through e-mails and other venues and purchase refreshments and door prizes.
An hour before the balls there is always a learning session where a "caller" walks new participants through the dances. Hinkle said all participants are welcome whether or not they have experience with historic dance.
Lisa Baline, a home-schooling mother from Phoenix, was one such newcomer at the most recent ball. She said that she made her own Pride and Prejudice outfit and really took the experience to heart.
"It's very neat," Baline, 49, said. "I love Jane Austen, and learning the dances of the time, the curtsies and such, is fun."
The dances are typically socials that involve large groups weaving and working together rather than individual couples dancing alone. Most dances require participants to keep the same partner throughout the dance but some require participants to change partners throughout or dance with someone they have not yet danced with that evening. These dances are called "mixers."
One mixer is affectionately known as the "shoe dance." Either all the men or all the women remove one of their shoes and toss them in a pile in the center of the dancing floor. Then the opposite gender picked up a shoe and had to find the owner, thus forming new couples for the following dance.
When it was the women's turn to pick up the men's shoes during the October ball, Christina raced alongside the other women to grab one, giggling as they "fought" against each other. "I tried to get a guy's shoe, but they were all gone by the time I got there," she said. "There need to be more guys there."
More women than men typically attend the balls, so it is sometimes a struggle to secure a partner of the opposite sex. However, if no men are available for a particular dance, most women dance with other women.
After the original practice session, the October ball commenced with a promenade, or grand march, around the room. Hinkle, dressed in his trousers and frock coat, welcomed the group and then offered his arm to his wife. Couples formed a line behind the hosts and followed them as they circled and weaved several times about the large room.
Hinkle said the promenade is everyone's opportunity to see who is in attendance and for the hosts to welcome their guests.
Then the dancing began. Each dance lasted 15 to 20 minutes.
Christina grabbed her friend Ashton Conwell and they joined the lines that were quickly forming. It was Ashton's first time at a ball and she was a bit nervous, so Christina helped her to learn the steps.
They curtsied and tried to keep track of the instructions the caller was giving them.
"Some dances are really difficult to do at first, but then after you figure them out they're really fun," Christina said.
At a typical ball there are breaks between dances and various entertainments such as short dramatic presentations, musical performances or prize giveaways. For example, at last season's 1864 Civil War Remembrance Ball, select gentlemen paid tribute to the South with a rousing chorus of "Bonny Blue Flag."
There were also a few occasions when "messengers" interrupted the activities to make war announcements, attempting to give everyone a feel for how things would have been in 1864.
MacIntyre said it is these types of interruptions and presentations that make the balls "educational and authentic."
During the dance breaks, some guests stay and observe the presentations while others head to the refreshment table in the foyer and mingle. Punch, mini-donuts and cookies were served at the Pride and Prejudice Ball.
Daniel Kim, a 16-year-old from Peoria who plays bass guitar in a punk band and has attended two We Make History balls, said he originally came because his teacher offered him extra credit.
He said he was intimidated the first time because there were so many people dressed up and portraying historical characters.
"People were talking different and I was like 'Am I supposed to talk like this?'" he said. "It was a lot different than I expected."
Hinkle said the balls are the perfect opportunity for people to sharpen their re-enacting and acting skills and portray a character. He added that there are many people who had never done re-enacting before they attended a We Make History event, but who now enjoy it and use the balls as a place to practice their new-found hobby.
Sherwood, the mailman, said that when he and his wife traveled to Virginia a few years ago, his grey hair and beard caused him to be compared several times to Gen. Robert E. Lee. After attending his first We Make History ball, he became interested in re-enacting and recently portrayed Lee at the American Heritage Weekend.
Respect is what sets We Make History balls apart from other activities offered in society, Hinkle added.
"A lot of social activities degrade people," he said. "We want people to be inspired and encouraged."
Hinkle said a lot of participants, especially young women, tell him they appreciate the respect they receive at the balls. "You'll notice that at our balls people rise to the occasion," he said. "I think I can pretty well promise you that you'll be treated with more respect at one of our balls than at an ASU party."
Kim said he definitely appreciates the attitudes and respect he gets at a We Make History ball. "It's a friendlier environment," he said. "People don't act like jerks like at school dances."
MacIntyre said he credits the respect seen at the balls with the caliber of the people attending.
"Basically, it's people from different walks of life, young and old alike, but we all share the same moral convictions or other standards," he said. "Your average teen probably wouldn't want to come and fit in here, and that's sad because it's so much fun."
Hinkle said he finds the multigenerational aspect of the balls to be particularly inspiring.
"You'll find everyone from teens to senior citizens enjoying each other's company," he said. "This is extremely uncommon and very healthy."
Lesa Hinkle added that We Make History fills a need for families because the American society does not provide enough entertainment and activities geared toward families.
Hinkle said that in 10 years, he hopes We Make History will grow to serve even more dancers and re-enactors. He added that he hopes people will stick with the organization throughout the years and that people who are young now will be bringing their own families back in the future.
For now, Christina is happy to be learning, and of course, dancing.
"People never do anything like this nowadays," she said. "It's awesome."
What: We Make History's Fourth Annual Victorian Christmas Ball
When: Nov. 27 from 7 p.m. to midnight (practice session begins at 6)
Where: The Southwestern Bible College Activity Center
2625 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix
Wear: Formal long dress, tuxedo or dark suit; Victorian era clothing (1840-1900)
For more info, visit www.wemakehistory.com.
