Moscow’s 2nd International Historical Dance Festival was rounded off with a final ball featuring historical dances from the Renaissance period through the 19th century. The ball opened with a presentation of the Pavana and the Vilanella styles, popular in the 16th century. The participants were wearing lavishly decorated costumes made to resemble period dress.

The ball also featured dances from the Baroque period, with their complicated, symmetrically structured choreography and graceful movements.

The Waltz and the Polonaise emerged in the 19th century, and were both instant successes with ballroom regulars. In that period, balls stopped being exclusively for the aristocracy and became universally accessible.

This recent historical  ball in Moscow was also open to all. Most of its participants, though, were members of historical dance societies, seeking to revive not only old dancing styles, but also the ballroom fashion typical of each period.