Title: Light fantastic : dance floor courtship in New Zealand /
Authors: White, Georgina.
Publisher: HarperCollins,
Year: 2007
Subjects: Ballroom dancing New Zealand History.; Ballroom dancing Social aspects New Zealand.; Courtship New Zealand History.
Abstract: Reveals our enduring love affair with dancing. From the first settlers’ socials and elegant governor’s balls to Saturday night hops in country halls; from the ritualised formality of debutantes ‘coming out’ to disco dancing and contemporary school balls, it relates how we have loved to dance and how we have danced with our lovers. This stunningly beautiful tribute to social dance is for everyone who’s ever taken to a dance floor. Lavishly illustrated, Light Fantastic began as the successful 2005 First Dance exhibition at the National Library Gallery, curated by the author. With evocative artefacts from invitations and dance-cards to extracts from letters and diaries, the heartache of the wallflower sits beside a collection of stories recalling the thrill of first love and the celebration of lifelong partnerships that began on the dance floor.