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… Philadelphia Dancing Assembly a desideratum. Founded in 1749, the Assembly thrived, even into the early Federal period. Rules governing all aspects of participation, including the dancing itself, sustained the Assembly’s role in determining … Assembly more strictly than those of London or Bath , governing its meetings, management, tickets, and more. Rules were occasionally reinforced, perhaps to bolster managers’ authority against more democratic portions of the young … century; rather, attendees ‘moved with measured dignity in grave minuets or gayer country dances.’ 7   Assembly rules required that each set, formed in order of dancers’ arrival, have ten couples; if a set came up short, its couples …

… lines, a sparing use of colours other than black and white, and little ornament, but he also created eagerly absorbed rules about comportment in society. The fascination with the historical Brummell also led to numerous, … In Regency London, a few hundred families belonged to good society, following its often very elaborate formal rules. By questioning hierarchies while assuming a position of power, Brummell was playing a paradox game. Despite his … comically point at a lack of style, comportment, or judgement. Brummell simultaneously played with and inverted the rules of polite conversation: he implicitly demanded verbal precision, brevity, and style, but used others’ errors or …