Plural of cotillion; a type of elaborate formal dance popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, or a social gathering featuring such dancing.
From French cotillon, possibly derived from cotte (a petticoat or coat), as the dance involved swishing skirts. The term evolved from a simple peasant dance to an elaborate aristocratic social ritual.
The cotillion was the TikTok of the 1800s—a fast-paced dance with constant partner switches and intricate figures that required serious social skills to navigate; debutante balls still use modified cotillions today to present young women to society.
Cotillon was a 18th-century ballroom dance with gendered choreography and etiquette rules that strictly regulated female and male roles. The formal structure encoded expectations about women's passivity and men's leadership in social performance.
Use neutrally when describing the historical dance or modern variations. Consider noting the historical gender rigidity when teaching or performing.
["ballroom dance","quadrille","group dance"]
Women choreographers and dance teachers modernized cotillions in the 20th century, removing gender-prescriptive elements and creating versions valuing all participants equally.
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