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Twenty teenagers from across Fredericksburg toil under the exhaustive process of becoming a debutante. Date published: 11/13/2005
By CATHY DYSON To a group of teenagers trying to learn a formal dance, "curtsy" might as well be a foreign word. It seems as outdated as powdered wigs and wooden teeth, and it isn't nearly as easy as it looks. But if these girls want to be presented to society as debutantes during a formal ball, they must be able to bend and bow at the right moments. Twenty high school students from across the Fredericksburg area have spent the better part of two months learning just that. By the night of the ball, the girls will have devoted at least seven of the past 10 weekends to preparations. The debutante process and cotillion is sponsored by the local chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. During workshops, the girls have learned which fork to use first and how to make proper introductions. They've studied the finer points of makeup and wardrobe, hair and nail care. They've walked with their heads up and their stomachs held in, practicing in the same heels they'll wear to the ball. Their efforts will pay off on Saturday, when the debutantes and their escorts will look like characters out of a fairy tale. The young ladies will be decked out in white gloves and dresses; the young men in tuxedoes. Many of the debutantes will wear actual wedding gowns, as elaborate as those pictured in bridal magazines. Some of their parents may feel like they've spent enough to get a daughter married. The couples will glide along the dance floor of the Holiday Inn Select in Central Park, as about 400 friends and family members watch from the sidelines. The first dance will be the minuet. No doubt, it will go smoother on Saturday than it did during rehearsals in September and October. Social dos and don'tsTwenty girls wearing jeans and sneakers are gathered in the cafeteria of Chancellor High School in mid-September. There's a lot of talking among the girls until Clintina Hankerson gets ready to start. Tall and thin, Hankerson is one of those teachers who speaks softly when she wants attention. She's not about to scream above the noise generated by teenagers. When she explains the minuet to the girls, she tells them they'll have to curtsy several times during the dance. Everyone watches when she demonstrates.
Date published: 11/13/2005
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