Do you remember your first dance? Junior Assembly Cotillion students have for more than 80 years.

Junior Assembly Cotillion builds self-confidence in young people through dancing, social etiquette and life skills coaching.

JAC is a highly anticipated event for hundreds of sixth through ninth graders in and around the Richmond, Virginia area. In a time when technology is pervasive and inescapable, we bring tweens and teens face-to-face and one-on-one with each other in an exciting, inclusive and entertaining setting.

Cotillion memories are made through the little things that make cotillion fun and special. Our students take each others’ arms in the Grand March. Toes are stepped on despite best intentions. The quiet boy shyly laughs at a comment from his dance partner. They twirl. A glance at the dance floor through the cotillion season leaves images of white gloves, party dresses, Halloween costumes, cowboy boots, leis, ties of all designs, school colors and holiday-festooned nosegays and boutonnières. Students learn traditional and popular partner dances and line dances. And over the course of the seven events, they brush up on invaluable manners and social skills to give them confidence to have a better sense of self and grow as future leaders.  Our students make new friends and form closer bonds with each other through the experience of going to cotillion.

Last but not least, a special father-daughter and mother-son event make grownups proud and maybe just a little teary-eyed as they cherish every minute of dancing with their child.

Why do we do what we do?

For over 80 years, we’ve led our tween and teen students through social, manners and contemporary etiquette training over a four-year, integrated program where each year builds on the last. Generations of families tell us that our fun, inclusive dancing events build confidence, poise, maturity and better decision-making skills in their children. Our leadership has kept traditional ballroom dancing current and relevant for decades of parents and children. Though our cotillion has roots to 1920, our prior owners set 1944 as a milestone date which we honor.