Its awkward that the article ignores the classism of 18th-19th century dance balls, an aspect that I suspect had an impact in the downfall of these sorts of dances; the got co-opted and associated with upper classes, and as those upper classes faded, so did the balls with them. While Disneys Cinderella was late in this phenomenon, it probably helped to solidify the image of dance balls as something more fit to fairytale than for modern person.