Ball (dance event) in the context of Väinö Linna

Stańczyk (Full title: Stańczyk during a ball at the court of Queen Bona in the face of the loss of Smolensk, Polish: Stańczyk w czasie balu na dworze królowej Bony wobec straconego Smoleńska) is a painting by Jan Matejko finished in 1862. This painting was acquired by the National Museum in Warsaw in 1924. During World War II it was looted by the Nazis, but later seized by the Soviet Union and returned to Poland around 1956.

It is one of Matejko's most famous works and the one that launched him to fame. It has been described by the Warsaw National Museum as one of the most recognizable paintings in its collection, and is a flagship painting for the "Collection of Polish paintings prior to 1914". Its primary component is the contrast between the solemn Stańczyk (a historical Polish court jester and the painting's namesake) and the lively ball in the background. The painting presents Stańczyk with a sense of isolation and hopelessness, which reflects the political situation of Poland during the 19th century.

A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic mansions and palaces, contain one or more ballrooms. In other large houses, a large room such as the main drawing room, long gallery, or hall may double as a ballroom, but, a good ballroom should have the right type of flooring, such as hardwood flooring or stone flooring (usually marble or stone).. For most styles of modern dance, a wooden sprung floor offers the best surface.

In later times the term ballroom has been used to describe nightclubs where customers dance, the Top Rank Suites in the United Kingdom for example were also often referred to as ballrooms. The phrase "having a ball" has grown to encompass many events where person(s) are having fun, not just dancing.

A debutante, also spelled débutante (/ˈdɛbjʊtɑːnt/ DEB-yuu-tahnt; from French: débutante [debytɑ̃t], 'female beginner'), or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and is presented to society at a formal "debut" (UK: /ˈdeɪbjuː, ˈdɛbjuː/ DAY-byoo, DEB-yoo, US: /deɪˈbjuː/ day-BYOO; French: début [deby]) or possibly debutante ball. Originally, the term indicated that the woman was old enough to be married, and one purpose of her "coming out" was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within a select circle.

A debutante ball, sometimes called a coming-out party, is a formal ball that includes presenting debutantes during the social season, usually during the spring or summer. Debutante balls may require prior instruction in social etiquette and appropriate morals.

The German Dance, also known as Deutsche, Deutscher Tanz and Teutsche, was a generic term utilized in the late 18th and early 19th centuries for partner dances written in triple metre. These encompassed several different types of dances, including the waltz, ländler, and allemande. Composers of German Dances frequently wrote and published them in sets of three, six, or twelve for use at balls. Many composers published sets of Deutsche, including Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert to name a few.

A masquerade ball (or bal masqué) is a special kind of formal ball which many participants attend in costume wearing masks. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tradition. A masquerade ball usually encompasses music and dancing. These nighttime events are used for entertainment and celebrations.