National League of Junior Cotillions
Tampa Chapter

Our goal is to reinforce the qualities and social skills that we think all ladies and gentlemen need to succeed today: confidence, character, kindness, curiosity, and personality!  We feel that manners still do matter and that character and ethics are an important component of a well-lived life. Also, for young students becoming socially aware, learning to dance can be a fun and rewarding way to build confidence.  

We strive to have the groups equally balanced by gender to facilitate dancing; each group has approximately 50-60 students.  Please note, students do not have to have been members of our Year I Group to join us for the Year II Group.  Along with basic ballroom instruction, topics from handshaking and introductions to thank you notes and sports etiquette, among many others, are covered in each 90-minute class.  Each season ends with our semi-formal Grand Spring Ball held at the Carrollwood Country Club.    

The Tampa Chapter will be offering two programs for the 2024-25 Cotillion season: The Junior Cotillion Program and the High School Program.  

What is the Junior Cotillion Program?

The Junior Cotillion program is a three year curriculum designed to give young people instruction and practice in the courtesies that make life more pleasant for them and those around them; to give them an introduction to standard ballroom dance; and to provide opportunities to practice and enjoy these skills at memorable parties, balls, dinners and events, complete with decorations, refreshments, favors and prizes.  Please join us for our annual Open House Parents' Reception at the "Studio" Building at the Carrollwood Cultural Center on September 15th at 4:00pm to learn more about the program prior to the start of the season in October.  Students are welcome to attend, casual dress.

Who is eligible to participate?

The Junior Cotillion program is designed for 6th – 8th grade students.  Students did not have to have participated as 6th graders to join us as 7/8th graders.  Students are broken into two groups, the Year I Group and the Year II Group.  Year I is for 6th graders and Year II is a blend of 7/8th graders.  Based on registrations, The Year II Group MAY have an Early and Late session this season to accomodate increased registrations.  If we do offer two sessions for the Year II Group students,  experience has shown that as we get closer to October, there is always movement between the Early and Late sessions for various reasons.   If your session of choice is not avaialable at this time, we suggest you register and we will keep you posted as to availability.  We are happy to add your name to a waitlist as well.  Please see our "Classes" page for event times for both Year I and Year II Groups. 

What life skills will my child learn in Junior Cotillion?

Junior Cotillion program places emphasis on etiquette, manners and character education as well as on dancing. The social and character education components of the program include rules of social courtesies, acknowledgments of gifts, introductions, receiving lines, participating in group settings, polite conversation, paying and receiving compliments, sports etiquette, first impressions, dress code for all occasions, manners in the home and in public places, table manners, formal place settings, styles of dining, skills involved in being a guest, hostess or host, and many other areas of social behavior. Other topics covered are the ethics involved in the areas of having honor, dignity, respect, honesty, fairness, a caring attitude, accountability, and citizenship.

How do I enroll my student?
More information for this season is available on our Classes page. 

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What is the National League of Junior Cotillions High School Cotillion Program?

The High School Cotillion Program is designed to introduce etiquette and character development topics for high school years, such as dating courtesies, interviewing for scholarships and jobs, college planning, financial literacy and positive self-esteem.   We will also have dance instruction at one of our events.

This program will bridge the gap for today’s high schooler between their education and the real world in a meaningful way.

Who is eligible to participate in the National League of Junior Cotillions High School Cotillion Program?

High schoolers, 9th – 12th grade

What life skills will my student learn?

The program covers specific skills such as how to:

• compose personal correspondence
• make a budget
• pay bills
• register to vote
• submit tax forms
• basic dance instruction
• apply for a loan
• buy a car
• take part in an interview
• and more!

The High School program includes an Instructional Dinner, 4 classes, and a museum visit.  One class includes dance instruction. This program will be limited to 40 students. Tuition for this program is $425 and covers all costs associated with the events. If 2 children from the same family are enrolled, the younger sibling's tuition is reduced by 50%.  For returning Cotillion students, tuiiton is $400.

Specifically designed for high schoolers, this program will focus on new etiquette and character development topics which are pertinent to the high school years such as interviewing for scholarships and jobs, developing positive self-esteem, career planning, college prep, fine dining skills, social dance, transitioning to the adult world, expanding cultural horizons and more.

Dress code for High School members:

For ladies and gentlemen; dressy casual. No ripped jeans, shorts, t-shirts, or minis.  For the Dinner event, we request dress/skirt/blouses for ladies and jacket and tie with dress slacks (khakis are fine) for the gentlemen.  NO sneakers, flip flops, super minis at the dinner please.

Location info:

Classes: The Studio Building at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 13345 Casey Road, Tampa 33618

Dinner: Carrollwood Country Club, 13903 Clubhouse Drive, Tampa 33618

Museum trip: The Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa 33602

How do I enroll my student?
To view dates, please visit the Classes page and scroll to High School program details.  To register, please click the Registration tab. Dates now posted.