The Arlington House Victorian Dance Society was founded as a volunteer interpretive program of Arlington House, a historic home built between 1802 and 1818. It was the home of George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of Martha Washington and step-grandson of George Washington, who was raised at Mount Vernon by the Washingtons. The only surviving child of GWP Custis and his wife Mary Lee Fitzhugh,
Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married Lt. Robert Edward Lee in the parlor in 1831, six of their seven children were born at Arlington, and the Lee family considered it home until the Civil War. The Arlington estate was also home to 60+ enslaved people, inherited by Mr. They built home, maintained the property and served the family until the estate was occupied by Union troops in April, 1861, the beginning of the Civil War. The home and grounds are administered by the National Park Service, and are located in what is now Arlington National Cemetery. The mid-19th century dance troupe was founded in 2012 by Arlington House volunteer Amy Delery, director and dance mistress, 2012-2017, now consulting. John Michel, an original dancer with the group, then served as dance master, and the current dance mistress is Naomi Arlund. Member Vanna Patterson Lewis also calls and teaches dances. The members are dedicated volunteers and living historians who enjoy learning and performing dances of the mid-19th century. The group has performed at Arlington House, Fort Washington, the Anacostia Arts Center, the Army-Navy Country Club, Sully Historic Site, and other Washington, DC area venues.
