by Anne Motto, F.M. Kirby Curator of Collections
May 27, 2025
In the early 19th century, a new dance instructor burst onto the scene in New York City. It was a time when complex, ever-evolving dances were then in vogue and fashionable ladies and gentlemen were always in need of instruction on the newest figures and steps to perfect their footwork in time for the next ball. Luckily, an army of instructors, many of them French, were on hand to offer classes at assembly rooms and hotels across the city. Louis Sansay quickly became one of the busiest instructors and after debuting to a successful fall and winter in 1807, he did as many of his colleagues did – followed his clientele out to the “country” for the summer. Nomadic until the end of his life, it was nonetheless the beginning of his long connection to Morristown.
In June 1808, Sansay announced in both New York and local papers the opening of a school at Strong’s Hotel (alternatively called Strong’s City-Tavern) in Morristown for the summer. Intending to stay “only a quarter,” he encouraged potential students to quickly join his classes for there was no time to lose. He also expressed optimism in advertisements that “after the encouragement he has received in New-York, he will meet the approbation of the inhabitants of this town.” Tuition for the quarter was $6 (~$150 today) with ladies taught from 5:00 to 8:00pm on Tuesday and Thursdays, gentlemen at the same time on Mondays and Wednesdays. He also offered a “public day” every Saturday at 4:00pm which anyone could join for $2 per quarter. He must have met with success, as he returned for at least the following four summers. However, it would not be until 1810 that he began to advertise his “new and spacious Assembly-Room in DeHart street,” opening them in grand fashion with a 4th of July ball which he hoped would entice the “general attendance of the Ladies and Gentlemen of this and the neighboring towns.”
After about five years of non-stop classes and balls in New York, Newark, Elizabeth, and Morristown, Sansay’s career saw a dramatic shift. Since his arrival in New York, he had partnered with French dancer Miss Gervais to offer classes and balls in the City. She had even come to Morristown to perform at a concert and ball he put on at his assembly room in 1811. With the spring of 1812, their partnership ceased, and his presence in New York and New Jersey dropped precipitously, although he still occasionally advertised dance schools in Elizabeth. In later years, he instead developed a habit of teaching in southern cities across the Carolinas and Georgia during the colder months, returning north to the tri-state area as weather warmed. Perhaps because of these long absences, there are signs of another French dance teacher from NYC, Charles Berault, with whom he sometimes partnered, occupying the DeHart street house (top photo). In 1825, the house’s assembly rooms would even famously host the Marquis de Lafayette during his visit to Morristown on his tour of the US. Sansay himself would remain on the move, teaching and traveling until end, dying on the road to Morristown, presumably for the summer season, around May 1, 1826.
To learn more about this summer’s celebration of Lafayette’s return to Morristown, visit Lafayette200.org.
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