In William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, what happens between Balthasar and Margaret and Ursula and Antonio is dancing. Balthasar and Margaret dance with one another at the masked party. Ursula and Antonio dance with one another at the ball. While these events in themselves don’t appear to have a big impact on the rest of the play, they allude to events that are important to the rest of the play.

In the repartee between Balthasar and Margaret, Margaret mentions her “ill-qualities.” Her supposedly unseemly characteristics link her to Borachio, who's genuinely underhanded. Borachio accepts money to make it look like Hero is cheating on Claudio. To do this, he uses Margaret, who isn’t aware of Borachio’s scheme. This event is important to the rest of the play as it causes Claudio to castigate Hero in the middle of their wedding before leaving her.

Ursula and Antonio’s conversation draws attention to Antonio’s traits. “I know you by the wagging of your head,” Ursula tells Antonio. Ursula’s portrayal of Antonio as proud and honorable sets the stage for Antonio’s passionate denunciation of Claudio and Don Pedro later on.

Separate from dancing with Antonio, Ursula has a critical impact on the play. Ursula helps Beatrice understand that Benedick loves her. Hiding, Beatrice listens to Ursula and Hero talk about how much Benedick loves her.

Separate from dancing with Margaret, Balthasar has a notable influence on the rest of the play. After he sings his song, Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato talk about how Beatrice loves Benedick so that Benedick, who’s hiding, can overhear them.

Ursula’s words and Balthasar’s singing arguably push Benedick and Beatrice to face their true feelings and marry one another.