Hi everyone, Today I'll be recapping some basics of English Country Dance and preparation for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball! English Country Dance
This dance form can be danced in duple minor sets (2 couples performing the figures), triple minor (3 couples performing figures, or triple sets (only 3 couples do the entire dance). See my post on progression for more details!
In ECD, the 1s always progress DOWN the set, while 2s and 3s (in a triple minor dance), work their way UP the set to eventually become 1s.
Some basic figures we covered for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball include:
pousette
1st couple leads down and back to 2nd place OR casts into 2nd place
swinging (turn by 1 hand)
turning (by 2 hands)
circles (for 4 and 6)
changes of rights and lefts
stars
allemande
More complex figures:
promenade
Triumph
circle for 3 with 2nd woman or man going under the arch made by 1st couple
Footwork: skip change, slipping step, jete assemble for those who want to do more advanced footwork. Country dances can also be danced in 3/4, so you can use a waltz
Cotillion
A dance involving 4 couples in a square formation.
This style of dance includes a "chorus" figure that repeats throughout the dance, and a series of "changes" (ie. circle for 8, ladies' star...).
The German "quadrille" for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball is more similar to the cotillion, with its repeating grand chain, than the quadrille itself! You can use a basic skip change for this dance.
Quadrille
Another dance involving 4 couples in a square formation.
This dance evolved from the cotillion, keeping "chorus" figures and removing all of the extra changes. This made the dance shorter and more concise.
This dance is performed in 3/4 time with a strong emphasis on the 1st beat of each bar.
This dance was used to open balls in Europe, less so in England.
Couples form 2 lines (as in English Country Dance) and follow the head couple around the room. In playing follow-the-leader, the couples will create patterns on the dance floor (ie. couples lead to the top of the room, women split off and go one way, while the men go the other way... something like that).
If you are interested in learning more footwork, check out my polonaise post to see my video on the polonaise step.
Footwork: Polonaise step.
Ecossaise
This dance is interesting because its form changes depending on the country.
In England, this is a duple minor dance in which 1st couple is improper (on opposite sides).
In Europe, and for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball, we will be dancing in triple SETS with 1st couple on their proper sides. The version to be danced at the ball seems less interactive, in terms of dancing with a partner, as each dancer keeps changing sides and positions throughout the dance!
If the music is in 4/4, I would suggest skip change, if in 3/4 a waltz time step.
Waltz
The Regency slow waltz is in 3/4 time and features couples rotating in a circle.
The waltz was more common in Europe and was slowly adopted in England by the bon ton!
See my video on the Regency waltz to learn how to do this dance!
That's all for now - now I need to focus on getting some sewing done! After the weekend, I will (hopefully) update the German quadrille and Paine's quadrille pages with videos from our dance practice. Until then... Happy dancing!
Hi everyone, Today I'm looking at style tips that you can incorporate into the dances to make the figures even prettier! Hopefully you find some of these useful, as I have, in the dance group I am in. I will work from the feet up! Feet
Dance on your toes! You will be able to move more smoothly and your motions will appear and feel much lighter than if dancing on the flats of your feet. You could practise walking around your house walking on the balls of your feet to build the strength in your calf muscles.
When skipping, or doing a jeté assemblé (any motion, really), it is really important to bend your knees! You do not want to damage your knees by landing hard on a straight leg!
It's also helpful to be on the beat! If you are doing a skip change, take that 1st step of the skip change on beat 1. If you are doing a waltz step, make sure each step corresponds with a beat of music.
Use up all the music allotted to each figure - what I do is find a reference or halfway point for each figure so that I know that I am on track and on time as I dance. For example, if I am doing a right-hand star, followed by a left-hand star in 8 bars, I tell myself that I need to reach the halfway point in 4 bars, to turn around and get back to place on time.
I also try to remain in continuous motion, especially in waltz country dances, because it makes all of the figures flow into each other. In this video of the York Regency Dancers at Queen Charlotte's Birthday Ball, we perform Duke of Kent's Waltz (starting at 2:45), and I make sure I use up all of the music and remain in continuous motion if possible.
Torso
Try to work on posture, having a straight back, instead of slouching. Dancing is made easier if you have control of the muscles in your core, especially when working with a partner in the Regency waltz!
Arms
Give weight in figures like circles and turns... This means, tighten your biceps to create a firm arm. If you also slightly pull your arms down and out, this will create a nice firm circle or turn. This structure is really helpful to prevent a circle for 4 or 6 from collapsing and can even help you get around faster because nothing is weighing the circle down! I will try to create a little video to illustrate.
When giving weight in a circle or star (etc.), create a pleasing arch with your arms (my ballet teacher always told me to imagine I was holding a big beach ball!). This serpentine style was very popular in the Regency period!
However, if the ballroom is crowded, this arm hold is less practical. You and your partner should lower your joined hands between you to use up less space.
Do not grip your partner/group's hands too hard - you want the grip to be firm so that your hands don't slip from each others, but not crushing...
Head
Smile! If you are enjoying yourself, let everyone around you know!
Eye contact - this is really important to making the dance feel social! After all, you are dancing and interacting with other people in the set. I find it's always nice to acknowledge their existence when performing figures together! When I first joined the York Regency Dancers, I was really shy and found the eye contact really strange and intimidating, but over time it becomes more comfortable and enjoyable.
Within the Dance
This may develop over time, but when you are dancing with a partner, you learn to gauge what they need. It's teamwork after all, right? You can actually sense if they need more tension in your arms to get around that circle, or need to go faster or slower to complete the figure. It's a good sense to develop... being aware of your partner and his/her motions as well as your own.
Also, I find it really helpful, particularly in the longer dances, to think of the next figure in the dance while dancing to be prepared. If you have memorized figures or know the dance well enough, you won't necessarily need to wait for the figure to be called. This helps to keep the motion continuous, as I mentioned before, and can also help your partner or your set should they be unfamiliar with the figures, or forget!
Similar to the previous point, remember the set you are dancing within, particularly in a triple minor longways, when the positions of the 2s and 3s keep changing. Keep your mind sharp! See my post on progression.
When leading down the set, let the set breath! What I mean by that is, if the dancers going down the middle or dancing around another couple need room, you can back up to give them space to dance comfortably. The lines along the set don't need to be rigid.
Practising without a group
What I do at home, when I don't have a group to dance with, is "ghost" the dance. Now, this may seem a bit odd, but I swear it works! If you imagine that there are other people occupying the spaces within the set or formation (ie. quadrille), you can walk through the figures on your own. I did that yesterday with the German quadrille. Even though it may look strange to other people or feel strange to you initially, this kind of motion helps to build muscle memory for each dance!
I will post a little video later to illustrate. It may look bizarre, but it helps to build confidence and memory, because you know what YOU are supposed to be doing, and not relying on other people.
UPDATE: Below is a video of me "ghosting" the German quadrille. I will also post this video on the German quadrille page. I know it will seem a bit odd since there are no other people to fill in for some of the confusing figures, but I will post a video of our quadrille practise after the weekend with more people. This is just to get you started on that long dance!
The music I used was called The Family Party, a country dance from the Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society Dances for Jane Austen CD. Please excuse my dog barking the background - he always tosses me a ball when I dance, so I had to keep him inside!
Well, that's all for now! I hope that helps a bit - until next time... Happy dancing!
Hi everyone! Like yesterday's post, Prince Wm (William) of Glos'ter's (Gloucester's) Waltz was not on the Facebook list of dances, but was included in the figures sent out by Mr. Baert, so I will break down another waltz country dance for you! Maybe he will use this music for a turning waltz (since he posted a French image of a couple waltzing beneath it), or maybe we will be doing the figures paired with this dance... I don't know. I guess we'll find out!
Prince William of Gloucester was the son of the Duke of Gloucester, who was King George III's younger brother. In 1816, Prince William of Gloucester married his cousin Mary (daughter of George III and Queen Charlotte). He was also known as "Silly Billy" by his contemporaries - however, the music for this country dance is lovely! Prince Wm of Glos'ter's Waltz
This dance is a duple minor dance... See my post on progression!
A1: 1st lady sets to 2nd man (4 bars) and changes places with him (4 bars).
I would recommend always crossing by right shoulders so that there is no confusion.
A2: 1st man sets to 2nd lady (4 bars) and changes places with her (4 bars). B: 1st and 2nd couple pousette 1x around back to 2nd place (8 bars).
C: "Right and left quite round" (as found in the original instructions - 8 bars).
Now, one reconstruction has right- and left-hand stars (4 bars each), but I would think they would do circles for 4 (due to the use of the work round), using 4 bars to circle left and 4 bars to circle right.
Maybe it's 4 changes of rights and lefts (2 bars per change of hands)
NOTE: Now, this dance does pose an interesting problem... getting back to place. 1st and 2nd couples never cross back to proper sides, even in the original instructions! This is what would happen for the next repetition of the music...
So, the women and men would be setting to each other and changing places... I'm pretty positive that this would not happen. All couples HAVE to get back to proper place. Here's what I recommend (hopefully Mr. Baert will have figured out how to fix this problem for the ball!)...
1) Here's a reconstruction to get back to place!
A1: 1st lady sets to 2nd man (2 bars) and changes places with him by right shoulders (2 bars); 1st man sets to 2nd lady (2 bars) and changes places with her by right shoulders (2 bars).
A2: Repeat back to place (8 bars).
B: 1st and 2nd couples pousette 1.5x to progress (8 bars).
C: Star right and left OR circles left and right OR 4 changes of rights and lefts (8 bars).
2) Here's another possibility...
A1: 1st lady sets to 2nd man (4 bars) and changes places with him (4 bars).
A2: 1st man sets to 2nd lady (4 bars) and changes places with her (4 bars). B: 1st and 2nd couple pousette 1x around back to 2nd place (8 bars).
NOTE: at the end of the pousette, both couples will keep hands and do a 2-hand turn halfway to place.
C: "Right and left quite round" (as found in the original instructions - 8 bars). I think that the 1st option would be most correct, since everyone would be back to place BEFORE starting another figure. That's all for now - until next time... Happy dancing!
Hi everyone! This time I will be looking at another waltz country dance: Lord Castlereagh's Waltz in honour of the British diplomat involved in the Congress of Vienna. Now, this dance wasn't listed on the new dance list on Facebook, but when Mr. Baert sent out figures, this one was included as well... Maybe he will use this music for a turning waltz, or maybe we will be doing the figures paired with this dance (I don't know)... I figure it's better to be safe than sorry! Like so many other waltz country dances illustrated on this blog, this one has 2 sets of figures: Waltz and Country Dance. Lord Castlereagh's Waltz WALTZ FIGURE A: 3 ladies join hands and 3 men join hands along the sets. The 2 lines advance towards each other and retire (8 bars).
4 bars to advance, 4 bars to retire.
B: 1st and 2nd couples whole pousette 1.5x to progress (8 bars).
C: 3 couples circle for 6 all the way around (8 bars).
COUNTRY DANCE FIGURE A: 1st couple circles for 3 with 2nd woman (4 bars); 1st couple circles for 3 with 2nd man (4 bars).
B: 1st couple leads down the middle and up again (4 bars); allemande (4 bars).
An allemande, according to Wilson, could be a back-to-back. See my Duke of Wellington's Waltz page for other "allemande" options!
C: 1st couple turn corners (8 bars).
1st couple crosses set by right shoulders and 2-hand turns right-hand corner. Repeat with the left-hand corner.
That's all for now - until next time... Happy dancing!
Today I'm looking at one of the popular dances used to finish a ball in the Regency era: Sir Roger de Coverley. This is one of several dances that were used to conclude balls (others include La Boulanger and the Bumpkin); they emphasized sociability as all ball attendees interacted with each other in this final dance! This dance was also the forerunner of the Virginia Reel! Sir Roger de Coverley Part 1: top lady and bottom gentleman advance to the middle of the set and bow/curtsey to the other and retire to places. Repeat with top man and bottom lady. This pattern (top lady/bottom man; top man/bottom lady repeats for the next series of figures.
bow/curtsey
right-hand turn
left-hand turn
2-hand turn
back-to-back
Part 2: top couple crosses and casts through every couple in the set until they reach the bottom. Depending on how long the set is, they may have a long way to go!
Part 3: top couple (now at the bottom of the set) take promenade/skater's hold and lead up through the set, followed by the other couples. The ladies cast down their own side, while the men cast down their own side.
The dance then repeats with the new top couple and bottom couple. The previous top couple is now the bottom couple, so they are still active for the next repetition of the dance!
For anyone who is interested, there is a lovely recording of Sir Roger de Coverley on the Regency Ballroom CD by Spare Parts.
That's all for now - until next time... Happy dancing!
Alright, so today I'm tackling that confusing German quadrille for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball. Note: I roughly translated the text from German to figure out the gist of the figures. Iut I hope I will reconstruct it more clearly and carefully than the German instructions. Where the descriptions were not as useful, I relied more on the image from the dance manual, so if there is a mistake in the reconstruction, those are the reasons. However, I hope that this is an accurate reconstruction so that we can prepare for the ball!
I also made contact with Ellis Rogers of the Quadrille Club in London, England, who said that this dance looks more like a cotillion, as cotillions were frequently called "quadrilles" in Germany. That makes sense, when one notes the repeating figure of the Grand Chain throughout the dance! UPDATE (May 31): Yesterday, our group from Canada had another practise for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball to work on the German Quadrille. I'm posting 2 videos from that practise - one with the figures being explained and learned by our group and one where we dance to music! For our first time all the way through the dance, I think we did really well! I've also updated the figures with a few tips we worked out in this colour... The Walk-through:
First time with music:
Here is the original diagram for the entire quadrille:
German Quadrille Figures 1 & 2: All 4 couples do a circle for 8 right and left (16 bars - 8 bars left, 8 bars right).
Cotillions
start circling to the right!
Figure 3: This one is a bit tricky to explain. 1st and 3rd couples form a line for 4 and raise their arms forming 3 arches (between 1st couple, between 1st and 3rd couple, between 3rd couple). I would probably allocate 2 bars of music for them to get in position. Then, a lot happens simultaneously... (total 8 bars!)
2nd couple goes through the middle arch made by 1st and 3rd men, but then the 2nd woman crosses in front of 2nd man to go off to the left to pass under the arch made by the 1st couple (while 2nd man goes off to the right and under the arch made by the 3rd couple, and cross back to place.
WHILE 4th couple passes through the outside arches (4th woman through the arch made by 1st couple and 4th man through the arch made by 3rd couple). The 4th woman crosses in front of 4th man and both pass through the middle arch formed by 1st and 3rd men, and cross back to place.
I would allocate 6 bars of music for everyone to be able to complete this figure.
TIMING:
2 bars (1s and 3s forming arches) + 4 bars (2s and 4s going through arches)
+ 2 bars (1s and 3s back to place).
Figure 4: This figure repeats, with 2nd and 4th couples forming a line for 4 with 3 arches (allocate 2 of the 8 bars). Then, a lot happens simultaneously... (total 8 bars!)
1st couple goes through the middle arch made by 1st and 3rd men, but then the 1st woman crosses in front of 1st man to go off to the left to pass under the arch made by the 4th couple (while 1st man goes off to the right and under the arch made by the 2nd couple, and cross back to place.
WHILE 3rd couple passes through the outside arches (3rd woman through the arch made by 4th couple and 3rd man through the arch made by 2nd couple). The 3rd woman crosses in front of 3rd man and both pass through the middle arch formed by 2nd and 4th men, and cross back to place.
I would allocate 6 bars of music for everyone to be able to complete this figure.
TIMING:
2 bars (2s and 4s forming arches) + 4 bars (1s and 2s going through
arches) + 2 bars (1s and 3s back to place).
Figures 5 & 6: All 4 couples perform a grand chain (changes of rights and lefts for 8 - 16 bars).
2 bars/skip changes per change of hand.
start right hand with your partner.
Figure 7: 1st and 2nd couples circle for 4 WHILE the same is performed by 3rd and 4th couples (8 bars).
Since there are 8 bars, perhaps they circle left and right, or just to the left slowly to use up all the music? We
did to the left and right in our practise...
Figure 8: 1st and 2nd couples do a right-hand star WHILE the same is performed by 3rd and 4th couples (8 bars).
Since there are 8 bars, perhaps they star right and left?
Figure 9: 1st and 2nd couples do 4 changes of rights and lefts WHILE the same is performed by 3rd and 4th couples (8 bars).
Allocate 2 bars/skip changes per change of hands.
Start right hands with your partner.
Figure 10: Taking inside hands, 1st and 3rd couples advance and retire (4 bars).
Figures 12 & 13: All 4 couples repeat the grand chain (or changes of rights and lefts for 8 - 16 bars).
2 bars/skip changes per change of hand.
start right hand with your partner.
Figure 14: 1st and 3rd couples do a right-hand turn 1 1/4, placing the men on the inside of the set, making a line for 4 (4 bars).
The 2 men in the middle
have to standreally closetogether - their arms will NOT be raised in an arch, just the arms
between the man and his partner will be raised.
Figure 15: 2nd and 4th couples circle for 4 around the men in the middle (4 bars).
It looks like the line for 4 are also holding hands, so maybe the arms are raised in an arch and the 2nd and 4th couples pass under them as they circle. The
arches are only done by the partners, not the men in the middle...
This circle has to move really fast - only 4 bars! We tried this motion
both with and without taking hands, and found that taking hands actually helped
everyone to get around faster.
Figure 16: 2nd and 4th couples do a right-hand turn 1 1/4, placing the men on the inside of the set (4 bars).
Figure 17: 1st and 3rd couples circle for 4 around the men in the middle (4 bars).
Like figure 15, it looks like the line for 4 are also holding hands, so the arms are raised in an arch and the 2nd and 4th couples pass under them as they circle.
Figure 18: The 4 women form a right-hand star in the middle of the set, with their partner on the left. All go around clockwise. When back to place, the women let go of the middle of the star and do 1/2 left-hand turn with their partner, placing the men in the middle (8 bars).
I would recommend trying to get around in 6 bars, then turning your partner halfway in 2 bars (the men continuing clockwise around into the middle, while the women
back up to end up on the outside of the star).
The original diagram shows the men going first, but the description says otherwise.
Figure 19: The 4 men in the middle do a left-hand star with their partner on their right (8 bars).
Figures 20 & 21: All 4 couples repeat the grand chain (changes of rights and lefts for 8 - 16 bars).
2 bars/skip changes per change of hand.
start right hand with your partner.
Figure 22: The 4 women advance into the middle of the set and make a little loop, so their backs face into the middle (4 bars).
Figure 23: The 4 men do a circle for 4 to the left around the women in the middle (4 bars).
The ladies will have to make sure they are close together in the middle so that the men can join hands.
Figure 24: The women form a circle for 4 WHILE the men (outside the circle), form a right-hand star ACROSS the ladies' arms. Everyone circles/stars clockwise (8 bars).
The
men should be to the left of their partner.
Everyone needs to take really small steps!
Figure 25: The men (outside the circle) turn to face the other direction and join left hands with the joined hands of the women in the circle for 4. Together, they form a larger star and circle anti-clockwise all the way around (8 bars).
Figure 26: This figure is a bit odd - the original instructions called this a "Double Ronde," but provided no explanation! The men release hands from the ladies' circle to form a circle for 4 around them. The men then bring their joined hands OVER the ladies' heads, with men's joined hands in front of the ladies' stomachs, and the ladies' joined hands in front of the men's stomach. Everyone circles clockwise once around (8 bars).
Picture a wicker basket - the arms are all interwoven.
Many thanks to Ellis Rogers of the Quadrille Club for help reconstructing this figure - the original image and lack of description had me stumped!
Bar 1: Men
takes hands in a circle, then raise their arms over the women's heads
in bar 2, then start circling in bar 3...
We tried both a slipping step and skip change for this figure and found
that the skip change gave us more control over our speed and ending in the
right spot.
Figures 27 & 28: All 4 couples repeat the grand chain (changes of rights and lefts for 8 - 16 bars).
2 bars/skip changes per change of hand.
start right hand with your partner.
Figure 29: All 4 couples do a right-hand turn once around into 2 lines (8 bars).
4 bars to do the right-hand
turn, and 4 bars to get into line.
You should end up like this:
2W 2M 1W 1M
3M 3W 4M 4W
Figure 30: All 4 couples pousette (8 bars).
All 4 men push to move the couples around each other.
8 bars = 2 skip changes
forward (men) or back (women), 1 to the side, 2 back (men) or forward (women),
1 to the side, 1 forward (men) or back (women) + jeté assemblé.
Figure 31: All 4 couples, following the lady in each couple, trace an anti-clockwise path back to place (4 bars).
The men swing their partner
back to place.
Figure 32: Taking inside hands, all 4 couples advance into the middle and retire (4 bars).
When retiring + jeté
assemblé, keep the set really close because that will help the 1s and 3s get
through the arches and back to place (next figure) in 4 bars more easily.
Figure 33: 2nd and 4th couples raise inside arms to form an arch. 1st couple traces an anti-clockwise path under the arch formed by 4th couple and back to place. 3rd couple traces an anti-clockwise path under the arch formed by 2nd couple and back to place (4 bars).
When 1s and 3s get back to
place, once again, keep the set tight so that the other couples can get around
more easily.
Figure 34: Repeat, with 1st and 3rd couples raising inside arms to form an arch. 2nd couple traces an anti-clockwise path under the arch formed by 1st couple couple and back to place. 4th couple traces an anti-clockwise path under the arch formed by 3rd couple and back to place (4 bars).
Figures 35 & 36: All 4 couples do a circle for 8 left and right (16 bars - 8 bars left, 8 bars right).
Whew! That's a long one! Hopefully these images and descriptions help a bit... I'll see if I can make videos for some of the figures.
Here's a video I made to demonstrate how to "ghost" a dance when you don't have anyone to practise with - I'll upload a video of a group of us practising the quadrille after the weekend!
That's all for now - until next time... Happy dancing!
Hello everyone,
Today I'll be reconstructing the diagrams Mr. Baert sent for the Ecossaise! When I last wrote on the subject of this dance form, I noted that the English Ecossaise was a duple minor dance in which 1st couple was improper (man on the woman's side, woman on the man's side). However, the Ecossaise on the European continent seems to have taken a different form.
The Ecossaise that the dance master will call is a triple set (not longways), so only 3 couples dance in each group. 1st couple is also "proper", although the lines change sides throughout the dance. I made contact with Mr. Baert and he said that the instructions sent out are actually for 4 Ecossaises, but that he will be doing 2 or 3 on the night of the ball. The figures provided all seem to flow into each other, so I don't know how he will choose which figures to call. So, I will reconstruct the figures in the order that he has sent out. I have redrawn the figures in colour so that you can trace the path of each dancer.
** I will look into timings and footwork for this dance and update once I have the information. I will also try to create video clips for some of the figures.
The 1st image in each diagram demonstrates the figures, and the 2nd image is to reflect the position in which the dancers end each figure.
UPDATE: A group of us in Canada got together to
try out the figures and do some troubleshooting, so underneath certain figures,
I will provide some tips and potential timings that we worked out,in a different
colour.
Ecossaise 1
Figure 1: All 3 men cross the set by left shoulders and loop anti-clockwise around their partner, ending up in front of them in a single file line (4 bars).
Figure 2: Taking hands in a single file line for 6, all promenade to the men's side, placing 1st couple at the bottom and 3rd couple at the top (4 bars).
Figure 3: 2nd couple advances and retires WHILE 1st and 3rd couples change places on the outside of the set. I'm not certain but, to take up less room in the ballroom, perhaps 1st and 3rd couples use a slipping step and skip sideways up or down the set (4 bars).
Instead of skipping sideways with a slipping
step, one could face up (1st couple) or down (3rd couple)
and use a skip change in a single file line with hands.
Figure 4: The 3 woman cross the set back to place WHILE the men cross the set by left shoulders and dance anti-clockwise around their partners to place. The set with 2 lines has been re-formed (4 bars).
Women should lag behind and take small
steps so that the men can cross around them faster in 4 bars of music. If the
women are already in position on the other side of the set, the men have to go
even wider around them, which makes it harder to for them get back to place in 4 bars.
Figure 5: 1st couple casts to 3rd place (2nd and 3rd couples move up - 4 bars).
Figure 6: All couples cross the set by left shoulders, placing men on the ladies' side and ladies on the men's side (4 bars).
When we crossed the set by left shoulders, we also did a little loop (women downward, men upward) so that the partners are opposite each other, rather than on a diagonal.
Ecossaise 2
Figure 7: Men will promenade anti-clockwise in a single file line on the outside of the set to the men's side, placing 2nd man at the bottom WHILE the ladies promenade clockwise in a single file line on the inside of the set to the ladies' side, placing 2nd woman at the bottom. These 2 lines move at the same time (4 bars).
Figure 8: 3rd couple (in the middle) do a back-to-back WHILE 1st and 2nd couples circle around them. I'm not sure if this is with hands or without - there might not be much room to do the back-to-back if the circle with hands is small (8 bars?).
For this figure, the back-to-back would be
really tiny and cramped in the middle if 2nd and 1st
couple took hands and circled around them.
When practising, we also found that it was
really hard to get all the way around the circle in 4 bars, so maybe it’s done
in 8 bars? That means, the 3rd couple in the middle might need to do
2 back-to-backs to fill up the music.
Figure 9: 1st couple casts down to the 3rd place, WHILE 2nd couple casts up (1s on the outside, 2s on the inside) AND 3rd couple (in 2nd place) leads through the bottom couple (without hands) and casts back up to 2nd place (4 bars).
For this figure, it almost seems like the 3rd
couple are following the 2nd couple, who cast up to 1st.
The 3s still end up in 2nd position, but that’s the track they seem
to follow.
Figure 10: 2nd couple crosses down the set diagonally, and loops around 1st couple (2nd man beside 1st woman, 2nd woman beside 1st man) to form a line for 4. The gentleman should always allow the lady to cross diagonally in front of him (4 bars).
Figure 11: 3rd couple does a 2-hand turn WHILE the line for 4 promenades anti-clockwise in a single file line around them (8 bars?).
We couldn’t get around 3rd couple in
4 bars, so we allotted 8 bars to complete this figure. However, that means the
3rd couple would do a 2-hand turn 2x around.
Figure 12: 3rd couple dance, moving outside the set (3rd woman clockwise; 3rd man anti-clockwise) around the line for 4. They come together in the middle behind the line to lead under the 1st couples arms (raised in an arch) and back to place (4 bars).
For the 3rd couple, it was pretty
tricky trying to get around in 4 bars,
Also, in the video (at the end), I accidentally called the
figure backwards, so the dancers start by going through the middle and around
the 1s and 2s, when it should be the other way around… Whoops!
Ecossaise 3
Figure 13: 2nd couple crosses up diagonally, in front of 1st couple, back to their place at the top of the set. Like last time, the man should let the lady cross in front of him first (4 bars).
Figure 14: The 3 ladies dance anti-clockwise around the men's line and place themselves beside the men in a line for 6. 2nd woman (being at the top) has to go furthest on the man's side, to place herself next to 1st man. 3rd woman (in the middle) has to reach the middle position on the man's side, to place herself next to 3rd man. 1st woman (at the bottom) loops around 2nd man and takes her place next to him at the top of the line (4 bars).
Figure 15: 1st man and 2nd woman raise their arms in an arch WHILE the other 4 dancers take hands and promenade clockwise in a single file line under their arms. Make sure the lady ends up on the right side of the man to form 2 lines (8 bars?).
Passing through the arch and getting into
position was tricky in 4 bars. The 3rd couple barely made it through
the arch, let alone into proper positions for the next figure. It would work
better if 8 bars of music were allotted to this figure.
Figure 16: The set for 3 couples then take inside hands and "re-sets" itself into beginning formation (like an English Country Dance with men on one side and women on the other - 4 bars).
Figure 17: The 3 woman turn over their right shoulders to dance in a little (clockwise) loop back to place WHILE the 3 men take hands in the single file line and follow 2nd man (at the bottom) and cast up. This returns 2nd man to his partner and 1st man to his partner (4 bars).
I hope that helps to clarify the diagrams - I spent a lot of time thinking about how best to describe the action in each figure. They look a bit confusing to start but they can be worked out!
Here's a little video showing each figure - we were troubleshooting to see what worked with timing and footwork!
NOTE: There is a small error in this video. In figure 12, the 3s go through the arch and around the line for 4, when it was supposed to be going around and then through. I wonder if that order would change the timing...
It was also a surprisingly cold May day, so we had to bundle up to practise!
We did try the steps with a skip change, waltz step, strathspey etc. Since we don't know what the music sounds like, or even the time signature, it's hard to know which one we will be using at the ball - probably skip change.
ANOTHER UPDATE!
We had another dance practise to
prepare for the ball - this time with music... Not perfect, but it's getting there! We used the tune "Royal Chase" from the DHDS CD Dances for Jane Austen!
We did come up with some pretty
interesting short names for the figures to jog our memories - ie. sliding
doors (fig. 3), donut hole (fig. 4), "not a hey" (fig. 9), reset
(fig. 16)... so you aren't hearing things! It definitely helps with so many figures. Try coming up with your
own - see what works for you!
That's all for now - until next time... Happy dancing!
