Honouring "Old Nosey"

Hi everyone,

Today I will be looking at another English Country Dance, called the Duke of Wellington's Waltz, which was published in Thomas Wilson's Le Sylphe, An Elegant Collection of Twenty Four Country Dances from 1815. As the Duke of Wellington was the most anticipated and sought guest at the Duchess of Richmond's Ball, it seems suitable that we honour "Old Nosey" before his great victory.

This dance, among others from the mid-1810s, features 2 sets of figures: a Waltz Figure and a Country Dance Figure. The figures in either set seem to be drawn from the same repertoire of figures used in English Country Dances... so I'm not sure if there would have been a difference in the way the figures were performed historically, depending on whether the "Waltz" or "Country Dance" figures were called. Any thoughts?

Either way, the figures look pretty simple.

Duke of Wellington's Waltz (1815)

COUNTRY DANCE FIGURE:

A1: 1st woman leads down 2nd man (4 bars); 1st man leads down 2nd woman (4 bars).

B1: 3 couples promenade (8 bars).

• Take a skater's hold, or promenade hold (man's left hand takes the lady's left hand; man's right hand takes the lady's right hand)

C1: 1st couple swing right hand around one couple, then left hand (8 bars).

• 1st couple does a right-hand turn, then casts into 2nd place (the 2s move up), and the 1st couple does a left-hand turn.
• see the 2nd diagram of the image below for the beginning of this figure.

A2: 1st couple set contrary corners (8 bars).

B2: 3 couples circle for 6 left and right (8 bars).

So that's the COUNTRY DANCE figure, now I will list the WALTZ figure, since I'm not sure which one Mr. Baert will select for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball.

WALTZ FIGURE:

A1: 1st couple does a circle for 3 with the 2nd woman (4 bars); 1st couple does a circle for 3 with the 2nd man (4 bars).

B1: 1st and 2nd couples whole pousette - 1.5x around to progress into 2nd place (8 bars).

C1: chain 4 at the bottom (with the 3rd couple - 4 bars); chain for 4 at the top (with the 2nd couple - 4 bars).

• I would recommend 1 bar of music for each change of hands.

A2: double allemande (8 bars).

• Option 1: Thomas Wilson describes an allemande as a back-to-back, so I'm not sure if a double allemande would be 2 back-to-backs in a row, or something different.
• Option 2: An allemande turn is another possibility. Place your left hand (palm facing out) at the small of your back, and extend your right arm, linking elbows with your partner to take their hand placed at the small of their back.

The position of the arms for an allemande turn to the right.

The position of the arms for an allemande turn to the left.

The position of the arms with a partner. Note the elbows are linked! 

What the arms look like from above.

This video shows entering into the allemande to the right, turning and transitioning to the allemande to the left.

• Option 3: in English Country Dance, when the original figures in Waltz Country Dances call for an allemande, it has frequently been reconstructed as the balance. You take right hands with your partner, and step in towards each other, out and the woman turns anti-clockwise under her partner's arm. You end up on opposite sides of the set. Repeat with the left hand, but turn clockwise under your partner's arm, returning to place. See the video below:

** Style tip: When you step in and out, make sure your arms are nice and curved; you form an "S" with your partner, like such:

Don't make "W" arms - it can actually be an uncomfortable arm position, and does not look as pretty. 

Wilson says in his 1811 Analysis of Country Dancing that:

Many persons, instead of extending the arm to join hands in swinging corners, hands across etc.  get as close as they can to the person with whom they are to perform the figure; by which, for want of room, they must bend the arm at the elbow, thereby producing two angles, instead of one serpentine line.

Ouch!

B2: Through bottom (4 bars) and waltz 4 round at top (4 bars).

• 1st couple leads through the 3rd couple and casts up to 2nd place.
• My interpretation of the "Waltz 4 round at top" would probably be a circle for 4 with a waltz time step. Once again, I don't know if there is a difference in execution in a Waltz Figure.

That's all for now - until next time... Happy dancing!