When I saw that we would be doing a Polonaise and some Ecossaises at the Duchess of Richmond's Ball, I was not quite so familiar with these dance forms, so I did a bit of research!
A Polonaise is a processional dance, in which the couples form a line and follow the lead couple around the room, so it shouldn't be very tricky! If anyone has done a Grand March at a ball before, this should be similar.
The Polonaise is danced in 3/4 time, with the first beat of each bar heavily emphasized. Regarding steps, one can take a larger first step, followed by 2 shorter steps to match the music. Below, I've included a video of me doing a Polonaise step, similar to my jeté assemblé video in my last post. If anyone has any other tips on performing a Polonaise, please post a comment.
I have a source for an 1815 Polonaise Russe, which comprises the couples promenading about the room following the head couple. At the leader’s command, all face partners and balance (ie. Setting), doing several steps in place. At this point, if they are in a circle, each man can move on to the next woman. So a Polonaise doesn't seem to be a concrete entity, but has the ability to shift and change depending on the lead couple.
I've found a video on Youtube of the Jane Austen Dancers in Bath doing a Polonaise at the Corsham Ball in 2011, which uses some other steps and patterns. I'm not sure what Mr. Baert has in mind for his Polonaise, but I guess we follow the leader!
The Ecossaise should be relatively simple as well. This dance form, popular in Russia and Germany, is similar to the English Country Dance but the 1st couple starts "improper" (lady on the man's side, man on the lady's side).
X = man
O = woman
Ecossaise Formation:
O X
X O
O X
X O
O X
X O
** It is important to note that, once you progress to the bottom or top and are "inactive" or have nobody to dance with for 1 repetition of the dance, make sure you switch sides to be ready to dance with the next couple.
“The figures are less complex from their being shorter than those of the English country dance; the respective minor sets in the dance being formed of but two couples instead of three, the number required in English country dancing. All those figures usually performed by 3 couples in English country dancing are of course excluded…”
So, in England, an Ecossaise is a duple minor (figures for 2 couples) dance, never a triple minor. I'm not sure if the Ecossaise was performed differently in Germany or Russia.
I don't have copies of the Almanach Geselligen Vernügen (in English, Almanach for Convivial Pleasure) for 1814 or 1815, and I can't read German, which is a bit of a problem, but I will post a couple of English examples from the Ecossoise Instructor to give you an idea of some of the figures used in this form of dance! These particular dances won't be danced at the Duchess of Richmond's Ball, but they might be useful as a guide. Some of the names of the figures are different, but are done in the same way as in English Country dance.
Some figures include:
- Circle for 3 on the lady's side (or gentleman's)
- Cross over 1 couple and 2-hand turn your partner to place
- Figure 8
- Changes of rights and lefts
- Set and change sides
- Pousette
- Circle for 4
** The figures are largely the same as English Country Dance!
The Alexander (1818)
A1: The Orbit
- 1s lead down between the 2s WHILE 2s cast up; then 2s lead down between the 1s WHILE 1s cast back to place
A2: 1st couple 2-hand turn
B1 & B2: Progressive turn (aka pousette)
- 1s and 2s take partner by both hands and trace an acw (anti-clockwise) path 1.5x round the other couple (placing 2s above the 1s) to progress to the next couple
The Fair Circassian (1818)
A1: 1s circle for 3 on the lady's side
A2: 1s circle for 3 on the men's side
B1: Progressive pass and back (aka 1s lead down the middle and come back to 2nd place to progress)
B2: Turn 4 (aka circle for 4 to the left)
The Volga (1818)
A1 & A2: Quadruple change
- a circular hey, or changes or rights and lefts, but changing shoulders instead of hands.
** So you follow the same pattern as the chain figure, but perform it without taking hands.
B1: Crossed circle (aka back-to-back)
B2: Progressive pass and back (aka 1s lead down the middle and come back to 2nd position to progress)
Overall, I think the Ecossaise is not too foreign a dance form to learn at the ball. Fingers crossed! That's all for now - until next time... Happy dancing!
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