DHDS Day 6 - the day of the ball!

Today was another day of learning quadrille footwork. We worked on our ballotes and pas de zephyr.

I'll post pictures and a video when I get home.

The Ballote

Hop and sink on your right foot, extending your left leg behind you, hop again (this time on your left leg) and extend your right leg in front of you. You can do the same with the other leg.

The Pas de Zephyr

Hop and sink on your right leg and extend your left leg behind. Hop again on your RIGHT leg (you don't alternate like the ballote) and extend your left leg out front.

So, we worked those 2 steps into the 2nd solo for the men (sinking on the left foot) and women (sinking on the right foot) in the 1826 Gavottini Quadrille.

In the afternoon we worked on the Twelve Quadrille again. The second figure of the quadrille was lovely and we got to use some steps from the William Tell ballet!

After class, one of the other ladies offered to so my hair and she did such a beautiful job creating and arranging multiple plaits. It was so lovely and intricate.

Then we went to the ball at the Chichester assembly rooms (c. 1782). That evening we danced a cotillion, Paine's 1st set of quadrilles, a reel for 4, several country dances and La Boulanger. It was a lovely evening.

DHDS Day 4 - Pirouetting around the room!

To day was another vigorous day of dance and I learned many new style tips!

When instructions say "swing corners", there were a couple of different interpretations in Regency England. Thomas Wilson insisted on beginning a right hand turn with your PARTNER, then left with your CORNER etc. However, G. M. S. Chivers instructed his pupils to start a right hand turn with your CORNER first, then left with your PARTNER. So, the figure is reversed! I can only imagine that there must have been a couple of awkward moments in the ballroom, when students of Wilson and Chivers approached that figure and reached out to turn different people at once! However, if the first lady calls the dance she would specify how to perform the figure. I wonder which was the most common way? How did other dancing masters teach "swing corners"?

We also worked on pirouettes this morning. In the Regency era, all pirouettes started from 2nd position. You can do a pirouette as such: tendu right (or left), plié in 2nd and turn in coupe. One can also do a pas de basque pirouette, which has the setting step rhythm. I haven't quite gotten it yet, but I will work on it. The important thing to remember to to keep your weight and your upper body over your toes, and not to lean back.

This afternoon, we worked on a quadrille, which has solos for both the man and the woman, so we will have to work on different steps to choreograph that!

For the optional course, I did part 2 of Stuart's waltzing class, where we learned part of the waltz for a couple from T. B.'s 1826 dance book. As the instructions do not indicate male or female, this dance may have been meant to be performed by young ladies at their finishing school. Ever since I saw the version performed by a couple from Carnet de Bals at the National Historical Dance competition of France, I have wanted to learn that dance. So, I was very excited to learn Stuart's interpretation of the diagrams. It was very rewarding and a highlight of the course.

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

DHDS day 2 - Classes begin

Today I had my first classes with Stuart Marsden, where our class started learning a cotillion called La Comtesse du Nore from c. 1797. The Comtesse du Nord was a pseudonym for the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna when she travelled inconspicuously.

As a cotillion, the dance features changes and a chorus. The changes (with a balance and pas de rigadon) include:
1. Grand rond
2. Right and left hand turn partner
3. Ladies right and left moulinet (star)
4. Men do the same
5. Ladies circle left and right
6. Men do the same
7. Grand chain
8. Grand rond

It was quite a lot of dancing with the pas de rigadon and Demi-contretemps. Our group will be performing that tomorrow for the other dancers! Fingers crossed. I will post videos of the footwork when I get home.

We had a bit of a breather with Lady Charlotte Campbell's Waltz, which featured a lovely turn under the arm for the lady before casting into 2nd.

In the afternoon, we did a lively reel called Miss Vickor's Delight and then another waltz called Madame Saqui's Waltz which included slow waltz and sauteuse steps, so we are beginning to work on that! We will be presenting a few dances from Stuart's class tomorrow evening.

Then, for the optional course, I did Irish steps with Anne Daye and I learned to do a back step, single footing, double footing and forwards/sideways travelling steps in 9/8 time. Maybe one could work some steps into Physical Snob? It was really fun to do and I will make some videos for these different steps. We then incorporated them into Lord Grantham's Whim from 1810. It was both invigorating and exhausting!

In the evening after dinner, we had a Regency At Home led by Stuart, where we had silhouette cutting, cards, embroider, dancing, letters (like Emma and the infamous "blunder"), and several people "took a turn" by performing songs, Highland dances and exhibited on the piano. At the end of the evening, we played Snapdragon, which is a game that features a burning bowl of brandy-soaked raisins... You have to quickly snatch them out with your fingers and eat them! I was observing off to the side, when Stuart insisted that I try... And I did it! It was a lot of fun! I am so glad I did it.

That's me, after having eaten the flaming raisins!

Then we played Bullet Pudding, which consists of a pile of flour with jellies (the bullets) hidden inside. Each person took a turn cutting away the flour. If a jelly showed, you had to get the jelly out of the flour with your mouth - no hands! There were quite a few flour-covered faces by the end of the evening.

Well, that's all for now. More to come tomorrow! Happy dancing!

All quiet on the Western front... but not for long!

Hi everyone,

It's been a bit quiet on this site for a while - getting back from Waterloo and preparing for a new adventure!

A few months ago, I was given a bursary from the Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society to attend their 2015 summer school called "Dancing Around 1815" in Chichester! It will be one fantastic (and probably exhausting) week of historical dance in honour of the bicentennial of the battle of Waterloo. There will be dance sessions in the morning and afternoon, as well as some lovely evening entertainments, like a Regency At Home and a ball at the Chichester Assembly Rooms (c. 1782), talks and other evenings of casual social dance. It will be a very full week!

I am very excited to meet the course instructors for the week, including Anne Daye, who appeared on Dr. Lucy Worsley's 2014 documentary called "Dancing Cheek to Cheek" (episode 1 - The Devil's Work). Anne Daye will be teaching country dances, cotillions and Scottish reels from 1780 to 1815.

Stuart Marsden will also be teaching the course for the week. He was the dancing master in Dr. Amanda Vickery's fascinating 2013 social experiment "Pride and Prejudice: Having a Ball", in which the famous Netherfield Ball was recreated! Stuart Marsden is also involved in the new BBC production of Poldark! He will be teaching country dances, quadrilles and waltzes from 1805 to 1836.

So, I've very excited to have the opportunity to learn from these two experts in the field of historical dance! My goal is to post on what I am learning each day, or if I am too exhausted in the evening, to write about my experiences when I get back. Fingers crossed!

"Making It Work Takes a Little Longer"

Alrighty...

So, yesterday we had another practise for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball to work on that German Quadrille. Today I will share a couple of promised videos of our group working out the figures and performing them to music. I've included some tips on the German quadrille page itself!

Our practise time was spent only really working out this German quadrille (but it was worth it) so I will have to film some videos for Paine's 4th set some time this week...

Here's a video of us explaining and working out the figures! I figured this might be useful as a tutorial video:

Here's our first time all the way through with music (we used The Family Party from the DHDS Dances for Jane Austen CD)! For our first time with music, I think we did really well!

So, that's all for now! I'll update the Ecossaise page tomorrow with a new video from yesterday's practice. Until next time... Happy dancing!

A Recap

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.

To get familiarized with some of the figures used in English Country Dance, I would recommend Thomas Wilson's "An analysis of country dancing, wherein all the figures used in that polite amusement are rendered familiar by engraved lines. Containing also, directions for composing almost any number of figures to one tune, with some entire new reels; together with the complete etiquette of the ball-room."  This book is really good because it provides bird's-eye view diagrams of the individual figures and traces the path performed by each dancer!

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.

The 5 parts of Paine's 4th Set of Quadrilles are a great example!

Quadrille Figures: 

• chaine anglaise (changes of rights and lefts)
• balancez (facing partner, chasse right and left)
• tour les mains (turn your partner)
• chaine des dames (ladies' chaine - Pantalon)
• demi-promenade (promenade halfway to the other side of the set)
• en avant et en arriere (advance and retire)
• traversez (cross set)
• chasse (slipping step right and left)
• dos-a-dos (back-to-back - Poule)
• chasse croise (couples chasse - women left and in front, men right and behind, and set to corner, and back - Finale)
• grand promenade (skater's hold around the set - Finale).

Basic footwork: skip change, slipping step, jete assemble.

Polonaise

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!

Regency Dance Style Tips

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!

Prince Wm of Glos'ter's Waltz

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!

Lord Castlereagh's Waltz

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!

Sir Roger de Coverley

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.

1. bow/curtsey
2. right-hand turn
3. left-hand turn
4. 2-hand turn
5. 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!

Miss Bedford's Waltz

Hi everyone, 

Mr. Baert sent out dance figures yesterday to those who were interested, so now we have more figures for the ball! I'm currently working on reconstructing the quadrille and ecossaise from the German sources, so those will be posted later on once I've had a chance to work them out. They are more complicated than Paine's 4th Set of Quadrilles and the English version of the Ecossaise. Until then, I will post figures for Miss Bedford's Waltz from Thompson's 1813 dance manual! 

Miss Bedford's Waltz

A1: 1st couple circles for 3 with 2nd woman (4 bars). 1st couple forms an arch and the 2nd woman passes under it and casts back to place. 1st lady can also keep hands with 2nd lady so that she can also turn clockwise under the man's arm (4 bars). 

A2: 1st couple circles for 3 with 2nd man (4 bars). 1st couple forms an arch and the 2nd man passes under it and casts back to place. 1st man can also keep hands with 2nd man so that he can turn anti-clockwise under his partner's arm (4 bars).

B1: 1st couple leads down the middle (4 bars), comes back and casts into 2nd to progress (4 bars).

B2: 1st and 2nd couples do 4 changes of lefts and rights (8 bars).

C1: 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.

C2: Couples balance with the right hand and change sides. Repeat with the left hand (8 bars).

• 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.
• NOTE: this is from Mr. Baert's reconstruction of the figures, not the original, for timing purposes.

So, that's another waltz country dance for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball! That's all for now (I'll keep working on those other reconstructions...) - until next time! Happy dancing!

An updated ball list + Northdown Waltz

Alright, we have an updated dance list for the Duchess of Richmond's Ball! I've included a chart to show the difference between the old list and the new list:

Old Dance List	New Dance List
Paine’s 4th set of Quadrilles (1815)	Paine's 4th set of Quadrilles 1815
Brussels Waltz 1815	REMOVED
Russian Waltz 1815	Common Waltzing for Couples around 1815
Duke of Wellington Waltz 1815	Duke of Wellington Waltz 1815
Leamington Dance 1811	Leamington Dance 1811
The Triumph 1816	Triumph 1816
3 Anglaises/Almanach Geselligen Vergnügen : Tanztouren Roller 1814	3 Anglaises from Almanach Ges. Vergnügen 1815
3 ecossaies/Almanach Geselligen Vergnügen : 1815	3 ecossaises from Almanach Ges. Vergnügen 1815
Quadrille 1/Almanach Geselligen Vergnügen : 1815	2 Special Quadrilles from Almanach Ges Vergnügen 1815 and from Tanzmeister Helmke.
Polonaise/Music from Pamer.	Polonaise
Opera Reel	REMOVED
Reel for 5	REMOVED
	ADDED: Miss Bedford Waltz
	ADDED: Northdown Waltz
	ADDED: Sir Roger de Coverley

So, over the next few days I will look at the few dances that were added. I've already looked up the Miss Bedford Waltz in my personal collection, Regencydances.org, the Colonial Dance and Music Index and Google in general and haven't had any luck in finding the original music or figures, so I will move on to the Northdown Waltz, which was published in Goulding's 1820 publication. Here are the figures:

The Northdown Waltz

A1 & A2: 1st lady and 2nd man change place; 2nd lady and 1st man change place (8 bars). Repeat to places (8 bars).

• The modern reconstruction for the figure includes a balance, in which 1st corners take right hands, balance forward and back and change places.
• One can use the balance and turn under the arm version, but one only starts with the right hand and crosses diagonals, instead of finishing with the left hand. See video:

• For those of you who have seen the BBC production of Wives and Daughters, Miss Cynthia Kirkpatrick and Mr. Preston dance this one together at the Easter ball.

B: 1st couple lead down the middle and back to 2nd place to progress, and the 2nd couple moves up (8 bars).

C: 1st and 2nd couples pousette once around (8 bars).

The recording for the Northdown Waltz can be found on the Volume 6: At the Ball CD from the Country Dance and Song Society.

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

We're making progress!

Hi everyone,

Instead of looking at a specific dance today, I thought I would take a look at the concept of "progression" in English Country Dancing for those dancers who are newer to this style.

As always, the 1st couples (or active couples) progress down the set, with either 2nd or 3rd couples working their way up the set to become active couples.

Duple Minor

In modern English Country Dance, many dances are duple minor (meaning that the figures are performed by 2 couples only). This is to ensure that as many dancers as possible are active throughout the dance. Here is a diagram I created showing the duple minor progression:

Green = 1st couple
Yellow = 2nd couple

Once the dance has progressed through one repetition, the 2nd couple who just danced with the active couple is left out at the top with no one to dance with. They wait out for one repetition at the top of the set and then return to the action as an active couple.

The same happens at the bottom of the set, as the 1st couple makes their way down to the bottom of the set, there is no one to dance with. They wait out for one repetition and return to the action as a 2nd couple.

Triple Minor

A triple minor dance (in which 3 couples are active and performing the figures) is the historically accurate dance form which would have been found in the Regency ballroom. This form entails that the 3rd couple often has little to do, as 1st and 2nd couples perform the majority of the figures. However, the progression is not as simple as in a duple minor dance.

Green = 1st couple
Yellow = 2nd couple
Pink = 3rd couple

This diagram shows that, once the 2nd couple in the 1st repetition have completed the figures, they wait out 2 repetitions of music before they return as a 1st couple and have 2 more couples with whom to complete the figures.

For the 2nd and 3rd couple it is very important to keep track of who you are dancing with, because your role will keep changing, repetition by repetition, until you reach the top of the set. If you start the dance as a 3rd couple, you will start as a 3 in 1 repetition, then be a 2 the next round. It will continue alternating (3, 2, 3, 3...) until you reach the top. The same happens if you are a 2 in the middle of the set (2, 3, 2, 3...). Be very aware so that there is less confusion within the set! Here is a diagram describing this changing role for the 3rd couple. 

At the beginning of the 1st repetition of the dance, the 3rd couple is, obviously, in 3rd place. By the end of the figures, as the 1st couple progresses down 1 place and the 2s progress up one place, the 3s are now directly below the 1st couple. Now they have to perform the figures as a 2nd couple in the 2nd repetition. At the end of the 2nd repetition, the 1st couple progresses down 1 place again and the 2nd couple move up one place, now above the 1st couple. This 2nd couple has to change roles again and be ready to dance as a 3rd couple in the next round. 

I hope that makes some kind of sense. At some of the balls I have attended, whenever there has been a triple minor longways dance, there has been some confusion in the ballroom as to which group of people the 2nd or 3rd couples are dancing with. Once you are aware that this is what is happening on the dance floor, hopefully we will be able to avoid some of that confusion and have the dances go much more smoothly at the Duchess of Richmond's Ball!

Here is the dance list, according to dance form, for the ball so far:

Dance	# of couples	Dance Form
Leamington Dance	2 or 3? * The figures found in the Dance & Danceability CD cover do not include figures for 3 couples. I don’t know if the original instructions would be different.	Duple Minor
3 ecossaises	2 * The ecossaise is a duple minor dance in which 1st couple is improper. See my blog post on that dance form.	Duple Minor
Brussels Waltz	3	Triple Minor
Duke of Wellington Waltz	3	Triple Minor
The Triumph	3	Triple Minor
Opera Reel	3	Triple Minor
3 Anglaises	? * Don’t have access to this source	?
Reel for 5	5 PEOPLE (not couples)	Reel
Paine’s 4th set of Quadrilles	4	Quadrille
Quadrille 1	4	Quadrille
Polonaise	As many as will	Polonaise - Follow the leader!
Russian Waltz	As many as will	Turning Waltz

I hope that clarifies things a bit and that the dances will run smoothly on the night of the ball! That's all for now - until next time... Happy dancing!