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!

What dance is that? Explaining the Polonaise and Ecossaise

Hi everyone,


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.

Instructions for the Ecossaise were published in England in Thomas Wilson's 1818 Ecossoise Instructor. Here is an excerpt from that publication:

“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!