Last updated on August 9, 2004
Dances for the Assembly
The formal ball is the highlight of the Assembly!
We are recreating an evening of dancing set in the late 1810's,
the very end of the Regency of the future George IV.
Our dances include the classic reels and country dances which had
already been popular for decades as well as the very latest dances
imported from France after the Napoleonic Wars. Here are some brief
descriptions of and background on the dances you may expect at the
Assembly.
Dances of this era were lively and bouncy. Steps ranging from simple
skipping to elaborate ballet-style movements were used. We will not
be teaching steps at the ball itself, but those wishing to learn the
steps for the dances may attend one of our advance workshops, either
the afternoon of the ball or in New York City or New Haven (details
soon). Those not knowing the steps will be encouraged to skip!
If you have no dance experience and the entire idea scares you silly:
Please do not let this intimidate you! People attending will have a very
wide range of experience and ability (all the way down to none). We
welcome everyone, and will help new dancers through the figures. A number
of the dances are particularly friendly for beginners; everyone will be
encouraged to stand up for these. In between, enjoy
friendly conversation, snack on our delicious
refreshments, and enjoy watching the more complex dances.
Country Dances
"We dined at Goodnestone, and in the evening danced two country-dances and the Boulangeries."
-- Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra, September 5, 1796.
Revived in the early 20th
century after a long decline and still tremendously popular today is
the longways Country Dance in which a line of couples perform
figures with each other, progressing up and down the line. Regency
country dances were often proceeded by a brief March by the
couples, then begun by the top lady in the set and her partner,
who would dance down the set to the bottom. Each couple in turn as
they reached the top would likewise dance down until the entire set
had returned to its original positions. This could be a lengthy
process, easily taking an hour in a long set; for our Assembly, we
will dance in short sets of four to six couples to eliminate long
waits by the bottom couples.
By the late 1810's, under siege
from the newly popular Quadrille, dancing masters began to
invent "new" forms of country dance, often with figures borrowed from
the Quadrille, and giving them exotic names such as the
Danse Ecossoise and Danse Espagnuole which suggested
entire new dances but actually covered very minor variations in the
classic form. We will dance a few of these variant forms as well,
including the popular Chivonian Circle.
The figures for each country dance will be briefly taught and called
at the ball.
The Quadrille
"Much obliged for the quadrilles, which I am grown to think pretty enough,
though of course they are very inferior to the cotillions of my own day."
-- Jane Austen to her niece Fanny Knight, February 20, 1816.
First imported from France by Lady Jersey in 1815, the
Quadrille was a shorter version of the earlier Cotillion
consisting of a set of five figures danced in a square. By the late
1810's, it was not uncommon to dance a series of quadrilles during the
evening, generally consisting of the same first three figures combined
with a variety of different fourth and fifth figures. We will dance
those first three figures of the original First Set of French
Quadrilles with alternate fourth and fifth figures taken from an 1818
manuscript. These figures will be taught briefly and called at the ball.
The Royal Scotch Quadrille
"The following is a set of what the author terms Scotch Quadrilles, which
are adapted to Scotch steps, and he submits them to the judgment of those,
who are acquainted with the National characteristics..."
-- Thomas Wilson, "The Danciad", 1824
This quadrille was choreographed by the noted London dancing master
Thomas Wilson and published in an extended footnote to his 1824
poem, The Danciad. He suggests that it is particularly suited
to Scottish steps. The figures incorporate multiple heys in the
style of the Scotch reel. Because of the difficulty of the figures,
these will not be taught at the ball; if you wish to dance this dance,
please attend one of our workshops to learn the figures in advance.
Waltz & Sauteuse
"Endearing Waltz! --- to thy more melting tune / Bow Irish jig and
ancient rigadoon."
-- Lord Byron, "The Waltz", 1813
The Waltz was first
imported to England around 1810, but was not considered socially
acceptable until continental visitors at the post-Napoleonic-Wars
celebrations danced it in London - and even then it remained the
subject of anti-waltz diatribes and jokes. Even the decadent Lord
Byron was scandalized by the prospect of people "embracing" on the
dance floor! The Regency version is relatively slow, and done up on
the balls of the feet with the arms in a variety of graceful
positions. The Sauteuse is a leaping waltz commonly done in
2/4 rather than 3/4 time, similar in pattern (leap-glide-close) to the
Redowa and Waltz Galop of the later nineteenth century.
Scotch Reels
"Do you not feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an
opportunity of dancing a reel?" --Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice
In its simplest form, the classic Reel of four consists of
four
people in a line alternately heying (dancing in a weaving
pattern) and setting (dancing fancy steps in place). We use
easy steps described by the dancing master Francis Peacock in the
early 19th century. Other variations for three to six people were
created by Thomas Wilson and can be danced by those familiar with them.
Other Dances
La Boulangere, the only dance
mentioned by name in Jane Austen's writings, is a simple circle dance
for a group of couples. Sir Roger de Coverly, mentioned by
Charles Dickens, is the ancestor of America's Virginia Reel.
The Grand Polonaise is a processional dance similar to a later
Grand March and followed by a Sauteuse. It was
supposedly danced at the post-Napoleonic diplomatic conference at
Aix-La-Chapelle. Despite its name, it does not use polonaise (3/4
time) music or steps. All of these will be taught and called at
the ball.