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 will range from the
classic country dances which had been popular for decades and an
old-fashioned cotillion up to the very latest dances, the waltz an the
Caledonian Quadrilles. 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 some of the steps for the dances may attend our advance workshop
the afternoon of the ball or. 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 consisted of minor variations on 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 Caledonian Quadrilles
"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.
A French import, the Cotillion was a square dance
consisting of one complex figure and ten simple "changes" which were
common to all cotillions. Cotillions were most popular in the late
18th century, when they were danced by Jane Austen; in the Regency
era, they were displaced by Quadrilles, another French import,
brought to Almack's in 1815 by Lady Jersey. The Quadrille was
a shorter version of the earlier Cotillion consisting of a set
of five figures with no changes. While the original Quadrille
was a specific set of figures, by the late 1810s, new quadrilles were
beginning to become popular. The
Caledonian Quadrilles were written around 1820 to take
advantage of the fad for all thing Scottish and were an enormous
success, remaining popular throughout the nineteenth century.
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 to the
Redowa and Waltz Galop of the later nineteenth century.
Scotch Reel & The Country Bumpkin
"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.
The Country Bumpkin is a variation on the Scotch reel written
for nine dancers in a square, with turns and heys in every direction.
Other Dances
La Boulangere, also known as
"Le Boulanger" and "the Boulangeries," and 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, described memorably by
Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, 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. All of these will be taught and called at
the ball.