À la Militaire: Late Victorian Dance Variations from M.B. Gilbert

• Era: 1880s-early 1900s

By the 1880s, the major couple dances of the mid-19th century were losing their dominance in the ballroom.  While the waltz retained its popularity, the polka, schottische, and galop had begun to drift out of fashion, soon to be superseded by the two-step in the 1890s.  Dance teachers such as Melvin B. Gilbert and his fellow members of the American Society of Professors of Dancing, fearing for their livelihoods, continued to create new variations on the old dances, and variations on the variations, with, apparently, little luck in making any of them fashionable.

The two major American dance manuals of the late 19th century were by Allen Dodworth (Dancing and its relations to education and social life, 1885), who primarily looks back at the older dances, and Gilbert himself (Round dancing, 1890), who published an astonishing collection of variations by himself and other dancing masters for all of the major couple dances.  While most of these faded into obscurity (in many cases, deservedly so), there is one group of dances with the common tag of "Military" in their names which is notable in actually having a survivor: the Military Schottische appears occasionally in other dance manuals of the late 19th and early 20th century.

All of the dances involve one of the minor style innovations of the later 19th century: a side-by-side position, opened out from the standard waltz position, which is illustrated in Gilbert by two children, as shown at right. 

Gilbert's description is:

Standing side by side, gentleman's right hand on lady's waist, lady's left hand resting on gentleman's upper arm.

This was a departure from the popular closed ballroom position of the mid-century, though not entirely unprecedented; Thomas Wilson was showing a similar position for the march steps of the waltz in the 1810s.  It is commonly known as the "military position" today, due to its association with the Military Schottische.  What, precisely, makes it "military" is a complete mystery to me.

All five of the variations in Gilbert with "military" in their names use this position, generally described simply as "Position, the same as Military Schottische."  One of the variations, the Military Times, falls under the general heading of "just because it's historical, that doesn't mean it's good"; I will therefore not bother describing it.  The other four are more useful to the social dancer attending balls of the 1880s and - in the case of the Military Schottische - into the 1890s and the early 20th century.

Steps below are given for the gentleman; the lady dances on opposite feet.  All variations start in the side-by-side position facing along the line of dance and follow a similar pattern of switching to closed position for the second part.  To repeat, open up at the end of the variation to dance side-by-side again.

The Military Schottische (four measures)
(for an explanation of the two parts of the schottische in its older form, see my previous post on how to dance the early schottische)

First part:

1. Step forward left
2. Close right  (first or third behind)
3. Leap gently forward onto the left foot
4. Hop on the left foot, extending right foot forward (fourth raised)

Repeat on opposite foot.  Two measures total.

Second part; take closed waltz position:

1. Leap onto left foot, beginning a half turn
2. Hop on left foot, completing the turn
3. Leap onto right foot, beginning a half turn
4. Hop on right foot, beginning a half turn

Repeat once more for a second complete turn.  Two measures total.

Gilbert offers a variation: one may replace the leap-hops of the second part with the waltz-galop.

The Military Schottische is also known as the Barn Dance or Dancing in the Barn, after the popular tune by the same title.

The Military Waltz (eight measures)

First part:

1. Leap gently forward onto left foot
2. (pause)
3. Hop on left foot, extending right foot forward (fourth raised)

Repeat on opposite foot, then repeat the entire sequence again (four measures total).

Second part: take closed waltz position and waltz four measures.  This would be the "new waltz" of the late 19th century rather than the rotary waltz of the mid-19th century and would probably be leaped rather than glided.

Note that this variation is best suited to extremely fast waltz music.  At a slower tempo, the leap-pause-hop of the first part - a very early example of a hesitation - feels unpleasant and slightly ludicrous.  The tempo should be fast enough that it feels like skipping along rather than dancing in deliberate slow motion.  Philadelphia dancing master Albert Newman would use a similar sequence as the first part of his "Aeroplane Waltz" in 1914.

The Military Galop (eight measures)
This is where we actually do start to skip; the dance is the Military Waltz in 2/4 time.

First part:

1. Step forward left
2. Hop on left foot

1. Step forward right
2. Hop on right foot

Repeat from the start for a total of four measures.

Second part: take closed waltz position and waltz-galop four measures.  The waltz-galop is the new waltz, leaped, in galop time - counting "1 & 2" rather than "1 2 3" for each half-turn.

The Polka Militaire (eight measures)

First part:

1. Slide the left foot forward keeping weight on the right foot
2. Draw the left foot back to the right foot (first position), looking at partner

     1 & 2.  Polka forward one measure

Repeat on opposite foot for a total of four measures.

Second part; taking closed waltz position:

     1. Slide left foot to the side
& 2. Close right foot to left, sliding left sideways again ("chassé")
& 1. Close right foot to left, sliding left sideways again (second chassé)
& 2. Close right foot to left, then leap onto left for a half turn
&     Hop on the left foot, finishing the turn

Repeat on the opposite foot for four measures total.  Note that this is a "four-slide galop", which may be mentally counted "one-and-two-and-three-and-TURN-hop".  This dance is credited by Gilbert as "By per. of P.V. Cartier."  Gilbert notes that:

This dance is often called the "Coquette;" that name being suggested, undoubtedly, by the pose assumed by the dancers, at the second count in the first part.

A final style note
The first three of these variations involve extending the foot forward into a raised fourth position.  This should be a gentle, controlled movement, not a kick; these are dances of the ballroom, not a chorus line.  Let the leg swing gently forward, fully extended (straight), pointing the foot, with the toe barely off the ground.

Comments

[Marilee J. Layman]

I'd guess the "military" part is the side-by-side, in-step parts, just like marching.

[Soctt Brestt]

Hello, does anyone have an mp3 of Dancing in the Barn ?
Thank you

Scott

PS can you please email it ??? [email protected] !!!! Cheers mates !!!

[Soctt Brett]

Hello, does anyone have an mp3 of Dancing in the Barn ?
Thank you

Scott

PS can you please email it ??? [email protected] !!!! Cheers mates !!!