By the end of the 19th century, quite a number of quadrilles were being published that didn't follow the earlier form of having multiple separate figures. Although this dance does have two distinct dance parts, the original instructions (which may be seen here) are clear that they should be treated as one long figure:
Play an ordinary waltz and do not stop between the numbers.
The source of the dance is The Prompter’s Handbook by J.A. French, published in Boston in 1893. I haven't looked for any other sources for this particular set of figures - it's a trivial little quadrille which I reconstructed in order to have a late-evening set dance that was easy and provided an excuse for plenty of waltzing.
Music selection
There are 144 bars of dance instructions given plus the standard 19th-century 8 bars of introduction (used to bow to partners and then to corners), and at the end the couples are simply to waltz freely around the room until the end of the music. Since the dance is structured in 24-bar phrases, any of the following lengths/structures of tunes could be used:
24bx6 (no 8b for intro, no extra waltzing)
24bx7 (8b intro, 16b extra waltzing at end)
48bx3 (no 8b for intro, no extra waltzing)
48bx4 (8b for intro, 40b extra waltzing)
Keep in mind that any extra waltzing at the end is in addition to the previous 16b of waltzing with the same person when thinking how nice it would be to have even more music for waltzing!
A piece with a 32 bar structure played five times will also work, and allow for an 8b intro and an extra 8b of waltzing at the end, but the figures will not line up well with the music, which is likely to be annoying to the dancers.
Of note in the figures:
- The gentlemen's grand chain is a reverse of the ladies' grand chain: all four gentlemen form a moulinet of left hands and go around halfway, then turn the opposite lady by the right hand. This figure is normally called a "double chain" rather than a grand chain, and I've kept that standard usage in the reconstruction below.
- The "passes" in the second part of the dance are an old figure, used at least as far back as 1820 in the country dance form known as "Spanish Dances" or "Danse Espagnole". They still occur in some versions of the surviving Spanish Dance all the way through the 19th century, as well as in non-waltz quadrilles. Ladies should take care to use all of the time given to move to their new place.
On to the actual dance:
Waltz Quadrille
8b Introduction - honors to partner and then to corner
4b All four ladies chain (ladies' double chain) halfway (right hand moulinet, turn by left with opposite gentleman)
8b Waltz round with opposite
12b Repeat ladies' double chain and waltz round with partner
4b All four gentlemen chain (gents' double chain) halfway (left hand moulinet, turn by right with opposite lady)
8b Waltz round with opposite
12b Repeat gentlemen's double chain and waltz round with partner
4b All take hands and go forward and back (into the center and out)
4b Pass each lady from the gentleman’s left to his right
16b All waltz twice round with new partners
24b Repeat above
24b Repeat above
24b Repeat above, now waltzing with original partner; may break the set and waltz around the room
Continue to waltz with partner anywhere in room until music ends.
Special thanks to my amiable quadrille guinea pigs: Al, Jan, Marc, Keira, Lynn, Irene, Alex, and Franzo.
that sounds like fun. Can you name any cd music I might have that might work? I'd like to try this tomorrow at Renee's.
Posted by: Jeff | June 07, 2008 at 10:23 PM
We used a recording of "Duke of Kent's Waltz" on the CD "Lady Caroline's Regency Romp", which is not particularly period to the dance (it's c1804), but had the 24b repeat structure and was handy at the moment for dance-testing. There are many other recordings of that tune, but most of them don't have the right repeat structure, unfortunately.
Of note: when you're dancing it, in the first part the 4b chains will leave you starting the waltzing in mid-phrase, which feels a little odd. You're back with the music after every second chain. Also note that in the waltz-arounds you have to keep it fairly tight - it's actually not a lot of music to get all the around once in. We tried halfway round, but it was way too much for that.
Posted by: Susan de Guardiola | June 08, 2008 at 07:11 AM
Ha!
Another "you can tell it's real regency dancing when..." comes to mind from the image at the link.
"If the dancers are looking way too serious, it isn't regency dance."
{smile}
Posted by: jeff | June 08, 2008 at 08:53 AM
I think everyone looks serious when they're not sure what they're doing and are therefore concentrating like crazy. Once people get confident, yeah, they actually look like they're happy and having fun. Amazing, that!
Posted by: Susan de Guardiola | June 08, 2008 at 09:41 AM
I don't look crazy serious when I'm learning what I'm doing, I just start sticking my tongue out. It's terribly attractive and ladylike, I'm sure.
Also, Jeff did bring it round to dancing at Renee's and it was pretty much an awesome little quadrille. Waltz. Thingy. Thanks for posting it!
~Kat
Posted by: Katarina Dutton | June 09, 2008 at 12:42 AM
I look serious when concentrating hard on dance moves. My partners get worried and ask if I'm angry at them because I sort of frown. I feel bad about this, so I try to pin a smile on my face while dancing, but if I don't think about smiling it starts to slip.
I'm glad you liked the waltz quadrille; check out the star figure for another fun quadrille thingy!
Posted by: Susan de Guardiola | June 09, 2008 at 01:44 AM
It worked!
everyone loved it (2 squares), even though I did a very quick walkthrough. (There was no AC in the ballroom). We may bring that in as a regular dance.
Posted by: jeff | June 09, 2008 at 07:39 AM
Great!
Crediting me ever so often when you dance it would be neat, by the by. If I ever do another 1890s/1900s ball I expect it will show up on the program.
Posted by: Susan de Guardiola | June 09, 2008 at 07:56 AM
Of course I did credit you before and after the dance.
Posted by: jeff | June 09, 2008 at 01:39 PM
Thanks!
Posted by: Susan de Guardiola | June 09, 2008 at 01:55 PM
This looks so very fun!
**jealous**
Posted by: Cathy D. | December 09, 2008 at 08:53 AM
It is not clear in The Prompter’s Handbook in the part when we dance waltz round - is it right to dance a half-round or full round waltz?
Posted by: Ilya | April 11, 2009 at 02:24 PM
Does anyone know if there is a type of quadrille in which one of the figures is called the "visits" or "visitations"-- or something to that effect? In a scene in a novel I am translating, the characters are dancing a quadrille and that's the word (in the original language) used to describe one of the dance figures. I'm trying to find out what, if anything, that would correspond to in English terminology. Thanks for any help you can give!
Posted by: Elisabeth | July 27, 2010 at 09:10 PM
Ilya:
Sorry I missed this question. You're probably not checking back now, but if you do, for the 8b waltz round with partner it should be a full round. For the 16b waltz round it is at least once round, and possibly twice round, as I've given above.
Elisabeth: I answered your question on the other post.
Posted by: Susan de Guardiola | July 27, 2010 at 11:53 PM