Chassez-Dechassez Sequences for Regency-Era French Quadrilles

Chassez, or Move to the Right and Left.
Are terms generally used in Quadrille and Cotillion Dancing, and signify a Movement or Figure made sideways in a straight line, either to the right hand or left of the situation from whence it is performed.
        -- Thomas Wilson in The quadrille and cotillion panorama, 2nd edition, 1822

Continuing on with my series of posts (previously: setting and crossing over) on the step-sequences usable for various Regency-era French quadrille figures, I've pulled together a few sequences suitable for the sideways move known variously as A droite et à gauche (dance or move to the right and to the left) or Chassez-dechassez, in which two dancers opposite each other dance as described: to the right and back to the left.  This figure appears in L'Été, the second figure of the first set of French quadrilles, and in the many versions of the Finale figure which incorporate L'Été.  Wilson, ever the perfectionist, complained to no avail that the figure was wrongly named,

...as they both move to the right and back again to their places, instead of to the left, as described in the title of the Figure. The Movement should be named from the situation in which it is performed, as, to the right or left of the situation from which they move...
        -- Ibid.

The sequences are drawn from four sources:

Anonymous.  Contre Danses à Paris 1818.  [Scotland], 1818.

Gourdoux-Daux, J.H.  Principes et notions élémentaires sur l'art de la danse.  Second edition.  Paris, 1811.

Goudoux-Daux, J.H., translated by V. Guillou.  Elements and Principles of the Art of Dancing.  Philadelphia, 1817.

Strathy, Alexander.  Elements of the Art of Dancing.  Edinburgh, 1823.

The 1817 Guillou purports to be a translation of the 1811 Gourdoux-Daux, but it includes additional material not in the French edition.  These two will be distinguished as "Gourdoux-Daux" and "Guillou" below.

Steps
The anonymous mansucript Contre Danses à Paris 1818 notes that there are a "variety of steps for this" but gives only two sequences, one in verbal form and one in a diagram; a few more may be found in the sources listed above.  This is not an exhaustive list of all the period sequences I have for this move, but it should suffice for most dancers.

There is also a Step used in Quadrille Dancing, called a Chassé, which induces many persons unacquainted with Dancing to believe, that where the Directions are given to Chassez to Right and Left, &c. that it applies wholly to the Step instead of the Figure, notwithstanding the Chassé Step may very properly be applied to these Movements; yet there are other Steps equally suitable, as the Glissade, &c. The English title to Chassez to the Right and Left, is called, Move to the Right and Left. 
        -- Ibid.

Following are abbreviated instructions for performing the steps used.  These are intended only as summaries and do not include all the niceties of bending and rising required for excellence in period practice.

Chassé (sideways): after an initiating hop on the left foot on the upbeat ("and") during which the right foot is extended to the side, place the right foot in second position ("ONE"), close the left foot behind it ("and"), and move the right foot sideways to second again ("TWO").  This move takes an entire bar (and-ONE-and-TWO) and can also be done leading with the left foot to move in the opposite direction.

Glissade: sliding one foot to the side and closing the other foot to fifth or third position.  A glissade dessous indicates closing the trailing foot behind; a glissade dessus indicates closing it in front ("before").  The slide to the side is performed on the upbeat ("and") with the close coming on the downbeat ("ONE").  Dessous and dessus are so nearly indistinguishable both on the page and when spoken aloud that I have written them out below as "behind" and "before." 

Jeté: extend one foot out directly to the side (second position raised) then leap onto it, bringing it in either behind or before and raising the other foot to point straight down, close along the leg.  This is a sharp "out and in" motion rather than a curving ronde de jambe.  Practice flicking the foot in and out of second position raised will be useful.  The step is initiated on the upbeat and lands on the downbeat.

Assemblé: extend one foot out directly to the side (second position raised) then bring it in either behind or before while hopping into the air, landing in either third or fifth position with weight equally on both feet, bending the knees slightly when landing rather than locking them.  Again, this is an "in and out" motion.  The step is initiated on the upbeat and lands on the downbeat.

Sissone: hop on one foot while pointing the other foot straight down, close along the leg, either behind (dessous) or before (dessus).  The sissone is also performed with the free leg extended in a raised second position, but this is not used in any of these particular sequences.  The hop is initiated on the upbeat and lands on the downbeat.

Sequences for A droite et à gauche or Chassez-dechassez
1. The easiest sequence for this move is found in the descriptions of setting sequences in Contre Danses; the author notes under number thirteen that is it "used often for Chassez Dechassez in L’Ete of the Quadrille."

1b    Glissade behind to right, glissade behind to right
1b    Glissade behind to right, assemblé right behind
1b    Glissade behind to left, glissade behind to left
1b    Glissade behind to left, assemblé left behind

count: and ONE and TWO and THREE, FOUR twice

2. The diagram for the figure in Contre Danses depicts a different sequence:

1b    Chassé (sideways right)
1b    Jeté left before, assemblé right before
1b    Glissade behind to left, glissade behind to left
1b    Glissade behind to left, assemblé left behind

count: and ONE and TWO, THREE, FOUR and ONE and TWO and THREE, FOUR

The closing of the glissades and assemblé behind in the return to the left is not spelled out; I am extrapolating from the pattern of the previous sequence.  The asymmetry of going to the right with a chassé and returning to the left with glissades is very typical of quadrille step-sequences.

3. Strathy varies this pattern very slightly by reducing the number of glissades from three to two:

1b    Chassé (sideways right)
1b    Jeté left before, assemblé right before
1b    Glissade behind to left, glissade behind to left
1b    Jeté left before, assemblé right before

count: and ONE and TWO, THREE, FOUR twice

The second jeté is indeed from left foot before to left foot before; the foot is thrown out to the side and then replaced exactly where it started.  This is a necessary "fudge" in order to end the sequence in the standard position with the right foot in front of the left.

4. Gourdoux-Daux's 1811 manual gives a variation on Strathy's variation:

1b    Chassé (sideways right)
1b    Jeté left before, jeté right before
1b    Glissade behind to left, glissade behind to left
1b    Jeté left before, assemblé right before

count: and ONE and TWO, THREE, FOUR twice

The only difference is in the second bar, in which Gourdoux-Daux recommends two jetés rather than a jeté-assemblé.  This is slightly harder to perform than the standard jeté-assemblé but her the virtue of making the following glissade easier, since the gliding foot is already off the ground.

4. Interestingly, the Guillou translation does not give this sequence.  Instead, Guillou provides a different, symmetrical one, possibly of his own devising:

1b    Chassé (sideways right)
1b    Jeté left before, assemblé right before
1b    Chassé (sideways left)
1b    Jeté right behind, assemblé left behind

count: and ONE and TWO, THREE, FOUR twice

5. The final pattern is found in both the Gourdoux-Daux original and the Guillou translation:

1b    Sissone right before, glissade right before
1b    Glissade right behind, assemblé right behind
1b    Sissone left before, glissade left before
1b    Glissade left behind, assemblé left behind

count: ONE and TWO and THREE, FOUR twice

This is an interesting pattern, initiating each sideways movement with a hop with the free foot raised in front, toe pointed downward and alternating before/behind glissades.

Comments

[Oleksiy]

Thank You! This is a marvelous article!

[Timothy]

Susan, variation 4 from your list (Chassé, Jeté, Jeté) is described in Strathy (page 70).

And variation 3 - is it really from Strathy? I didn't find it there.

And the other variation 4 (you got two numbers 4 here...). If it's really from Guillou (p.59), then it is not symmetrical, becouse instead of Chassé (sideways left) there described Sisone Simple in the second position with the right foot, and only then - Chassé to the left.