Capering & Kickery

A Regency "Sir Roger de Coverley"

In honor of the season...

In his Complete System of English Country Dancing, published circa 1815, Regency-era dancing master Thomas Wilson proclaimed of the dance "Sir Roger De Coverley" that it was

composed expressly for a finishing Country Dance, about 100 years ago, and derived its name from Addison's Sir Roger De Coverley; so frequently mentioned by him in his popular Essays in the Spectator, and is the only whole Dance given in this System. The Figures of which it is composed being permanent and unalterable, and thereby differing in its construction from all other Country Dances.

and explained its use as the final dance of the evening (or early morning, given the length of balls of the era):

At all Balls properly regulated, this Dance should be the finishing one, as it is calculated from the sociality of its construction, to promote the good humour of the company, and causing them to separate in evincing a pleasing satisfaction with each other.

Branle du Hault Barrois

• Era: mid-1500s

"This branle here seems to me more lively than the previous ones and would be proper to dance in the winter in order to keep warm."
          -- Capriol to Arbeau in a dialogue from Orchésographie; my translation. 

As described in Thoinot Arbeau's book of dances, Orchésographie (1589; available in English translation as Orchesography), the branle du hault Barrois (the capitalization only of Barrois is textual; "hault" is generally modernized to "haut") is not a specific branle choreography, but a style of dancing branles such as the Double, Simple, and Bourgoigne from his opening set of branles, previously described here.  Rather than stepping lightly back and forth, the dancers would spring from one position to the other, following the pattern of whichever branle they were dancing.  Capriol is correct about its utility; adding the little springs to the basic steps makes it considerably more vigorous, perfect for cold weather.

Arbeau states that this is a lower-class dance done by household servants (vallets et chamberieres) but that young ladies and gentlemen sometimes dance in this style while masquerading as peasants or shepherds, or in private for fun.

A Fancy Medley (1893)

Throughout the mid- and late 19th century, dancing masters had mixed quadrille figures and couple dances such as the waltz, polka, schottische, and galop into single figures or entire quadrilles.  A popular variation on this idea was a "varieties" or medley quadrille in which each figure used a different kind of music and incorporated a different couple dance.  Such a one is this Fancy Medley, published in Boston in 1893 in The Prompter’s Handbook by J.A. French.  The three figures of the quadrille include a polka figure, a schottische figure, and a waltz figure.  The original instructions may be seen here (page one) and here (page two).  The individual figures are quite similar to some of French's single-figure quadrilles, such as the Waltz Quadrille and Polka Quadrille discussed in earlier posts here (waltz) and here (polka) and bear a close family resemblance to other single-figure quadrilles of the era.

Regency & Victorian Dance Workshops, NYC (Sunday, December 7, 2008)

I will be teaching two dance workshops for The Elegant Arts Society in New York City this Sunday, December 7th.  Logistical details are here.

The first (1:00-3:45pm) will focus on the dances of the Regency era (1810-1820), including steps and figures for country dances, French quadrilles, and the nine-person reel known as The Country Bumpkin.  Specifically, we will look at a variety of step-sequences to use for L'Été (second figure of the French quadrille) and will enjoy a new Spanish Dance and the 1816 version of the classic Money Musk.

The second class (4:00-6:00pm) will be dedicated to two dance forms of the 1830s, the very beginning of Queen Victoria's reign.  We will enjoy a lively circular galopade, with quadrille-like figures interspersed with galops around the room, followed by some complex figures of a stately polonaise, a processional dance which was the immediate ancestor of the Grand March.

These are beginner-level classes.  No experience is needed, no partner is required, and clean leather-soled flat shoes (not high heels) are recommended.  Gender balance is not guaranteed.