Capering & Kickery

Waltz Step, Galop Time

• Era: 1880s-1890s (America)

In his sizable manual of couple dance variations, Round Dancing (Portland, Maine, 1890), late 19th-century dancing master M.B. Gilbert describes the Waltz-Galop succinctly as:

Waltz step, Galop time

While no other dancing master that I have found includes the waltz-galop by name, the accenting of a waltz step done in duple rather than triple time is discussed by Allen Dodworth in Dancing and its relations to education and social life (1885, reprinted several times through 1900) and is included in dances such as the turn-of-the-century Pasadena, and the idea that waltz steps can be transposed from triple to duple and vice-versa dates back as far as the sauteuse waltz of the first quarter of the 19th century.

1880s Victorian Ball ~ New Haven, CT (February 28, 2009)

Coming up in just a couple of weeks:

On Saturday, February 28th, I will be precepting a Victorian ball in New Haven, Connecticut, for The Elegant Arts Society.  The theme is 1880s, the era of the bustle in ladies' costume, but period costume is not required - come have fun dancing regardless!  There will be live music from the wonderful dance musicians of Spare Parts and delicious refreshments made from Victorian recipes. 

Dances will include the waltz, polka, and schottische, plus the Polo Quadrille and the "star" figure described in an earlier article here, in the form of a waltz cotillion figure (German).

Beginners are completely welcome.  There will be an afternoon workshop for those wanting a some dance instruction before the evening.  The event is not gender-balanced, which experience suggests will result in more ladies than gentlemen in attendance (so if you are or have a gentleman who might want to dance...)  Formal dress is requested.

The cost is $25 per person in advance (more at the door), or $15 for those 21 and under.  A flier for the event may be downloaded here.

Lamb's American Schottische

English dance teacher William Lamb, in his Everybody's Guide to Ball-Room Dancing (London c1898-1900), published quite a few short dance sequences, most of limited interest to the average dancer.  His American Schottische has more potential than most of these because it does not involve any reverse-line-of-dance movement and thus can be easily used as a simple variation when dancing a late 19th-century schottische. 

Despite the name, there is nothing specifically American about this particular sequence, and it does not seem to have been taken up by other writers/compilers of dance manuals, even those who otherwise plagiarized Lamb quite freely.  I suspect it was not a particular hit, perhaps never having any life in period outside the pages of Lamb's book.  Nonetheless, I find it quite danceable and an interesting break from more typical schottische patterns.

Dance Flurry ~ Saratoga Springs, NY (February 13-15, 2009)

This weekend I'm off to the marvelous Dance Flurry in Saratoga Springs, New York, where I will be teaching a rather eclectic set of four sessions on material scattered across four and a half centuries of social dance from the mid-16th century to the present day.

10:00-11:15am Saturday
Cross-Step Waltz
This is a beautiful, flowing modern waltz form that works best with slow music and incorporates moves from many different dance forms.  I mostly do historical dance, but I have a special love for cross-step.  Musical accompaniment by Mary Lea & Peter Barnes.

10:00-11:15pm Saturday
Flashback! 1978 Disco Line Dances
For everyone who still feels nostalgic about Saturday Night Fever.  I've posted quite a few of these dances in the Disco category here on Kickery.  This session will use recorded music.

10:00-11:15am Sunday
Chiaranzana!  Italian Renaissance Contra
This is a multifigure (medley) longways progressive set dance from sixteenth-century Italy; contra/country dance format but with fancier steps and a more delicate style.  I probably can't teach the whole thing in an hour, so this will be an edited-down version.  Music will be provided by The Flying Romanos.

2:30-3:30pm Sunday
Waltz 101
Just what it sounds like!  Music provided by Jane's Gang.

The Flurry is a tremendously fun festival that takes over much of downtown Saratoga and covers a huge range of dance styles.  While it's not primarily focused on historical dance, I can't recommend it highly enough as an overall experience for general dance junkies like myself.  Check out the Flurry website for the full program and the list of performers.

The Line Walk

Here's another very basic line dance; any Kickery readers planning a 1970s-theme party are going to be all set this week.  This one is also from The Complete Book on Disco and Ballroom Dancing (1979).  It's thirty-eight beats long, but very easy, though the odd length means it will cross the phrase of the music.  That's not unusual in disco-era line dances but drives some people crazy.

Unusually, the Line Walk starts on the left foot.

The Disco Duck

Yes, here I go again with another easy line dance from The Complete Book on Disco and Ballroom Dancing (1979).  I actually like these dances (which date back to my childhood), though I don't usually do them in batches.  The immediate excuse for this extended excursion into the 1970s is that I'm going to be teaching an entire session of disco line dances a week or so from now at the Dance Flurry.  This one is twice as long as Hot Chocolate/Bonaparte's Retreat (described here and here) and has slightly harder steps and "quick-quick-slow" rhythm sections which make it a more interesting dance.

The obvious music is the song "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees, which was a top Billboard hit for a couple of months in 1976, but it will work to any piece of lively disco music.  Happily, the dance does not include any arm-flapping or other duck-like miming.

Bonaparte's Retreat

No, this has nothing to do with the Regency era!  This is one of a trio of easy line dances I've drawn from The Complete Book on Disco and Ballroom Dancing (1979).  It's only sixteen beats long; line dances don't get any easier than that.  The name supposedly derives from the floor pattern of the dance:

...first the dancers mobilize, as they move in a line down the side, then they "retreat" backward and perform a "holding" action, before wheeling to the left and "defending" in another direction.

I find it's best not to think too deeply about this.  The book states that it's also known as the "Hot Chocolate Line Dance," and it is in fact the same step pattern as the dance "Hot Chocolate" I described in a previous post.  (So yes, this is kind of a cheat of a post; the only new material here is the stuff above.)

Regency Tea Dance, Boston area (Sunday, February 8, 2009)

I will be teaching Regency-era dancing at an afternoon Tea Dance in West Newton, Massachusetts (Boston area) this Sunday afternoon, February 8th, from 2:00 to 5:00pm.  Dances will be drawn from the early nineteenth-century repertoire, including country dances of various kinds, quadrilles, oddities like Sir Roger de Coverley and La Boulanger, and perhaps a bit of the scandalous new couple dance of the era: the waltz!

No partner is needed and no experience is needed; the figures and the lively dance steps of the period will all be taught.  Period costume of the early 19th century is admired, but definitely not required.  The music will be recordings.  Delicious refreshments prepared according to period recipes will be provided.  Admission is $6, or $4 for students.

More information and directions to the site may be found here.  Read about how we won't be dancing here.