This post is for Antonia, a superb 19th-century reenactor and dancer who has just completed her freshman year at that Ivy League school up in Boston. Congratulations from a Yalie!
- Era: 1880s-1890s (America)
- Dances: Schottische, Polka, Galop
I have a strong but unsupported suspicion that the dance variation called the Harvard is some sort of Victorian joke playing off the turn-of-the-century dance known as the Boston. The characteristic step is a long slide forward or backward along the line of dance, similar to the step of the Boston, combined with a sequence of three measures of waltz-galop.
The Harvard was described by prominent late 19th-century dancing master M.B. Gilbert in his collection of couple dances, Round Dancing (Portland, Maine, 1890) as a variation for the schottische, though the timing is more that of a polka or galop. It is attributed by Gilbert to the late Professor Vegas of New Orleans.
The steps given below are for the gentleman; the lady dances opposite. Starting position is a normal late-19th century ballroom hold with the gentleman's back to the line of dance. For instructions on performing the waltz-galop, see my earlier post.
The Harvard (eight bars of 2/4 or combine into four bars of 4/4)
1b Slide left foot strongly backward to fourth position (1); close right to left in third (2)
3b Waltz-galop three times (1&2 three times), turning completely round clockwise on bars 2 & 3 and moving straight backwards on bar 4
1b Slide right foot strongly backward to fourth position (1); close left to right in third (2)
3b Waltz-galop three times (1&2 three times), turning completely round counter-clockwise on bars 6 & 7 and moving straight backwards on bar 8
Gilbert notes that a slight spring (hop) before making the Harvard (meaning the sliding step) improves the dance; this would be on the right foot before the first bar and on the left foot before the fifth bar. Adding this spring results in a particularly bouncy sequence of "leap-slide-cut-hop."
It is be necessary to fudge the last bar of each waltz-galop sequence by moving directly backward rather than turning, since if one continues on to make another half-turn the dancers would end with the gentleman facing forward along the line of dance. But Gilbert is specific in his instructions:
The long slide is called the Harvard. The lady always makes the Harvard forward. Never Harvard with the same foot twice in succession. Each time you Harvard the direction of the Waltz-Galop is reversed.
I find the use of "Harvard" as a verb weirdly amusing, especially in question form: "Do you Harvard?"
I have also found a waltz variation called the Harvard, in Prof. M.J. Koncen's Quadrille Call Book and Ball Room Guide (St. Louis, 1883), but the description is corrupt in some way. Not only is it an unmusical and unlikely five measures long, but the instructions referred to for the waltz segment include the memorable suggestion that the dancer should slide the right foot "between the left." Perhaps Professor Koncen did not have the good fortune to attend Harvard.
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