Capering & Kickery

1830s Spanish Quadrilles & Schottische Evolution Dance Workshops, NYC (Sunday, November 1, 2009)

I will be teaching two dance workshops for The Elegant Arts Society in New York City this Sunday, November 1st.  Logistical details are below.

The first (1:00-3:45pm) will cover Spanish quadrilles of the 1830s, including the Primera Tanda (the Spanish version of the First Set of French quadrilles), which has some intriguing figure variations, as well as assorted figures from other quadrilles.  These quadrilles are done with steps similar to those of the Regency era. Depending on available time and numbers, we will also dance the lively reel for nine people (and one hat) known as the Bumpkin, which isn't Spanish but is still lots of fun.  (This class replaces the usual monthly Regency class, as traditionally for the two classes after the Assembly we enjoy a change of pace by sliding a few years into the future to enjoy the dances of the post-Regency but pre-Victorian era.

The second class (4:00-6:00pm) will cover the variations and vagaries of the schottische as it evolved over time, starting with the earliest schottische variations recorded in the 1850s through the 1870s, moving into later developments in the dance through the end of the nineteenth century, and concluding with the gliding ragtime schottisches of the first two decades of the twentieth century.

Both of the above are beginner-level classes.  No experience is needed and no partner is required, though gender balance is not guaranteed.  Clean, leather-soled flat shoes are recommended for both classes.

The classes are held at Dick Shea's (a capoeira studio), 104 W. 14th Street at 6th Avenue, New York City.  Ring buzzer #3, up 2 flights, first door on the right.  For more information, please email EAS.

The Spanish quadrilles class costs $18, or $12 for people attending a 1:00 class for the first time; the schottische evolution class costs $15.  Pay at the class.

Rock 'n' Cha

Ever so often I come across the oddest little novelties.  The Rock'n'Cha is a conga-line type dance which was discussed in the January, 1958 issue of Dance Magazine.  The cha-cha was first introduced in the 1950s, and it seems to have spawned some weird group variants (Cha-Cha Choo-Choo Caboose, anyone?)  The notes for this dance were sent to the magazine by Chicago resident Louise Ege, who attributed them to Grace Hansen, Dance Coordinator and Professional Consultant for the Chicago YMCA and head of the ballroom committee of the Chicago National Associate of Dance Masters.  Mrs. Ege claimed that Chicago teens loved the dance, with it even having "replaced the Bunny Hop in their affections."  I'm not sure what this says about either the taste of Chicago teens in early 1958 or the accuracy of Mrs. Ege's observations of contemporary teen culture.

The formation is a single line, hand on shoulder of the person in front.  Everyone starts on the same foot and does the same moves.  There are three sections to the dance: the Rock, the Penguin (!), and the Break-Away Turn, danced in a sequence of Rock-Rock-Penguin-Turn.  The names of the Rock and Turn sequences are self-explanatory.  The Penguin refers to the movement of that section being "like a penguin, jiggling and teetering from side to side."  I usually find it best not to think too hard about this sort of simile in a dance choreography.

Regency Assembly ~ New Haven, CT (October 17-18, 2009)

This weekend I will be leading workshops and precepting a formal ball at the Elegant Arts Society's Seventh Annual Regency Assembly in New Haven, Connecticut.  This event features the dances of the first quarter of the nineteenth century (1800-1825), the era of Jane Austen, Lord Byron, and the Napoleonic Wars.  There will be country dances done in period style, quadrilles, waltzes (including the bouncy sauteuse waltz), and reels, including the lively nine-person Country Bumpkin.  Once again, Spare Parts will play for the evening event.  Refreshments custom-baked from period recipes will be served at the ball intermissions.  The workshop runs from 2:00-4:30, the ball from 7:30-11:00.  Attendance at the workshop is encouraged because the more people who arrive at the ball already familiar with the particular country dance and quadrille figures, the more smoothly the evening will run.  This is part of a larger event with Sunday activities scheduled as well.

Arbeau's Galliard Sequences, Part 2: Extended Step Sequences

This is the second in a series of five posts covering the different galliard sequences given in the 1589 work Orchésographie (available in English translation as Orchesography).  The first post in the series (here) covered the basic rhythm and steps of the galliard plus six sequences in the basic cinq pas pattern.  This post covers the four double-length sequences Arbeau describes along with his principles for creating other eleven-step or longer variations.

Eleven-step sequences
Just as the basic cinq pas (five step) rhythm takes six beats of music and includes four movements plus a two-count cadence (jump and land), the double-length eleven-step sequences take twelve beats of music: ten movements plus a cadence.  A full variation to the left and right will thus take four bars of 6/4 music (or eight of 3/4, depending on your barring method.)

Arbeau's general principle for forming an eleven-step sequence is to replace the first cadence with two other movements or with a fleuret, a series of three rapid kicks about which more will be said in a later post in this series.  One could thus construct a simple eleven-step sequence by simply doing eleven kicks and a cadence.  But Arbeau helpfully provides four eleven-step sequences for those who do not wish to compose their own.  He notes that these sequences are particularly appropriate to the end of a dance and also recommends turning twice around during each set of eleven movements, reversing direction on the repeat.

To form sequences longer than eleven steps (seventeen, twenty-three, or more), one can follow the same principle of replacing two or three mid-sequence cadences with pairs of steps or fleurets.  I don't find it very satisfying musically to ignore so many cadences, however, and Arbeau didn't bother giving any suggested sequences longer than eleven steps.

Cape May Vintage Dance Weekend (October 10-11, 2009)

Here are some details about this weekend's dance events in Cape May, New Jersey, where I will be teaching workshops and leading a ball and tea dance with the accomplished musicians of Spare Parts.

Saturday afternoon dance workshops
Registration 9:00-9:30am; workshops 9:30am-3:00pm with a lunch break.  The location is the Franklin Street School Gym, on Franklin Street between Washington and Lafayette.  In the morning, I plan to cover Victorian dances for the evening ball, including the Polo Quadrille.  In the afternoon, I will look at 1910s couple dances for Sunday's tea dance.  I expect to teach at the beginner level, but this is subject to change depending the dancers attending.

Saturday night Victorian Ball (with Spare Parts)
8:00-11:00pm.  Location is the Cape May Elementary School Gym, 921 Lafayette Street.  The dance program will commence with a Grand March and include waltzes, polkas, schottisches, a galop, and set dances including the Polo Quadrille and the Spanish Dance.  I'll have some CDs of the Polo music as recorded by Spare Parts available for sale.

Sunday afternoon Ragtime Tea Dance (with Spare Parts)
1:00-3:00pm.  Location is the Corinthian Yacht Cub of Cape May on Delaware Avenue.  The 1910s dance program will include the one-step, foxtrot, tango, two-step, blues, waltz, and the delightful finger-snapping Lulu Fado.

You can pre-register online for the weekend here.  Prices are: $95 for the full weekend; $35 for Saturday night's Victorian Ball; $25 for Sunday's ragtime tea dance; $45 for the Saturday dance workshops.

All of these events are part of Victorian Week, which takes place all over Cape May (a stunning Victorian resort town); more information about the other events may be found at the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts website.

If you're a Kickery reader, please say hello to me after the workshops or during a break.

Arbeau's Galliard Sequences, Part 1: Basic Cinq Pas Rhythm

This is the first in a series of five posts covering the different galliard sequences given in the 1589 work  Orchésographie (available in English translation as Orchesography).  The pseudonymous Thoinot Arbeau's book gives seventeen different galliard sequences, with some of them having subvariations as well.  I've broken them down into rhythm groups for the sake of simplicity and post-length, so this post includes only six sequences, with the others to follow later.

Galliard rhythm
The basic cinq pas (five step) rhythm takes six beats of music, but it is not simply six even counts.  The cinq pas consists of four motions on the first four beats followed by a leap into the air just after the fifth beat and a landing on the sixth beat.  Arbeau calls this combination of jump-and-land a cadence (Fr. cadance).  He suggests staggering the landing slightly so that the back foot lands first, rather than thumping down squarely on both feet at once.  The music supports this; the rhythm tends to be "DAH dah dah DAAAH...di-dah" and could be counted "ONE-two-three-FOOOUR (jump) and SIX."  It's hard to tabulate the precise timing of the jump; in the variations below it will simply be given on the fifth count.

Arbeau gives six sequences (one with two variations) for this basic rhythm.  He does not lean towards colorful names, unfortunately; they are labeled things like "another cinq pas."  Each is led once with the left foot and once with the right foot for a total of two bars of 6/4 time (or four bars of 3/4 time, depending on how your galliard is barred).