Capering & Kickery

1930s Waltz Variations: The Promenade Waltz

Continuing my series of short descriptions of 1930s waltz variations, here is the fourth and final variation from the 1936 edition of Lillian Ray's Modern Ballroom Dancing, which harks back to the Military Waltz of the last decades of the nineteenth century (described here), though the partners never open up fully in the manner of fifty years earlier.  Other posts in this series may be found in the 1930s category archive.  See the first 1930s waltz post for a brief description of the basic waltz of this era.

The Promenade Waltz (steps shown in the diagram at left; click to enlarge) is begun and ended with the partners facing each other across the line of dance, the man's left and woman's right shoulder facing line of dance.  This position may easily be achieved by underturning the half of a natural turn: the man steps right forward, makes the quarter turn, and does the side-close along the line of dance rather than continuing to turn.  It also follows nicely from the About Face Waltz if the dancers do only a quarter-turn rather than a half turn at the end of the sequence.

1930s Waltz Variations: About Face Waltz

This is the third in an occasional series of short descriptions of waltz variations taken from 1930s sources, specifically, in this case, the 1936 edition of Lillian Ray's Modern Ballroom Dancing.  See the first post in this series for a quick note about the basic waltz of this era as well as descriptions of two variations.  The second post, describing a hesitation, is here.

Moving right along, today's step is known as the About Face Waltz and is a twelve-count (four-bar) sequence that travels strongly along the line of dance in alternating shoulder-to-shoulder positions.  The diagram at left (click to enlarge) shows both the man's and woman's steps.  Ray offers an aesthetic evaluation of the move:

While it borders on the exhibition it is not too difficult or conspicuous for the most conservative person to do.

The About Face Waltz breaks down into four parts: walking steps performed right shoulder to right shoulder, an about-face, walking steps performed left shoulder to left shoulder, and another about-face.  The about-face transitions are essentially the usual "step-side-close" pattern performed side-by-side, though that is somewhat disguised by the way the turning motion is distributed.

Victorian Dance Workshop, NYC (Sunday, May 23, 2010)

A quick reminder that I will be teaching a mid-19th century dance workshop in New York City on Sunday, May 23rd, for a new group, Vintage Dance Northeast.  The quadrilles for the workshop will include selections from the First Set followed by the unusual Double Quadrille composed by London dance teacher Mrs.Nicholas Henderson in the 1850s and rarely taught today.  Couple dances will include waltz and polka with galop as needed for Mrs. Henderson's Quadrille.

Here's the official event announcement:

19th Century Ballroom Basics: Step back in time, step forward to waltz!

May 23rd 2-5 PM
NOLA Studio C - 250 W. 54st 11th Floor
New York, New York

19th Century Ballroom Basics will cover rotary waltz, polka and popular quadrille figures of the era. This is a great venue to learn the basics of Victorian ballroom dance, or just brush up on your technique and improve your dance style.  This is great preparation for a Civil War or other Victorian ball.  No experience or partner is required to attend.

The workshop cost is $20.00 per adult, $10.00 for students with ID.  Online registration is available at the Vintage Dance Northeast website.

For more information, please see the class Facebook page, visit the Vintage Dance Northeast website or Facebook page, or contact the organizers by email.

The Yale University York

• Era: 1890s-very early 1900s

The Yale University York is one of those dance variations that probably had a short to nonexistent life outside the studio of its creator and a few other dancing masters.  Unlike the original York (described here), it seems to appear only in two sources: Melvin Gilbert's Round Dancing (Portland, Maine, 1890) and George Washington Lopp's, La Danse (Paris, 1903), much of which is merely a direct translation of Gilbert.  Both Gilbert and Lopp attribute it to A.M. Loomis.  Despite its obscurity and probable lack of popularity in its own time, I am devoting a post to it primarily because as a Yale alumna I am charmed whenever anyone names a dance after my alma mater.

International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI (May 13-14, 2010)

I will be attending the International Congress on Medieval Studies this Thursday and Friday and presenting a paper on the expression of medievalism in social dance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as part of session 243, "Long Ago and Far Away: Intra-European Perspectives on Early Modern Dance," sponsored by Early Dance at Kalamazoo.  The session is at 10:00 on Friday morning.

I would enjoy meeting any Kickery readers who might be attending the Congress, especially those who might be interested in furthering the study of dance history in academic settings.  I'm flying out Friday afternoon, so anyone wanting to spend significant time with me should prearrange a Thursday night get-together.

The York

• Era: 1890s-very early 1900s

(Edited 6/3/24 to add: more information about the somewhat earlier (c1885) origin of the York may be found at my articles "The Invention of the York" and "Revisiting La Russe")

The York is a waltz dance in the redowa/mazurka family which appeared in several American dance manuals in the last decade of the 19th century.  The earliest reference I have located is in Melvin Gilbert's Round Dancing (Portland, Maine, 1890), where he includes it "by permission of E.W. Masters," possibly the creator.  George Washington Lopp, who reprinted much of Gilbert in La Danse (Paris, 1903) directly attributes it to Masters.   (The underlined part of the first sentence of this paragraph added 12/22/2023 to make it clear at the start that this is a redowa/mazurka, not a waltz, and a distinct dance, not just a variation.)

Unlike many of the variations included in Gilbert, the York seems to have enjoyed some minor success.  Allen Dodworth did not include it in the first (1885) edition of his substantial tome, Dancing, but it appears in the 1900 edition in an appendix of recently developed dances which appear to be have been copied in large part from Marguerite Wilson's Dancing (Philadelphia, 1899).  Wilson's fellow Philadelphian, dancing master Albert Newman, included it as "Yorke (Mazurka)" in his 1903 A Complete Practical Guide to Modern Society Dancing, and Wisconsin dancing master A.C. Wirth has "The Yorke" in his 1902 Complete Quadrille Call Book and Dancing Master.  It also appears with identical language to Wirth's in D.F. Jay's  A.B.C. Guide to Ballroom Dancing, published in Chicago around 1900, and M.I. Quick's Complete Guide to Dancing, also Chicago, 1903.  All three midwestern manuals were probably plagiarized from a common source.

Sailing Masters Regency Ball, Essex, Connecticut (Saturday, May 8, 2010)

The Sailing Masters of 1812 Regency Ball is just a week away!

The ball is part of the annual Burning of the Ships commemoration, a larger event featuring a parade of fife and drum corps from all over the state, riverside reenactment, and children's activities at the Connecticut River Museum.

The ball itself will be held from 8:00-11:00pm at Essex Town Hall.  I will be leading a lively selection of country dances (and perhaps a scandalous waltz or two) accompanied by my favorite dance musicians, Spare Parts.  This will be a very beginner-friendly ball; those intimidated by Regency-era stepwork should not worry -- with this size group, steps won't be emphasized much beyond an encouragement to skip, though fancy footwork is always welcome from those who know it.

Tickets to the ball are only $15 per person. 

More information may be found at the ball's website here. There is also a Facebook page.