Wrapping up my little half & half miniseries, here's a wacky little sequence that throws in everything but the kitchen sink: a hesitation, travel, turning, and a change of lead foot. This is from the Quinlan Twins description of the half & half in the 1914 compilation Dance Mad, second edition. The only name given it is the deceptively bland "Seventh Figure".
The sequence is unusual in two other ways as well: odd and even measures have different rhythm patterns, and it appears that both measure have no step on the fifth count, an unusual departure from the standard 1...4,5 half & half rhythm pattern. All of this makes it not particularly beginner-friendly.
There are also some ambiguities in the original wording:
Glide left foot to 4th position front (1): draw right to 3rd position (2); elevate left in 4th position front and carry in a semi-circle to 4th position back, still elevated (3); step back on left, bending left knee slightly (4); point right toe in 4th position front (5). 1 measure.
Step forward on right (1); forward on left (2); on right (3); step on left making half-turn to right, left toe pointing in 4th position front, both facing new line of direction (4 and 5). 1 measure.
Repeat above 2 measures...changing line of direction on 4 and 5 of each second measure.
The instructions are to the gentleman; the lady dances opposite. The bolding is mine, highlighting the two problem spots:
(1) The toe-pointing bit is done without weight in the first measure, but appears to be done with weight in the second measure. That isn't a problem to execute, but it's a noticeable inconsistency of language and means that the sequence cannot be literally repeated, as directed at the end, because the dancers will be on the opposite foot. Did the author really mean to add a step on the fifth beat? The way the beats are counted ("4 and 5") seems to argue against it, but it can't be completely ruled out.
(2) Changing line of direction? Does the author really mean to dance the repeat against line of dance? Or is this just an especially clumsy way of explaining that the repeat is done with the gentleman facing against line of dance at the start? Since the sequence consists of one bar of hesitation and one traveling step, the former option means that two bars out of four will be in place and one of the remaining two will travel against line of dance. That's fine if you're the only dancers on the floor, but it is at best annoying to other dancers, and at worst likely to lead to collisions.
My decisions on these two points were: (1) no step on the fifth beat of the second measure; the dancers repeat on opposite foot, and (2) they continue traveling along the normal line of dance, not against it.
Reconstruction
The starting position is a normal ballroom hold with the gentleman facing line of dance.
First measure: hesitate
1 Gentleman steps forward left (lady back right) along line of dance
2 Close free foot to third position behind (gent) or in front (lady) with weight
3 (sweep first foot around)
4 Gentleman steps back on left, dipping slightly (lady lunges forward slightly on right)
5 (point free foot -- gent forward/lady back)
Second measure: travel and half-turn
1 Gentleman steps forward right (lady back left) along line of dance
2 And left (lady right)
3 And right (lady left), starting to turn clockwise
4 Gentleman steps onto left foot (lady right), completing the half-turn facing against line of dance (lady facing line of dance)
5 (and swinging free foot toward line of dance -- gent back/lady forward)
Third measure: repeat hesitation
1 Gentleman steps back right (lady forward left) along line of dance
2 Close free foot to third position in front (gent) or behind (lady) with weight
3 (sweep first foot around)
4 Gentleman steps forward on right, lunging slightly (lady dip back slightly on left)
5 (point free foot -- gent back/lady forward)
Fourth measure: repeat travel and half-turn
1 Gentleman steps back left (lady forward right) along line of dance
2 And right (lady left)
3 And left (lady right), starting to turn clockwise
4 Gentleman steps onto right foot (lady left), completing the half-turn facing along line of dance (lady facing against line of dance)
5 (and swinging free foot toward line of dance -- gent forward/lady back)
Performance notes
The rhythm of the steps is 12-4- 1234- 12-4- 1234-. Some rise onto the toes during the "foot sweep" bars will both help cue the lady and make the dance more graceful.
The initial step and close to third works better if led on a slight diagonal; straight forward is harder to lead.
The full sequence is easiest to enter and exit from a reverse turning waltz or waltz pursuit. Entry from promenading also works if the final promenade step swings the lady around to put her back to line of dance. Natural turning waltz leaves the dancers in the wrong position. These traveling steps were discussed in more detail in a previous post.
With a very skilled pair of dancers, the sequence can mostly be led cold. The foot sweeps will probably be missed.
Making it harder
If the dancers break the sequence after the first two bars, it works as a change of lead foot and sets them up nicely for the scissors. After a few bars of scissors, when the gentleman's right foot is free, they can dance the third and fourth to get back to the usual lead foot. This combination -- varying the figure, direction, lead foot, and step-rhythm -- is not for the faint of heart.
In performance
In a performance situation where travelling against the line of dance is not a probem, the second half can be done exactly like the first half (gentleman moves forward to start, against line of dance) but on opposite feet, and with the half turn going counter-clockwise (reverse).
Source for this hesitation
Dance Mad, second edition, [edited] by F. Leslie Clendenen, St. Louis, 1914
Special thanks to Nora for partnering me while I worked through this step reconstruction!
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