This is turning into a miniseries of posts on technique for 1910s American contra dances, as helpfully described by Elizabeth Burchenal in American Country-Dances, Volume I (New York & Boston, 1918).
In general, Burchenal is a treasure. But her instructions aren't always perfectly correct or clear, and there's one figure where I've got some real problems with Burchenal's descriptions: "Down the Center and Back".
Here's how Burchenal describes it in her glossary of figures:
Down the Centre and Back
In ordinary position (or sometimes with crossed hands joined) a couple go eight steps down the centre of the set toward the foot; then swing half around (or when crossed hands are joined, they face about without releasing hands and without swinging around) so as to face up the set, and return eight steps toward the head of the set (8 measures).
That's a very clear description, but there are a couple of problems with it.
One problem is that when the dancers turn as a couple rather than individually: if you go eight steps (four measures) down the set, then try to turn as a couple and come back up to the top in the same eight steps, you have to turn really fast and make some big steps coming back (or perhaps make tiny steps going down, which no one ever does). It can be done, but it's awkward, even though it's facilitated by having the dancers go down the center in "ordinary position", meaning ballroom hold, which at least lets the man help the woman swing around quickly. It's rushed and ungraceful and I don't like it.
But the bigger problem is that in her actual dance instructions down the center and back is used in five different ways by Burchenal, and she gives the same timing (eight steps) for the "down the centre" segment in every single one of them:
- down with crossed hands, turn individually, up to original places
- down with crossed hands, turn individually, up to second place
- down with crossed hands, turn individually, up, cast off
- down in ordinary position, turn as a couple, up to second place
- down in ordinary position, turn as a couple, up, cast off
So in four measures (eight steps), one is variously supposed to:
- return to original places
- return to second place
- return to original places and cast off
- turn as a couple and return to second place
- turn as a couple, return to original places, and cast off
I'm particularly unenthused by that last one. Even assuming that one can turn as a couple in two steps (whee!), that gives the couple only six steps to travel the distance they just covered in eight steps and cast off. And Burchenal does not mention the common modern trick of having the second couple catch the active couple around the waist as they come back up and swing them around to help them cast. The cast is unassisted.
At least they're not wearing hoop skirts.
Much as I adore Burchenal for apparently being the only person in her era who recorded contra dance figures in detail, I don't buy that the timing of the first half of this figure ought to be the same for all of those versions. I've no doubt that some dancers did take eight steps down the center, regardless of what followed, since I've certainly seen modern dancers try it, but I don't think it's a very good idea.
Here's how I'd do each version to make the two most problematic figures function better:
- down with crossed hands, turn individually, up to original places
- down with crossed hands, turn individually, up to second place
These two work fine with eight steps down/eight steps up. Just turn a bit more slowly on the second one, since there's less distance up the set to travel.
- down with crossed hands, turn individually, up, cast off
This one goes better with a minor tweak. Take four steps down the set, then on the next four steps stop traveling downward and make a bit more of a production of turning, actually getting some slight travel up the set. Four steps back up. Four to cast off.
- down in ordinary position, turn as a couple, up to second place
Burchenal's timing works again for this one. Eight steps down, four steps to turn as a couple, four steps back up to second place. The dancers will have to stretch their steps a bit, but it's not a big problem.
- down in ordinary position, turn as a couple, up, cast off
As noted above, this one is the real problem. The last three segments just don't work in eight steps. I would recommend four steps down, four steps to turn as a couple, four steps back up, and four to cast off.
One would like to think that good dancers would do this without explicit instructions, since I think it's mostly common sense, but my experience is that if left without direction, dancers will in fact do eight steps down the middle, keeping with the musical phrase, before even attempting to turn. This instinct can be overridden, but you do have to tell them to do it.
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