The Ada Rehan Waltz is a simple and graceful hesitation waltz sequence published in Frank H. Norman's Complete Dance Instructor (Ottawa, 1914), where it is attributed to John Hackett of Hamilton, Ontario. It is named for the famous Irish-American actress, shown at left in a famous 1895 portrait by John Singer Sargent (click to enlarge). Quite a few photographs from her theatrical career may be found in the New York Public Library's digital collection. By 1914 she had long retired from the stage, and I doubt she had any personal or professional connection to this dance.
Edited 6/6/2019 to add: As recorded in The Director, Volume I, No. 8 (September 1898): a dance called "Ada Rehan" was adopted as one of three new dances by the Western Association Normal School, a meeting of dance teachers which took place that year in Toledo, Ohio, for two weeks starting on June 14th, 1898. Among the officers of the Association were John Hackett, Second Vice President. While I have not yet found definitive proof, I think it quite likely that the "Ada Rehan" adopted there was Hackett's "Ada Rehan Waltz" published by Norman sixteen years later. Rehan was at the height of her fame in the 1890s, so it makes considerably more sense to have a dance named after her in 1898 than in 1914. And the style of the dance is very much that of the sequence dances of the 1890s-1900s, as noted below. [end added material]
The starting position for the Ada Rehan Waltz has the gentleman and lady facing each other, his back to the center of the room, both hands joined, and arms extended. The gentleman starts with the left foot and the lady with the right. His steps are given below; the lady dances opposite. The dance follows the classic sequence dance pattern of "go this way, go that way, waltz", similar to the Berlin, the Veleta, the Rye Waltz, and many, many, many other sequence dances.
Ada Rehan Waltz (32 bars of waltz)
1b Step L to 2nd (1), close R to 5th raised (keeping weight on L) (2), and hold (3)
1b Bend L knee, sinking (1), and rising (2), and hold (3)
1b Step R to 2nd (1), close L to 5th raised (keeping weight on R) (2), and hold (3)
1b Bend R knee sinking (1), and rising (2), and hold (3)
(open to face line of dance, keeping only inside hands - his R, her L)
4b Three slow steps forward (L, R, L) and point R to 4th forward
(face partners and join both hands again)
1b Step R to 2nd (1), close L to 5th raised (keeping weight on R) (2), and hold (3)
1b Bend R knee sinking (1), and rising (2), and hold (3)
1b Step L to 2nd (1), close R to 5th raised (keeping weight on L) (2), and hold (3)
1b Bend L knee, sinking (1), and rising (2), and hold (3)
(open to face against line of dance, keeping only inside hands - his L, her R)
4b Three slow steps forward (R, L, R) against line of dance and point L to 4th forward
16b Take waltz position and waltz
Open out to joined hands and repeat from the beginning.
Reconstruction and Performance Notes
The only difficulty with the reconstruction is a misprint in the source that omits two lines and two measures of the second step-and-bend sequence. It is obvious from the overall pattern what the missing steps should be. Otherwise, it is entirely straightforward.
In performing the sequence, the only difficult is the shift to waltz position and orientation (gentleman's back to line of dance to start) at the end of the first sixteen bars. During the three-steps-and-point moving against line of dance, the dancers need to start turning toward each other and slightly clockwise. They must be careful on the "point" not to kick each other as they slide into waltz position, with the gentleman swinging his left foot back for the first step of the waltz and the lady stepping forward onto her right.
Coming out of the waltz, by contrast, is quite simple; just underturn to end with the gentleman facing the wall and open up to join both hands again.
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