Wrapping up my impromptu miniseries of posts on galop variations found in M. B. Gilbert's Round Dancing (Portland, Maine, 1890) and G. W. Lopp's La Danse (Paris, 1903), here's a trio of galop variations which I don't feel warrant sufficient time or analysis for individual posts:
- Two of the three are short "do something, then some galop" sequences; the other is even shorter and rather dull
- None of them are very challenging to perform, and two have repeated leaps from a complete stop, which, as a dancer, I don't really enjoy.
- None of them have any conflicts between sources.
- One has a reconstruction problem, but it's minor and easily resolved.
- I fully expect that all of them have matching sheet music and that the names of the variations are actually the names of the tunes to which they were choreographed, but I haven't been able to locate any of it, and none of them are sufficiently attractive to inspire me to spend much time searching.
So, in the interest of efficiency, here's the trio together with brief notes about each.
In all cases, the gentleman starts with the left foot and the lady with the right. His steps are given; she dances opposite.
Hecla Galop (four bars), by George T. Wilson
Starting position: normal closed ballroom hold, gentleman's back to the center of the room
1&2 Slide left foot to second (1), chassé with right, sliding left to second again (&2)
34 Close right to left with weight (3), leap onto left foot, making a half-turn (4)
1&2 (repeat first bar, starting with right foot and traveling "over elbows" along line of dance)
34 (repeat second bar, closing left to right and leaping onto right to complete the full turn)
Lopp: L'Hecla Galop; Tempo, Allegro; all steps the same
Mnemonic: "galop step, close, leap; galop step, close, leap"
Comments: This barely qualifies as a galop or even a sequence. One could use it as a variation, but it's not very interesting. I don't really enjoy having to leap from a dead stop every other bar.
Le Beau (eight bars), by C. A. Carr
Starting position: normal closed ballroom hold, gentleman's back to the center of the room
12 Point left to second without weight (1), bring it to fifth behind raised (2)
34 Slide left to second with weight (3), cut with right, bring left to second raised (4)
12 Repeat first bar
34 Repeat second bar
4b Galop, two complete turns
Lopp: Le Beau; Tempo, Allegro; all steps the same
Mnemonic: "point, tuck, slide, cut; point, tuck, slide, cut; galop turn; galop turn; galop turn; galop turn"
Comments: a four-slide galop would also fit here, but an unspecified galop generally means a half-turn after every measure. This is prettier than "Hecla", and longer, but only slightly more interesting as a late-style variation on the old "heel and toe".
The Fairy (eight bars), by W. F. Mittman
Starting position: side by side holding inside hands and facing line of dance
12 Slide left foot forward (1), close right to third behind (2)
34 Repeat with right foot
12 Point left foot to fourth without weight (1), bring left back to third behind raised (2)
34 Leap forward onto left foot (3), hop on left (4)
4b Galop, starting on right foot, one complete turn then a four-slide and half-turn
Lopp: La Fée; Tempo, Vivo; all steps the same
Mnemonic: "slide, close; slide, close; point, tuck; leap, hop; galop turn; galop turn; galop, galop, galop turn"
Comments: As with the Hecla, I find regularly having to leap with no ongoing momentum less than pleasant. There is also a reconstruction issue, in that Gilbert specifies that the galop starts on the (gentleman's) right foot, which is supported by the steps given, and Lopp confirms that the gentleman restarts on the left foot again after the galop. Gilbert doesn't discuss restarting, but he'd likely say if it was meant to all repeat on the other foot. A same-foot restart is not actually possible without some sort of fudge in the galop section. My favored solution: on the leap-hop, make a half-turn while shifting into a normal close ballroom hold, ending ready for the galop "over elbows" along line of dance. Then do one complete turn of regular galop followed by a single four-slide galop half-turn, opening up to holding hands again at the end. That both follows the texts as given and resets to the original starting foot. One could do it the other way around (four-slide, two-slide, two-slide), but the four-slide gives more time and motion to make the necessary fudges at the end as the dancers separate back to holding only hands.
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