Since wandering around with small lanterns in a dark room looking for people to dance with also seems like a suitable spooky, or at least entertaining, activity for Halloween balls and cotillion parties, here are another pair of cotillion figures from H. Layton Walker's Twentieth Century Cotillion Figures (Two Step Publishing Company, Buffalo, New York, 1912) that feature that very activity!
These are both simple mixer figures in which pairs of ladies and gentlemen must find their designated match, either by number or by name.
1. LANTERN FIGURE. Original description:
Half of class up and two-step, signal choose from among those seated, all dance. After a few minutes signal again, gents seat partners, and retire to their dressing room, closing door. Two duplicate sets of cards with numbers on are then produced, one set given to the ladies and one to the gentlemen while in their rooms. Small lanterns are then given to each gentleman with instructions to find the duplicate numbers on their card; in the meantime lights are turned low in the ball-room, in fact nearly total darkness must prevail. Care should be taken not to touch the lights in the gentlemen’s rooms. While cards are being distributed to the ladies, they should be notified. When the gentlemen enter the room and find it total darkness they should commence calling their numbers and dodge about the room. After this game of hide and seek has been going on for a few moments, turn lights on suddenly; let gentlemen find partners and dance.
Preparation/props:
- duplicate sets of numbered cards
- small lanterns for each gentleman
How to run it:
- the usual introduction of half the couples dance (two-step, though it doesn't really matter), then at a signal split and seek new partners
- signal and take the gentlemen out of the room to give them cards and lanterns
- give the ladies their numbered cards, then turn the lights out in the ballroom
- let the gentlemen in with their lanterns
- the ladies should call out their numbers while dodging around the room
- the gentlemen try to find their ladies
- turn on the lights suddenly (no signal!) and everyone still unmatched finds their partners and dances
Why this is funny: aside from the general appeal of blundering around in the dark with half the group having small lanterns and half trying to dodge them while yelling numbers? Well, there's also the oddly specific instruction not to touch the lights in the gentlemen's rooms and to turn the lights on suddenly at the end. Whoever wrote this figure seems to have thought it would be especially amusing for the gentlemen to be first plunged from bright light into darkness (making it even harder to see by lantern-light until their eyes adjust) and then to blind everyone by turning the lights up suddenly. Ha, ha!
2. HOME IN THE DARK. Original description:
This party was taken from the popular phrase, “I am afraid to go home in the dark,” and adapted to a cotillion figure. The figure is suitable for any number of couples. After the assembly has danced a while, turn out the lights and hand each lady and gentleman a lantern on a stick and also a tag with a name on it. These tags are named so that partners may be found as follows: “John will look after Johanna, Johanna for John.” “Paul for Pauline, Pauline for Paul,” “August for Augusta, Augusta for August.” The writing on these cards will be as follows: Augusta, are you afraid to go home in the dark? Signed, August. The other card will read: August I am afraid to go home in the dark,” Signed, Augusta. John will look for Johanna, Johanna for John, etc. The ladies as well as the gentlemen must have lanterns and cards for each person.
“I am afraid to go home in the dark" seems to be a play on the 1907 song, "I'm afraid to come home in the dark", which may be heard here.
So I sat alone in the YMCA
Singing like a lark
There's no place like home
But I couldn't come home in the dark
Supposedly, the words "I am afraid to go home in the dark" were among O. Henry's last words in 1910.
This figure is slightly kinder in that both the ladies and gentlemen get lanterns, and features a more elaborate matching game with names rather than numbers and scripted calls. The preparation is the same as above, except that the cards must have the names and scripts on them and there must be enough lanterns for both ladies and gentlemen. The performance of the figure is straightforward; hand out the cards and lanterns, turn out the lights, and let the dancers wander around chanting until they find each other and dance.
The biggest problem for me would be coming up enough with sets of matched names for a large party. Along with the three sets listed in the description (John/Johanna, Paul/Pauline, August/Augusta), some other pairs, not checked for period-accuracy, might be:
Alexander/Alexandra
Andrew/Andrea
Anthony/Antonia
Brendan/Breanna
Carl/Carla (or Carol)
Christopher/Christina
Daniel/Danielle
Harry/Harriet
Henry/Henrietta
Joseph/Josephine
Justin/Justine
Louis/Louisa
Mark/Marcy
Michael/Michaela
Nicholas/Nicole
Oliver/Olivia
Robert/Roberta
Samuel/Samantha
Simon/Simone
Stephen/Stephanie
Searching for "feminine form of masculine names" will produce even more sets.
Have fun wandering around in the dark!
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