Capering & Kickery

Cupid's Gavotte (5 of 6)

All right, it's time to put it all together!  I'm going to begin with the solo version.

The music for Cupid's Gavotte, as noted in the first post in this series, is in 4/4 and has a musical pattern of seven strains, some of which are duplicates, which fit the dance nicely:

Music                                          Dance                                                                                    
A      16 bars                                16 bars        #1 (4x to right, 4x to left)
B        8 bars                                  8 bars        #2 (4x alternating right and left)
C        8 bars                                  8 bars        #3 (4x alternating right and left)
D*      8 bars (vivace)                    8 bars        #4 (4x alternating right and left)
E         8 bars                                  8 bars        #5 (4x)
F         8 bars                                  8 bars        #6 (4x alternating right and left)
   *      8 bars (vivace)                    8 bars        #7 (4x alternating right and left)
G**  16 bars                                16 bars        #1 (4x to right), #7 (4x alt. right and left to exit
         80 bars                                80 bars

*    The D strain and the second half of the F strain are the same as the B strain
**  The G strain is the same as the A strain

My recording adds a four-bar introduction for practical reasons.

Cupid's Gavotte (4 of 6)

And, at last, here are the two final step-sequences for Cupid's Gavotte!

Step #6: Side Movement (two bars of 4/4 time)
1    Step right foot to side
2    Cross left foot behind right
3    Step right foot to side
4    Cross left in front of right, pirouetting halfway to right (clockwise)
12  Point left foot to side
34  (raising foot slightly to prepare) Point left foot again

The similarity among the various step sequences should quite obvious by now.  Here we have a grapevine ending in a half-pirouette, followed by two of the pointing-that-is-almost-tapping movements to the side.  The mnemonic for this one is "side-back-side-spin, point...point..."  In this direction, the dancer's back is to the audience during the pointing.

Cupid's Gavotte (3 of 6)

Moving right along: two more step-sequences for Cupid's Gavotte!

Step #4: Forward Step and Turn (two bars of 4/4 time)
1         Step forward on right foot
&        Close left foot to right
2         Extend right foot forward, raised
3&4    Repeat all of the above with the same feet
1         Step right foot to side
2         Cross left foot over right making a complete pirouette to the right (clockwise)
3         Step right foot to side (completing pirouette)
4         Point left in front of right; raised fifth position

The first four beats are a sort of weird chassé step in which instead of stepping at the end, you simply cut the forward foot into the air and leave it so you can repeat on the same foot.  The pirouette is a bit difficult to accomplish in one beat of music, but keeping weight on the left foot and throwing the right foot out to the side for the following step helps carry one around.  The fifth position at the end was specified by Mr. Walters, though having it raised is my interpretation of his "Point L in front of R 5th Pos."

Cupid's Gavotte (2 of 6)

Continuing on with Cupid's Gavotte: once you have mastered the first step sequence, here are a couple more to work on!

Step #2: Forward Step Diagonally (two bars of 4/4 time)
1        Step right foot forward at slight diagonal
2        Hop on right foot and point left forward raised
3        Step left foot forward continuing on slight diagonal
4        Hop on left foot and point right forward raised
1        Step right foot forward continuing on slight diagonal
234    Hop on right foot three times, moving backward, retracing diagonal      

The step-sequence is performed alternately to the right and to the left; here's the reverse:

1        Step left foot forward at slight diagonal
2        Hop on left foot and point right forward raised
3        Step right foot forward continuing on slight diagonal
4        Hop on right foot and point left forward raised
1        Step left foot forward continuing on slight diagonal
234    Hop on left foot three times, moving backward, retracing diagonal

Happily, there are no problems with the transition; the opposite foot is always free at the end.  It hardly needs a mnemonic, but it would be "step-hop, step-hop, step-hop-hop-hop".

Cupid's Gavotte (1 of 6)

After a long hiatus, I return once more to the works of Massachusetts dancing master George F. Walters, creator of the Exeter Waltz and Exeter Caprice!  Cupid's Gavotte (1915) is something different, both for Mr. Walters and myself: rather than a social dance, it is intended as a performance piece for a group of four or eight girls, or as a solo.  Dance school recital pieces are not normally a major interest of mine, but since I happen to own the sheet music and social dancing continues to not be much of a thing due to the pandemic, well, here we are with something that can be danced entirely alone, though of course it's more impressive in a group. 

Over the course of this series of posts I'll cover the individual steps and then the full sequence with my reconstructions for solo or group performance.

The music of Cupid's Gavotte is notated in 4/4 and is essentially a schottische, but since the dance was created for a specific tune, I commissioned a basic piano recording to match my reconstruction from Alexandra Neronova, which may be purchased here.  (Edited 5/31/22 to add: payment for this recording goes to me; it does not benefit anyone in Russia.)

February 2021 Gig Calendar

My excitement for February: returning to DJing blues!  I'm not a big blues dancer, but I love the music and look forward to spinning online for my old Boston-area pals at Bluesy Tuesy and new folks from Powerhouse Blues!  I'll also be returning to my ultra-basic footwork classes and might add another pop-up class or lecture somewhere in there...

Otherwise: it's still a pandemic.  But the vaccines are coming!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four Saturdays, February 6th-27th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 101 (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
1:00pm-2:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series covering absolute basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  No previous experience needed!  This is the first in the HT&DS footwork classes, a revised version of last year's 101, and is the prerequisite for the 102 and 103 level classes.  The class is intended for absolute beginners and moves very slowly.  Steps include the chassé-jeté-assemblé sequence, the kemshoole and kemkossy for Scotch reels, and the rigadaun step.  $20 for the series; see event page for registration link.

Four Saturdays, February 6th-27th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 102a (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series covering basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  Prerequisite: 101 class or permission. This is the first in the HT&DS rotation of 102-level footwork classes, a revised version of last year's 102a.  The class assumes that you have an understanding of the basic steps for Regency and Colonial footwork, including the chassé-jeté-assemblé sequence, the kemshoole and kemkossy for Scotch reels, and the rigadaun step, and moves on from there to more complicated steps and sequences for quadrilles and reels.  This is a friendly, gently-paced class for footwork beyond the absolute basics.  $20 for the series; see event page for registration link.

Tuesday, February 9th ~ ONLINE / Boston & Philadelphia-based
Social Time & Blues DJing (Facebook event)
for Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook group) & Powerhouse Blues (Facebook group)
8:00-9:00pm Social Time; 9:00-10:00pm DJed dance music.  I'll be hanging out during the first half of the evening and spinning the tunes for at-home dancing for the second half!  See Facebook event for Zoom link.  Suggested donation $5.00.

Sunday, February 21st ~ ONLINE / UK-based
Online Club Session 9: Regency Ballroom: or the art of being improper (Facebook event)
for Nonsuch History & Dance (Facebook group)
1:00-3:00pm.  "Despite their success and long-lasting popularity, waltzes and quadrilles took time to conquer regency ballrooms. This session will connect dance master instructions with reviews, diaries and caricatures to understand the first impression these continental dance forms left on the British public before becoming long-term favourites."  I will be responsible for about half an hour of the event, briefly talking about quadrilles and teaching variations of turn for the figure dos-à-dos then discussing wilder dance moments from French ballrooms.  Other presenters include Darren Royston, Professor Michael Burden (University of Oxford), and Alena Shmakova.  Short talks and dance practices will include: a Strathy-based warmup, Regency waltz, eighteenth-century masquerades, body/posture-shaping devices, and ballroom etiquette.  Short Q&A at the end.  £10 per person; register in advance via the website or Facebook event.

 

Sunday, February 28th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am available for private online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.