Continuing on with figures two and three of Chivers' Troidrilles...
Figure Two (Tune: Eté) 8b + 24bx4
8b Introduction (not repeated)
2b First head trio forward (en avant) and stop
2b Opposite trio forward (en avant) and stop
4b All retire to places, turning round to the right twice
8b Four head ladies right hands across (moulinet) and left hands back
8b Set (pas de basque) in trios (4b) and hands three round (4b)
Repeat three more times, other couples leading in turn
This is another straightforward reconstruction. The figure is done four times as in standard quadrille practice: twice by the head couples (first couple leading, then opposite couple leading) then twice by the side couples, led first by the couple to the right of the first head couple.
Steps
For the en avant, normally an opportunity for fancier steps, I would use a single chassé, jeté-assemblé because with three dancers holding hands, it's once again too awkward to have everyone dancing different steps. For the retire to places, three chassé, jeté-assemblé. The same each way for the moulinet and the final hands three round in trios.
(Edited 6/30/24 to add: when I taught the Troidrilles in Munich last year, one dancer managed to execute the retiring to place turning round twice with a single chassé, jeté-assemblé for each turn. I was pleased and impressed! I would still prefer (for aesthetic reasons) to have everyone in the trios doing the same sequence, however. So unless all twelve dancers can manage the version with two sequences of a single chassé, jeté-assemblé each -- which would be great -- it's better to stick with using three.)
Figure Three (Tune: Finale) 8b + 48bx4
8b Introduction (not repeated)
8b First trio lead round inside figure
4b All gents set (pas de basque) to ladies to their right…
4b …and hands three halfway round with the two new ladies
8b Repeat gentlemen’s progression/hands three
4b Four head ladies forward and back en avant/arrière (4b)
4b Same four ladies half right and left (demi-chaîne anglaise) (4b)
8b Side ladies repeat the forward/back and half right and left
8b All promenade halfway round to places
Repeat three more times, other couples leading in turn
This figure gave me fits for years until it finally occurred to me that as long as everyone was back to place at the end of each repetition, it didn't matter if they were temporarily displaced during it. This is a specific issue in the sixteen bars in which the gentlemen progress counter-clockwise around the set. They should use their four pas de basque to approach the ladies, staying in the center of the set and facing out. The ladies set more-or-less in place. They then take hands in this new trio and circle only halfway around until the gentleman is facing in. There will be ample time for this; the dancers should make as large a circle as possible to fill it. The two ladies will have switched places. But it does not matter, because the progression and circling are repeated, which will bring the ladies back to where they began.
For the initial lead round by a single trio: it is distinctly awkward to lead a trio side-by-side around the inside of a set. The left-hand dancer has a very small track and the right-hand dancer a much larger one. A possible amelioration is to have the dancers link arms instead of taking hands, either normally or in the "Graces" style, with the gentleman holding the ladies' outside hands and the ladies linking their inside hands behind his back. Either lets the trio move a bit more easily. Another is to forget about being side-by-side and let the trio play follow-the-leader (the right-hand dancer) around the set, similar to the "lines lead round" figure in the Swedish dances. Effectively, the trio would be circling inside the set without actually taking hands in a circle. This lets everyone dance more freely and not have to worry about wheeling a trio around gracefully. Since only one trio is moving at a time, I don't regard it as a problem if each trio chooses a different solution!
There are no other issues in the reconstruction, and the only other performance issue is that once again there is a lot of music (eight bars) for a half-promenade, though at least this time with all four trios promenading the boundaries of the set vanish and it is less crowded to dance. The trios can expand the set somewhat while promenading around and still have time to wheel into place at the end. If the timing is well-coordinated and the length of the steps adjusted to keep the lines straight, this looks very good.
Steps
For the leading around and the final promenade, seven chassé, jeté-assemblé. Three chassé, jeté-assemblé for the half right and left and hands three round. A single chassé, jeté-assemblé each way for the forward and back. And the gentleman's four pas de basque setting steps should move, as noted above, though the ladies' should not.
I hope other dancers will enjoy the Troidrilles as much as I do!
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