(18th CENTURY,)
For twelve dancers.
Position to start. Dancers are standing in couples in a circle,
facing inwards. The first couple stands with backs to audience.
FIGURE I (96 BARS).
4 bars.
The dancers, standing still, nod solemnly first to their partner
then to the dancer on their other side, then again to partner,
and again to the dancer on the
other side (twice to each).
Then each gentleman turns to the lady on his left, 1st gentleman
setting to 6th lady, 1st lady to 2nd gentleman, and so on; all
do a double chassé forward and a double back. Gentleman,
then standing still, takes lady's right hand in his and twirls
her under her own arm. They pass on in contrary directions, double
chassé forward and back, and thus meet the next lady or
gentleman. They go on repeating this all round (12 times), meeting
each one twice until they all get back to partners and original
places, and dancing last with own partners, each set and turn,
taking eight bars. The ladies go to the right outside the circle,
the gentlemen to the left on the inside.
12 bars.
All the ladies now dance in a circle to the right, still facing
inwards; all go round the circle one behind the other. On getting
back to their places the 1st lady leads off a little to the left,
the others following
4 bars. until they are all in a straight line across the
stage. Then facing the audience they keep up the small chassé
step to the end of the 16 bars of music.
The gentlemen in the meanwhile form another circle inside the circle of ladies; linking arms back to back, they galop round to the right in the opposite direction, so that the circles go contrary ways. The 1st gentleman lead off to the left after they have danced round once, so that the gentlemen form a line behind the ladies, each gentleman standing behind his own partner.
4 bars.
The ladies in line dance a double chassé forward and a
single back, turning round to face their partners on the 4th
bar.
During this the gentlemen stand still. Each takes his neighbours'
hands, holding them over head.
2 bars. The ladies curtsey to the gentlemen. The gentlemen
all bow, lowering their hands, but do not leave go.
2 bars. The gentlemen hold their hands up again, and the
ladies turn again to face the audience, and dance through backwards.
The 1st lady goes on the outside of the line, all the others
go through the arches. (See Photograph.)
8 bars. The gentlemen,
still holding hands, repeat what the ladies have done, going
forward and back, bowing and passing through the arches.
8 bars. Ladies repeat again.
8 bars. Gentlemen repeat again. At the end of this figure
they are all at the back of the stage.
16 bars. The ladies and gentlemen now standing in two lines, the ladies chassé forward and take their places in the form of a triangle; this takes 4 bars, the 1st lady going to the extreme left corner facing the audience, the others taking their places all at the same time. (See diagram for numbers).
At the end of the 4th bar the gentlemen lead forward from their line and go dancing in and out of the ladies, No. 4 gentleman leading round on the right side of lady No. 3, No. 3 gentleman leading on the left side of lady No. 3, the gentlemen pass each other with the left shoulder; numbers 4, 5, 6, going in and out of ladies No. 3, 2, 1, 6, 5, 4, and gentlemen 3, 2, and 1, going in and out of 3, 4, 5, 6, 2. 1. The two lines of gentlemen intersect in passing at the top in front of lady No. 3, and at the bottom behind lady No. 6.
Arriving at his own partner each takes her left hand, and moves in to his own place on her left. They then, just as they began, nod first to the lady on the left and then to their own partner, which ends the dance.
This whole dance can be repeated, as each couple has moved up one place in the circle, and now the 6th couple is where the 1st couple originally was. In this way the dance can be done six times, which brings all back to original places.
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