| Excerpted
from Coulon's Handbook in 1873: (ORIGINAL
SPELLING)
- It is danced like all country
dances, the gentlemen in a line, and the ladies in another opposite
to their partners. The first gentleman at the top and the lady
at the bottom of the line have to begin each figure, and them
the other gentleman and lady at the opposite corner have to repeat
the figure immediately.
1)>
First lady and gentleman meet in the center of the line, give
right hands, turn once round, and retire to their corners, the
same for the other two at the top and bottom.
2) First couple cross again and give
left, hands and turn once; back to places. To be repeated by the
others.
3) First couple give both hands,
the others the same.
4) First couple back to back, and
retire to places; the other corners the same.
5) The first couple advance, bow
to each other, and retire; the same repeated by the other couples.
6) The top gentleman then turns to
the left, and the top lady (his partner) turns to the right; all
the other ladies and gentlemen turn and follow the leaders who
run outside of the line, and meet at the bottom of the room, giving
right hands, and raising their arms so as to form a kind of arch
under which all the following couples must pass, joining hands,
and running forwards when they have all passed under the arch.
The first lady and gentleman remain the last at the end of the
two lines, and the figures of right hands, left hands, both hands,
back to back, bow, and running outside the lines are repeated
by all, when the first couple will have arrived at their original
place.
Another excerpt from L.G. Brookes
Book-1850: (ORIGINAL SPELLING)
- The whole company range themselves
in two lines down the room, ladies on the left, gentlemen on the
right; partners facing each other. During the first four bars
the lines advance and retreat: during the next four, partners
cross to opposite places: advance and retire as before and re-cross
to places. Then the lady at the top of her line, and the gentleman
at the bottom of his, advance to each other halfway, courtesy
and bow, and back to places. This example is followed by the gentleman
at the top and the lady at the bottom, who do precisely the same.
Next, top lady and bottom gentleman advance again. Clasp right
hands, swing quickly round, and return to places. The gentleman
at top and lady at bottom follow tiffs example also, acting in
exactly the same manner.
When properly danced, this next,
takes place: The lady at top advances and gives her right hand
to her own partner, who is standing opposite, then, immediately
quitting him, passes behind the two gentlemen men who stand next
him, and through into the space between the lines, where she meets
her partner, who has meanwhile passed behind the two ladies who
were standing next his partner. She gives her left hand to partner
on meeting him, and then passes behind the two ladies next lowest;
he passing behind the two gentlemen next lowest. They meet again,
with the right hand, and so it goes on all down the line, until,
at the bottom of it, the lady gives her left hand to her partner,
and they promenade back to their places at the top.
- As a rule, however, this somewhat
tiresome and not very exhilarating performance is omitted, and
when it is, the dance proceeds, taking it up from the end of the
preceding paragraph, in this way; The top couple advance to each
other and bow, then the lady turns sharply off to the right and
the gentleman to the left, and the respective lines follow them
to the end of the room (much as in the fifth figure of the
lancers).
On reaching bottom of figure, top couple join bands and raise
their arms, forming an arch, under which all the rest of the couples
pass back to their own places, except the top couple, who remain
where they are at the bottom. The second couple (now become
the top couple) now report these movements from the very beginning
lady at the top of her line and gentleman at bottom of his, advance,
and so on, until the original top couple have worked their way
back to their places at the top of the line, when the dance is
finished, or may be all done over again as often as is found agreeable.
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