A country dance is any of a very large number of
social dance
Social dances are dances that have a social functions and context. Social dances are intended for participation rather than performance. They are often danced merely to socialise and for entertainment, though they may have ceremonial, competit ...
s of a type that originated in the British Isles; it is the repeated execution of a predefined sequence of figures, carefully designed to fit a fixed length of music, performed by a group of people, usually in couples, in one or more sets. The figures involve interaction with your partner and/or with other dancers, usually with a progression so that you dance with everyone in your set. It is common in modern times to have a "caller" who teaches the dance and then calls the figures as you dance. Country dances are done in many different styles.
As a
musical form
In music, ''form'' refers to the structure of a musical composition or musical improvisation, performance. In his book, ''Worlds of Music'', Jeff Todd Titon suggests that a number of organizational elements may determine the formal structure of a ...
written in or time, the contredanse was used by Beethoven and Mozart.
Introduced to South America by French immigrants, Country Dance had great influence upon Latin American music as
contradanza
''Contradanza'' (also called ''contradanza criolla'', ''danza'', ''danza criolla'', or ''habanera'') is the Spanish and Spanish-American version of the contradanse, which was an internationally popular style of music and dance in the 18th centu ...
.
The ''Anglais'' (from the
French word meaning "English") or ''Angloise'' is another term for the English country dance. A
Scottish country dance
Scottish country dance (SCD) is the distinctively Scottish form of country dance, itself a form of social dance involving groups of couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns. A dance consists of a sequence of figures. These dances are ...
may be termed an .
Irish set dance Irish set dancing, sometimes called "Irish sets", is a popular form of folk dancing in Ireland danced to irish tunes in groups of eight or four dancers. It is also sometime named set dance, but this name refers more often to a kind of dance in iris ...
is also related.
Characteristics
A ''set'' is a formation of dancers. The most common formations are ''longways for as many as will'', i.e. couples in long lines, and ''squares'', consisting of four couples. The longways formation occurs in over 12,000 modern
contra dance
Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) is a form of folk dancing made up of long lines of couples.
It has mixed origins from English country dance, Scottish country dance, and French dance styles in the 17th c ...
s; it was also the most popular formation in all the dance publications of the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 2003, Burleson's Square Dancer's Encyclopedia listed 5125 calls or figures. Circles and fixed-length longways sets are also very common, but the possible formations are limited only by the imagination of the choreographer.
Thomas Wilson, in 1808, wrote, "A Country Dance is composed of an indefinite number of persons, not less than six, but as many more as chuse, but six are sufficient to perform any figure in the treatise." Wilson was writing about his own period. In fact, there are numerous dances for two couples, and quite a few for three or five dancers.
A ''figure'' is a pattern that the dancers trace along the floor, simple ones such as Circle Left are intuitive and can be danced with no prior knowledge, while complex moves such as
Strip the willow need to be taught. The stepping and style of dancing varies by region and by period.
Wilson, in 1820, wrote, "Country Dance Figures are certain Movements or Directions formed in Circular, Half Circular, Serpentine, Angular, Straight Lines, etc. etc. drawn out into different Lengths, adapted to the various ''Strains'' of Country Dance Music." . Again, the possible figures are limited only by the imagination of the choreographer. Examples of some of the figures are provided in the
Glossary of country dance terms.
The music most commonly associated with country dancing is folk/country/traditional/historical music, however modern bands are experimenting with countless other genres.
While some dances may have originated on
village green
A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...
s,
[ Percy A. Scholes, '']The Oxford Companion to Music
''The Oxford Companion to Music'' is a music reference book in the Book series, series of Oxford Companions produced by the Oxford University Press. It was originally conceived and written by Percy Scholes and published in 1938. Since then, it ...
'', Oxford University Press 1970, article "Country dance". the vast majority were, and still are, written by dancing masters and choreographers.
Each dance consists of a series of figures, hopefully smoothly linked together, designed to fit to the chosen music. The most common form of music is 32 bar jigs or reels, but any music suitable for dancing can be used. In most dances the dancers will progress to a new position so that the next time through the music they are dancing with different people.
While English
folk dance clubs generally embrace all types of country dance, American English country dance groups tend to exclude modern contra dances and
square dance
A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances contain elements from numerous traditional dances and were first documente ...
s.
Country dancing is intended for general participation, unlike folk dances such as
clogging
Clogging is a type of folk dance practiced in the United States, in which the dancer's footwear is used percussively by striking the heel, the toe, or both against a floor or each other to create audible rhythms, usually to the downbeat with the ...
, which are primarily
concert dance
Concert dance (also known as performance dance or theatre dance in the United Kingdom) is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and p ...
s, and
ballroom dance
Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ...
s in which dancers dance with their partners independently of others. Bright, rhythmic and simple, country dances had appeal as a refreshing finale to an evening of stately dances such as the
minuet
A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''.
The term also describes the musical form that accompa ...
.
Historically, the term ''contra dance'' is just another name for a country dance. Howe, in 1858, wrote, "The term "Country Dance" is the one invariably used in all books on dancing that have been published in England during the last three centuries, while all works issued in France within the same period employ the term Contra Dance, or in French "Contre Danse". As the authority is equally good in both cases, either term is therefore correct. The Country or Contra Dance has been one of the most popular amusements in the British Isles, France, and other continental countries from time immemorial". However, "contra dance" is most commonly used today to refer to a specific American genre called contra dance.
History
Country dances began to influence courtly dance in the 15th century and became particularly popular at the court of
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
. Many references to country dancing and titles shared with known 17th-century dances appear from this time, though few of these can be shown to refer to English country dance. While some early features resemble the
morris dance
Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. Implements such as sticks, swords and handkerchiefs may ...
and other early styles, the influence of the courtly dances of Continental Europe, especially those of
Renaissance Italy
The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...
, may also be seen, and it is probable that English country dance was affected by these at an early date. Little is known of these dances before the mid-17th century.
John Playford
John Playford (1623–1686/7) was a London bookseller, publisher, minor composer, and member of the Stationers' Company, who published books on music theory, instruction books for several instruments, and psalters with tunes for singing in churche ...
's ''
The English Dancing Master
''The Dancing Master'' (first edition: ''The English Dancing Master'') is a dancing manual containing the music and instructions for English country dances. It was first published in 1651 by John Playford.
History
It was published in several e ...
'' (1651) listed over a hundred tunes, each with its own figures. This was enormously popular, reprinted constantly for 80 years and much enlarged. Playford and his successors had a practical monopoly on the publication of dance manuals until 1711, and ceased publishing around 1728. During this period English country dances took a variety of forms including finite sets for two, three and four couples as well as circles and squares.
![Andre Lorin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Andre_Lorin.jpg)
The country dance was introduced to the court of
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Vers ...
of France, where it became known as ''contredanse'', and later to Germany and Italy. André Lorin, who visited the English court in the late 17th century, presented a manuscript of dances in the English manner to Louis XIV on his return to France. In 1706
Raoul Auger Feuillet
Raoul Auger (or Anger) Feuillet (c.1660–1710) was a French dance notator, publisher and choreographer most well-known today for his ''Chorégraphie, ou l'art de décrire la danse'' (Paris, 1700) which described Beauchamp–Feuillet notation, ...
published his ''Recüeil de Contredances'', a collection of "''contredanses anglaises''" presented in a simplified form of
Beauchamp-Feuillet notation
Beauchamp–Feuillet notation is a system of dance notation used in Baroque dance.
The notation was commissioned by Louis XIV (who had founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661), and devised in the 1680s by Pierre Beauchamp. The notatio ...
and including some dances invented by the author as well as authentic English dances. This was subsequently translated into English by
John Essex
John Essex (born c.1680 - died 1744, London) was an English dancer, choreographer and author who promoted the recording of dance steps through notation as well as performing in London theatre. In 1728 he published his major work ''The Dancing-Mas ...
and published in England as ''For the Further Improvement of Dancing''.
By the 1720s the term ''contradanse'' had come to refer to longways sets divided into groups of three or two couples, which would remain normative until English country dance's eclipse.
The earliest French works refer only to the longways form as ''contradanse'', which allowed the false etymology of "a dance in which lines dance opposite one another".
The square-set type also had its vogue in France and spread to much of Europe, Russia and North America during the later 18th century as the
quadrille
The quadrille is a dance that was fashionable in late 18th- and 19th-century Europe and its colonies. The quadrille consists of a chain of four to six '' contredanses''. Latterly the quadrille was frequently danced to a medley of opera melodie ...
and the
cotillion
The cotillion (also cotillon or French country dance) is a social dance, popular in 18th-century Europe and North America. Originally for four couples in square formation, it was a courtly version of an English country dance, the forerunner o ...
. These usually require a group of eight people, a couple along each side. "
Les Lanciers
Les Lanciers or The Lancers is a square dance, a variant of the Quadrille, a set dance performed by four couples, particularly popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is a composite dance made up of five figures or ''tours'', each performed four ...
", a descendant of the ''quadrille'', and the "Eightsome Reel" are examples of this kind of dance. Dancing in square sets still survives in Ireland, under the name
"set dancing" or "figure dancing".
For some time English publishers issued annual collections of these dances in popular pocket-books.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
,
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
and
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
all loved country dancing and put detailed descriptions into their novels. But the vogue for the
waltz
The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position.
History
There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...
and the quadrille ousted the country dance from English ballrooms in the early 19th century, though
Scottish country dance
Scottish country dance (SCD) is the distinctively Scottish form of country dance, itself a form of social dance involving groups of couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns. A dance consists of a sequence of figures. These dances are ...
remained popular.
Influence
![La Trénis 1805](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/La_Tr%C3%A9nis_1805.jpg)
The English country dance and the French ''contredanse'', arriving independently in the American colonies, became the New England
contra dance
Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) is a form of folk dancing made up of long lines of couples.
It has mixed origins from English country dance, Scottish country dance, and French dance styles in the 17th c ...
, which experienced a resurgence in the mid-20th century. The quadrille evolved into square dance in the United States while in Ireland it contributed to the development of modern Irish set dance. English country dance in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
developed its own flavour and became the separate
Scottish country dance
Scottish country dance (SCD) is the distinctively Scottish form of country dance, itself a form of social dance involving groups of couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns. A dance consists of a sequence of figures. These dances are ...
.
English céilidh is a special case, being a convergence of English, Irish and Scottish forms. In addition certain English country dances survived independently in the popular repertoire. One such is the
Virginia Reel, which is almost exactly the same as the "Sir Roger de Coverley".
The ''
contradanza
''Contradanza'' (also called ''contradanza criolla'', ''danza'', ''danza criolla'', or ''habanera'') is the Spanish and Spanish-American version of the contradanse, which was an internationally popular style of music and dance in the 18th centu ...
'', the Spanish and Spanish-American version of the French ''contradanse'', became an internationally popular style of music and dance in the 18th century. The ''contradanza'' was popular in Spain and spread throughout Spanish America during the 18th century, where it took on folkloric forms that still exist in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Panama and Ecuador. In Cuba during the 19th century the ''contradanza'' became an important genre, the ancestor of
danzon,
mambo
Mambo most often refers to:
* Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form
*Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music
Mambo may also refer to:
Music
* Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...
and
cha cha cha. Haitians fleeing the
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt ...
of 1791 brought to the Cuban version a Creole influence and a new syncopation.
The ''Engelska'' (Swedish for "English") or Danish ''Engelsk'' is a 16-bar Scandinavian folk dance in . Its name comes from the adoption in Scandinavia of English country dances and contra dances in the early 19th century. In Denmark the description "Engelsk" was used for both line and square dances of English origin.
Revival
![StateLibQld 1 201235 Country dance, Helenvale, ca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/StateLibQld_1_201235_Country_dance%2C_Helenvale%2C_ca._1910.jpg)
Only due to the efforts of
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924) was an English-born collector of folk songs, folk dances and instrumental music, as well as a lecturer, teacher, composer and musician. He was the pre-eminent activist in the development of t ...
,
Mary Neal
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
and the
English Folk Dance and Song Society
The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS, or pronounced 'EFF-diss') is an organisation that promotes English folk music and folk dance. EFDSS was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dan ...
in the late 19th and early 20th century did a revival take place, so that for some time schoolchildren were taught country dances. In the early 20th century, traditional and historical dances began to be revived in England. Neal, one of the first to do so, was principally known for her work in ritual dances, but
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924) was an English-born collector of folk songs, folk dances and instrumental music, as well as a lecturer, teacher, composer and musician. He was the pre-eminent activist in the development of t ...
, in the six volumes of his ''Country Dance Book'', published between 1909 and 1922, attempted to reconstruct English country dance as it was performed at the time of Playford, using the surviving traditional English village dances as a guide, as the manuals defined almost none of the figures described. Sharp and his students were, however, almost wholly concerned with English country dances as found in the early dance manuals: Sharp published 160 dances from the Playford manuals and 16 traditional village country dances. Sharp believed that the Playford dances, especially those with irregular forms, represented the original "folk" form of English country dance and that all later changes in the dance's long history were corruptions. This view is no longer held.
The first collection of modern English country dances since the 1820s, ''Maggot Pie'', was published in 1932, though only in the late 20th century did modern compositions become fully accepted. Reconstructions of historical dances and new compositions continue. Interpreters and composers of the 20th century include Douglas and Helen Kennedy, Pat Shaw, Tom Cook, Ken Sheffield, Charles Bolton, Michael Barraclough, Colin Hume, Gary Roodman, and Andrew Shaw.
The modern English country dance community in the United States consists primarily of liberal white professionals.
See also
*
Country–western dance
Country–western dance encompasses any of the dance forms or styles which are typically danced to country-western music, and which are stylistically associated with American country and/or western traditions. Many are descended from dances brou ...
*
Baroque dance
Baroque dance is dance of the Baroque era (roughly 1600–1750), closely linked with Baroque music, theatre, and opera.
English country dance
The majority of surviving choreographies from the period are English country dances, such as those ...
*
International folk dance
International folk dance includes Balkan dance, Middle Eastern dance, contra dance, Hungarian dance, polka, Chinese dance, and Japanese dance. Clubs featuring these ethnic dance genres are enjoyed by non-professional dancers for entertainment. Ma ...
*
Maypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place.
The festivals may occur on 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected at ...
*
Stave dancing
*
Troyl
Troyl is a colloquial Cornish word meaning a barn dance or céilidh, a social evening of dance, music and song.
Etymology
Edward Lluyd (1660?–1709) knew the Cornish verb ' - to twist, twirl, whirl, spin round. Edward Veale of Pentire, Ne ...
, a
Cornish gathering similar to a céilidh
*
Twmpath
''Twmpath'' () is a Welsh word literally meaning a hump or tump, once applied to the mound or village green upon which the musicians sat and played for the community to dance.
''Twmpath dawnsiau'' were a form of barn dance organised by Urdd Gobai ...
, a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
gathering similar to a céilidh
*
Schottische
The schottische is a partnered country dance that apparently originated in Bohemia. It was popular in Victorian era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina ("chotis"Span ...
References
External links
History
* A multi-edition transcription o
Playford's ''The Dancing Master,''compiled by Robert M. Keller, hosted by the Country Dance and Song Society. Or go straight to th
Evolution of the ''Playford dances'' (archived)by Nicole Salomone
.
*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081012001536/http://members.aol.com/Dance18thc/ The Colonial Dancing MasterBooks and recordings.
* Alan Winston's history surve
''English Country Dance and its American Cousin''* Gene Murrow'
* John Gardiner-Garden's 10 volume 7,000 page magnum opus on social dance from 1450 to 190
''Historic Dance''
Interpretation
Michael BarracloughJohn Gardiner-Garden
Dance associations
Bay Area Country Dance Societypromotes, preserves, and teaches traditional English and American music and dance in the San Francisco Bay area.
CD NYCountry Dance New York holds weekly dances in New York City.
Country Dance and Song Societyis a United States umbrella organization whose members enjoy English dance.
Country Dance*New Yorkruns English and contra dance events in New York City.
Country Dance Society, Boston Centreruns English and contra dances in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Ann Arbor Community for Traditional Music and Danceis an umbrella organization whose sponsored events include English and American music and dance in Michigan.
Dover English Country Dancersruns English dances in Dover, DE, USA & presents demonstrations at festivals & historic sites in MD & DE.
Earthly Delights Historic Dance Academyrun dance classes and balls in Australia, as well as a Shakespeare Dance & Music Festival, Baroque Dance Weekend, Jane Austen Festival Australia and Yarrangobilly 19th Century Dance Retreat.
A list of English dance series.
English Folk Dance and Song Societyhas an online shop selling books and compact disks.
has written a history from 1933–1994, just about one of the oldest extant English Country Dance clubs in England.
Society for Creative Anachronismpractices many English country dances in a historical context.
The Leesburg Assemblyis an English Country Dance community centered in Northern Virginia, USA.
The Victoria English Country Dance Societyis a group of friendly people who gather once a week to dance in Victoria, BC, Canada. Live music is provided b
General
Folk dances from County of Nice, France
Scottish Country Dancing databaseCountry Dance Clubs, Studio's & Festivals Dance Clubs & Studios
{{English folk music
English country dance
Contra dance
European folk dances
Social dance
Dance forms in classical music
Nordic folk music
Nordic dances