18th Century Country Dancing

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(No Transcript)
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18th Century Country Dancing

• Analyze the different elements revealed in the
  pictures.
• Investigative Question
• What do the pictures tell you about the social
  role of dancing during the 18th century?

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Where would you guess these people are?Use
visual clues to figure it out!
What kind of clothes are they wearing?
Do you think these are the only people
in the room?
Where is the attention focused?
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Do you see any additional clues to help you?
Look at the group in the background. What
are they doing? What role do you think they
play?
Where do you think the gentleman is leading
the lady?
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What is missing? Use your clues to guess!
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Were you right? Notice that the dancers are the
central point of the artwork. What does this
tell you about their importance?
Bal Paré (The Jewel Ball), 1774 Antoine-Jean
Duclos (French, 1742-1795) after Augustin de
Saint-Aubin (French, 1736-1807)
http//www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/10423
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How is this group of people different? How are
they similar?

• Compare the clothes. Are the clothes on the left
  more formal or casual?

• How are the people interacting? How is it similar
• in each image? How is it different?

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What else do you see? Do the new clues make this
seem different or similar to the first scene?
Does the group look more relaxed? Why
do you think that is?
What do the dogs tell you about the
scene?
Why do you think there are children
here?
What is the man holding in his hands?
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What kind of social interaction do you see here?
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Did you think this was outdoors or indoors?
Based on what you know, what do you think is
missing?
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Were you right? How is this dance different from
the first dance?
Dance Before a Fountain, Nicolas Lancret, French,
about 1730 - 1735 Oil on canvas.
http//www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetai
ls?artobj143586
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Dancing was enjoyed by everyone, of every rank in
society. Not only was it considered an
excellent way to stay healthy, it was also a
means for social interaction. In many colonies,
especially southern colonies like Virginia, your
closest neighbor lived many miles away. A dance
offered an occasion to meet with your neighbors
and catch up on news and politics. Dances could
be formal affairs as seen in the first picture,
or they could be casual and impromptu as seen in
the second.
Wilson, Thomas, The complete system of English
country dancing, containing all the figures ever
used in English country dancing, with a variety
of new figures, and new reels (page vi). London,
Sherwood, Neeley and Jones 1815?
http//memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collIdmusdi
fileName168//musdi168.dbrecNum26itemLinkr?amm
em/musdibib_at_field(NUMBER_at_od1(musdi168))linkTex
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Dance masters would often travel from home to
home to provide instruction. As Mr.
Wilson advertises here, dance masters from
England would often travel oversees to the
colonies for employment.
Wilson, Thomas, An analysis of country dancing
wherein are displayed all the figures ever used
in country dances, in a way so easy and familiar,
that persons of the meanest capacity may in a
short time acquire (without the aid of a master)
a complete knowledge of that rational and polite
amusement. To which are added, instructions for
dancing some entire new reels together with the
rules, regulations, and complete etiquette of the
ball room., London, Printed by W. Calvert, to be
had to Mr. Dutton etc. (1808).
http//memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collIdmusdi
fileName170//musdi170.dbrecNum183itemLinkr3F
ammem2Fmusdibib3A40field(NUMBER2B40od1(musdi
2B170))linkText0
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• According to the journal of Philip Vickers
  Fithian, private tutor to the Carter children of
  Virginia, the presence of the dance master would
  mean a day off from school! Here he
• mentions that three of the children are
• absent from his classes. Notice that
• both boys and girls attended the dance
• school.

Fithian, Philip Vickers, Philip Vickers Fithian,
journal and letters, 1767-1774, student at
Princeton college, 1770-72, tutor at Nomini Hall
in Virginia, 1773-74 edited for the Princeton
historical association by John Rogers Williams,
page 50. Princeton, N.J., The University library
(1934). http//memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collI
dlhbtnfileName30673//lhbtn30673.dbrecNum85it
emLinkr3Fammem2Flhbtnbib3A40field(NUMBER2B4
0od1(lhbtn2B30673))linkText0
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Lets look at the dancers
How many dancers are in each group?
A dance with two couples is called a duple
A dance with three couples is called a triple
Figure Allemande
Figure Hands Across
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Vocabulary

• In most dances, couples would form a set with men
  in one line, facing their partners in another.

Wilson, Thomas, The complete system of English
country dancing, containing all the figures ever
used in English country dancing, with a variety
of new figures, and new reels (page 2). London,
Sherwood, Neeley and Jones 1815?
http//memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collIdmusdi
fileName168//musdi168.dbrecNum26itemLinkr?amm
em/musdibib_at_field(NUMBER_at_od1(musdi168))linkTex
t0
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Vocabulary

• In most dances, couples would form a set with men
  in one line, facing their partners in another.
• Remember the duple and triple couples? They
  formed a small part of the big dance and were
  called a minor
• set.

Wilson, Thomas, The complete system of English
country dancing, containing all the figures ever
used in English country dancing, with a variety
of new figures, and new reels (front insert).
London, Sherwood, Neeley and Jones 1815?
http//memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collIdmusdi
fileName168//musdi168.dbrecNum26itemLinkr?amm
em/musdibib_at_field(NUMBER_at_od1(musdi168))linkTex
t0
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Vocabulary

• In most dances, couples would form a set with men
  in one line, facing their partners in another.
• Remember the duple and triple couples? They
  formed a small part of the big dance and were
  called a minor
• set.
• Dances were made up of a series
• figures. Rather than learn a dance
• from beginning to end, dance students
• would learn the figures. Once you
• learned the figures, you could dance
• any dance!

Wilson, Thomas, The complete system of English
country dancing, containing all the figures ever
used in English country dancing, with a variety
of new figures, and new reels (front insert).
London, Sherwood, Neeley and Jones 1815?
http//memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collIdmusdi
fileName168//musdi168.dbrecNum26itemLinkr?amm
em/musdibib_at_field(NUMBER_at_od1(musdi168))linkTex
t0