Drawing Room Dances by
Henri Cellarius Chapter 4
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IV.
THE FRENCH QUADRILLE.
It is just that the French quadrille should be placed before the other dances, not only for its rights of seniority,
but because it holds at present a distinguished place in the generality of balls, where, as every one knows, it is
admitted as a third with the waltzes and polkas.
The details of the five figures composing this quadrille, are too well known to make it necessary for me to
dwell upon them. It has been moreover much simplified,
which facilitates the description of it given in most of the essays upon the modern dance.
The ladies alone still execute certain steps, and assume attitudes, that at least show some slight inclination
for the dance. As to the gentlemen, they for the most part content themselves with pacing carelessly,
and almost without paying attention to the time. This walking, negligent as it is, might yet have grace
and character if the dancers chose to execute it with any care; but in general they seem to have laid
down a law to themselves not to form the least step, rivalling each other in coldness and indifference,
and absolutely dancing as if they walked upon the pavement.
Many causes have contributed to make the French quadrille in a great measure lose the character
of a dance; first, as I have already noticed, the nature of the steps, which from their similarity with
those of the theatre require too great an exercise of agility for the habits of fashionable life;
next the monotony of the five figures, too often used not to produce in the long run satiety and
ennui; lastly, and above all, the small size of the drawing rooms, which can not fail to exercise a
fatal influence over every kind of dance. From the time that a custom prevailed of crowding into a
room twice or thrice the number of people that it could reasonably contain, it became unavoidable
that they should abandon every thing that constituted the merit of the real dance.
I shall confine myself to giving a brief summary of the five figures that compose the quadrille,
and merely point out the various changes or abbreviations that fashion has made them undergo.
The first figure, which has received the rather ungraceful name of
pantaloon, is composed, as of old, of the
chain, the
balancè à la dame, the
ladies' chain, and the
demi-chain. The only change to be noted is the suppression of the
tours de main, which used to come after the balancè.
The second figure called L'Ete is composed always of the
avant-deux, of which the details are too well known to need repetition.
In this also after the final balancè the
tour de main
is omitted.
In LA POULE, you no longer traverse by the right; you advance gently giving your left hand to the
opposite lady, and your right to your partner, when you wait the moment for all four to balancè.
The ancient dos a dos is replaced by an
avant-deux, after which comes the
avant-quatre, the
balancè a quatre, the traverse, and the half-right and left, as formerly.
In the fourth figure, called the PASTOURELLE, it must be observed that the gentleman's solo is suppressed.
In the old dance this figure gave the gentlemen an opportunity of showing their talents, but now the
pastourelle is executed with much less effort. The gentleman conducts his lady to the gentleman opposite,
who receives her with his left hand and gives his right to
his own partner, taking care that both ladies should be placed a little on the side; he advances and
comes back with them, then again advances, remaining alone before the gentleman; there he makes
them describe a demi-tour on themselves, and then leaves them with the first gentleman who executes
with them the same figure that the other has just done. When the ladies turn for the second time on
themselves they ought to find themselves so placed as to form a
rond a quatre, followed by a demi-chain, which terminates the figure.
I need not speak of the figure, called the
trenis, which was formerly used in place of the
pastourelle. This, which is well known to every one, has ceased to be employed,
and does not seem likely to come again into favour.
The fifth figure, called the
finale, requires no particular remark; it is nothing but a repetition of the avant-deux,
preceded and followed by a chasse croisé a quatre, the three first times; the figure
concludes with a general chasse croisé.
Thus we see that there is no one of these five figures that has not been shortened in certain details, and
I have no doubt that means will be found to abridge them still farther. But I advise professors to begin
always by teaching the French country dance as it was originally executed with the steps, figures, and
enchainements; they can afterwards point out the omissions.
This dance, in a sufficient space, will always be an excellent exercise for young dancers, who have to
learn to move with ease and freedom.
As to the French quadrille, as it is now generally executed, one can not dissemble that its reign,
as a dance, seems well nigh at an end, and that it will be a long time before it becomes other than
what it is at present—an opportunity, that is, for gossip rather than for dancing, a sort of
necessary halting-place amidst the waltzes and polkas.
We may perhaps lament the decadence of the French country-dance, in memory of its former fashion;
if however we consider what it has become, and by what successive modifications it has been despoiled
of the greater part of its grace and beauty, we ought not after all to regret that it has given place
to new dances, which in default of other merit have at least that of keeping up the animation of balls
and the zeal of dancers.
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Drawing Room Dances by
Henri Cellarius Chapter 4
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