Petronella

The first dance in the first book of the (R)SCDS is Petronella.

According to that book this dance was "introduced" by Nathaniel Gow, a composer and musician of Edinburgh, in 1820. Although Gow published many tunes (including this one), I have been unable to find any choreographies by him.

Book 1 also says the dance was published in a book called The Ball-Room, 1827 (no editor, or publisher, or location given), actually the book is titled The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris published in Glasgow, 1827 and the author is J. P. Boulogne. This work actually contains three versions of the dance — though the last two have the same figure (all called Petronelle not Petronella), the first is an "English Quadrille", found on page 40, the second a "Spanish Dance" found on page 41, and the last is an "English Country Dance", found on page 43

		Bars
1.	The first Gentleman and third Lady perform the figure of a diamond, to their right, in the centre, setting at the four corners	16
2.	Double hands across and back again,	8
3.	All balancez to partners, and turn them to their places,	8
	The others repeat the figures.

---

		Bars
1.	The first couple perform the figure of a diamond to their right, setting at the four corners	16
2.	Down the middle and up again,	8
3.	Pousette,	8

Courtesy of the RSCDS archives
(and Mary Nisbet who went there for me)

Sadly Boulogne does not have a glossary where he defines what he means by his figures, so we don't know what the figure of a diamond means exactly, nor what steps are used to do it. We have a bit more luck with Down the middle and up again. This might seem quite straightforward, but it is not. In England at this time, the term was progressive, meaning that the 1s ended up in 2nd place while the 2s moved up (either the 1s went down, came all the way back and cast off, or the 1s end down and only came back to 2nd place). If we look at Meg Mirrilees (another dance on page 43) we see the Boulogne also uses Down the middle and up again as progressive. This means that Boulogne's Pousette was non-progressive, and presumably still meant the standard push-pull poussette that came to the UK from France in about 1760.

In 1821, G.M.S. Chivers in The Dancer's Guide page 57, had described Spanish dances as starting improper, and I suspect this might be intended here and explain why the same figure occurs twice. I don't see that it makes much difference whether the first couple is proper or improper. The Spanish version of the dance is subtitled "Hungarian Waltz" in Boulogne (Not a part of Spain I'm familiar with).

The next earliest description of the figure I've found was published by the Lowes in Lowes' Ball-Conductor and Assembly Guide. of 1831. The Lowes published in Edinburgh, and their book has three sub-categories of country dance: English, Scotch and Irish. Petronella is categorized as an "English Country Dance". They describe it thusly:

First couple chassé round to the right, and set in the middle; round to the right again, and set on the sides; to the right again, and set in places; down the middle, up again, and pousette.

By 1853, the Lowes had become just Joseph Lowe, and he published a somewhat different version in his Lowe's Selection of Popular Country Dances (courtesy of the National Library of Scotland):

First couple turn round to the right, and set opposite to each other in the middle of the Dance (4 Bars). Again round to the right, and set on the sides of the Dance, (4 Bars) Again round to the right, and set in the middle, (4 Bars) Again to the right and set in places. (4 Bars) First couple down the middle and up again. (8 Bars) Poussette with top couple. (8 Bars)

Courtesy of National Library of Scotland, licensed under:

In ~1868 H. D. Wilcock in Ball-Room Guide; A Manual of Dancing page 70, writes:

1. First couple turn round to the right, and set in centre of dance (4)
2. Turn to the opposite side and set (4)
3. Turn to centre and set (4)
4. Turn and set in places (4)
5. Lead down the middle and up again (8)
6. Pousette (8)

In 1868 Elias Howe in The Pianist's Matinee: A Collection of Music for the Piano-Forte, writes:

First couple turn round to the right, and balance opposite to each other in the middle of the dance. (4 bars) Again round to the right, and balance on the sides of the dance. (4 bars) Again to the right, and balance in the middle. (4 bars) Again to the right, and balance in places. (4 bars) First couple down the middle and up again (8 bars) Right and left with the next couple. (8 bars)

In ~1872 J. F. Wallace in The Excelsior Manual of Dancing, (Glasgow), writes:

1. First couple turn to their right and set in centre of dance (4 bars)
2. Turn into each other's place and set (4)
3. Again turn to centre by right and set (4)
4. Turn to places and set, (4)
5. Down the centre and back, (8)
6. Poussette, (8)

In 1897 in D. Anderson's Ball-Room and Solo Dance Guide, (Dundee)

Time 2-4

Turn to right in centre with two steps facing each other, then set to each other with two steps.

Turn into each other's places with next two steps then set with other two steps.

Turn to right in centre facing each other with two steps then set to each other with two steps.

Turn into places next two steps then set with other two steps (the four quarter turns describe the figure of a diamond).

First gent then leads his partner down the centre and back to places, the first and second couples pousette.

Repeat from the beginning other three times

Courtesy of National Library of Scotland, licensed under:

Note: Anderson very explicitly says the lead down and back returns to places, while fifty years earlier it had an implied cast off. That means his "pousette" must be progressive, though he does not say that explicitly.

Many pages later in the book Anderson defines a "Petronella Step". He does not explicitly say it is for petronella turns, rather he says This Step may also be used for Contra Dances, Circassian Circle, etc., in setting to partners, but must never be used for Quadrilles.

PETRONELLA STEP.

Stand in 1st position.

Hop out on right foot in 2nd position.

Bring left foot in front in 5th position.

Beat behind with right.

Hop out on left foot in 2nd position.

Bring right foot down in front in 5th position.

Beat behind with left.

In ~1898 J. Scott Skinner in The People's Ball Room Guide, (Dundee), writes:

This is one of the very prettiest Country Dances we have.

The dancers are arranged in the usual way.

First lady and opposite gentleman advance to the centre, one, two, three, and turn with toes to right. Then they execute the first quickstop twice.

They advance to the opposite side and set.

They advance to the centre and set.

They advance and set in places, having thus, with their successive movements described the figure of a diamond.

Then down the centre, back, and pousette.

There is a tune "Petronella" for this dance. "Meg Merrilees" suits it admirably.

While in the book Prompting: How To Do It by John M. Schell, published Boston, 1890.

First couple balance to side (4); balance to center (4); balance to side (4); balance to center (4); first couple down centre and back, cast off (8); right and left (8).

Back in Scotland, in Allan's Reference Guide to the Ball-Room, says:

1. First couple advance to the centre of the dance, turning round to the right and set.
2. Advance to the opposite side and set.
3. Advance to the centre side and set.
4. Advance and set in places.
5. Down the center and up again.
6. Pousette.

Courtesy of National Library of Scotland, licensed under:

Note that in 1831 the 1s simply chassé into position with no turn, but by 1868 they are turning into the middle, then in 1924 the (R)SCDS describes the figure:

1st woman moves from A to B with two pas de basque, leading off with the right foot and making a three-quarter turn by the right, in the middle of which she has her back to her partner.
1st man moves similarly from C to D.

The modern contra figure seems similar to that described by Wilcock in 1868.

As this dance is rather boring for the 2s a number of variations have arisen.