Petronella ~ Lowes

Petronella ~ Contra Petronella ~ Lowes Petronella

According to the RSCDS (Book 1) 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.

The earliest description of the figure I've found was published by the Lowes in Lowes' Ball-Conductor and Assembbly Guide. of 1831. The Lowes published in Edinburgh, and their book has three sub-catagories of country dance: English, Scotch and Irish. Petronella on page 102 is catagorized 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.

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)

The first version I've found in the US appears 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).

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.

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The Lowes do not print their definitions of the terms they use in describing country dances, so we must guess. The 1st couple "chassé" — I assume that means, chassé right with no twirls or spins, and presumably all repetitions are the same. Then we have down the middle, up again and poussette. One of these must be progressive, but not both. If you look at Captain Fleming (page 101 of the same work) you will find down the middle, up again used as progressive. While in The Lady of the Lake, page 99, poussette is non-progressive.

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