The Tempest ~ Howe

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The Contrafusion site says the dance was originally European. The earliest version I've found of this actually comes from Germany (I'd have guessed France, given the name). It was published by Johann Heinrich Kattfuß in Leipzig in 1802 Choregraphie Oder Vollständige Und Leicht Falssiche under the title of "Der Tempẽte".

According to The Regency Dance site Joseph Binns Hart published "Hart's 2nd Set of Quadrilles" sometime between 1818 and 1820. In this work he has a dance called Hart's Tempete Dance which was a dance with two couples facing two other couples (a rare formation for cotillions, but not unknown), however unlike cotilions (or quadrilles) Hart's dance progresses.

In his Hart's Second Set of Quadrilles, Hart writes:

Form a line of 4, the 2 Ladies on the 2 Gentlemens right, 4 more opposite to the first 4, form lines of 4 behind the 2^d. line as many as intend to dance.

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FIGURE

The first 2 lines right and left, chassez across to the right and left with your partner, dechassez, in returning you go behind the 2^d. Couple The Center 4 hands round, the outside couple's turn and back all 8 Set quite round to the right re set to your places, the top four lead through the 2^d. line and begin the same figure with the 3^d. line & so on to the bottom of the dance.

In The Dancing Master in Miniature, ~1825, G.M.S. Chivers writes his version:

Right and Left lead outsides, the couple at left passing in front — back again, the other couple passing in front — the centre four hands across, and back, while outsides turn with both hands set in lines, and lead through

-- Courtesy of Werner Josten Performing Arts Library, Smith College

The earliest US source I can lay my hands on is from New York in 1851, Mr. Whale & Daughter published La Tempète, as danced at the Queen's Last Ball

This popular Dance is danced by any number of double couples standing as above at commencement. All begin together, — Advance and retire twice, — Partners together gallop across eight steps each way, — Advance and retire twice, — Hand four round in the centre, (as above) Sides the same turning with both hands, — Hands across, (as above) Sides the same, — Advance and retire once, — Go forward to dance with next vis a vis.

Shortly after that Washburn's The Ball Room Manual, 1855 (printed in Boston, distributed in Maine) contains:

[In taking places for this dance the dancers form in two lines, facing each other, the lady on the same side as her partner at his right. There should be an even number of couples on each side.]

The first and second couple (the couple directly opposite) down the middle four abreast, and break to the right and left; the first couple right and left with the third, and the second couple the same with the fourth; first and third ladies chain, and second and fourth the same; then the first and second couple balance to each other, swing four. The same four dance together down the whole set

Washburn is the first (that I know of) to use what we now call "tempest formation" (the earlier examples are all standard four face four dances).

Then in 1858 Howe published a slightly different version in his Howe's Complete Ball-Room Hand Book. He continued to publish this, word for word (though sometimes with slightly different punctuation) in various other works at least until 1869.

Form in two lines of six or eight couples on a side.

First two couples down the centre (one couple from each line) four abreast, couples part at the foot and up abreast and each turn around opposite the next couple that was below them on starting — four on each side right and left — ladies chain with the same couple — balance, four hands round (on each side) same four down the centre, &c.

Howe's words seem fairly self-explanatory. In his The Contra Dance Book, 1956, Rickey Holden has four different version of "The Tempest". The one he claims to be based on Howe has all eight people in the minor set doing a grand chain (without hands), rather than the four person right and left that Howe calls for.

Note that in the New York tradition (which used a normal four face four format), all minor sets start at once as in a modern contra, but in the New England tradition (using the tempest formation), only the top minor set starts — as was normal in those days.

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