The Tempest ~ Washburn

La Tempete ~ Reilley La Tempète ~ Whale#1 La Tempète ~ Whale#2 La Tempête ~ Hillgrove La Tempete Originale ~ Hofer Tempete ~ Carpenter The Original Tampete ~ Burnton The Tempest ~ Howe The Tempest ~ Washburn/Modern The Tempest ~ Squire The Tempest ~ Washburn Tom Pete ~ Howe Ted's Tempest The Tempest ~ Holden (Sicilian#1) The Tempest ~ Holden #1 Tempête ~ Liller Hart's Tempẽte Dance La Tempête ~ Bohn La Tempete ~ Henderson#1 Tempete Dance ~ Chivers The Tempest ~ Thompson Tom Pate La Tempête ~ Lowe (Original) La Tempete ~ Skinner La Tempête ~ RSCDS La Tempête ~ RSCDS 2x2

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

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

As I understand this description it is an early version of the "tempest" formation for a four couple minor set dance. As was usually at this time, the dance starts with only the dancers in the top minor set active.

I'm not sure what to make of and break to the right and left. "Break" is an English translation of the French word brisé which also means "cast". So perhaps the line of four splits into couples and casts up as couples and then loops around the top to meet their side couples... That's what Howe has people doing in his version of the dance a few years later.

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