Three Couple Promenade Round

Bars: 8.

In Scottish Country dance the dancers start the figure in the center of the set, in promenade hold with partner, facing up. While in English dance you tend to start from the sidelines and quickly move into that position. Dancers move up, pivot round to face the men's line, move across, pivot to face down, move down to the bottom, pivot to face the women's line, move into the center, pivot to face up, and dance up to original places, and retire to the sidelines.

Variants

The (R)SCDS introduced both two and four couple longways promenades in Book 18. Leith Country Dance, and Longwise Eightsome Reel.

History

Sharp uses a three couple promenade in his interpretation of Adson's Saraband, Playford, 1651. But I'm not sure he is right to do so. Playford says:

First cu. lead down between the rest, come with a compass to your places, the rest following

Which sounds rather different to me.

The concept of "promenading" came over from France with Cotillions.

Thomas Hurst, in his The Cotillons Made PLAIN and EASY, 1769, (page 9), defines promenading:

TWELFTH CHANGE, The Promenade, or Walk.

Every Gentleman takes his Partner by the Left-Hand; and putting his Right-Hand round her Waist; in this Manner they follow each other all round in a great Ring, and finish in their proper Places.

Note, this is not the modern skaters' hold promenade

I think Wilson may be the first to suggest joining hands in front, in his The Quadrille and Cotillion Panorama:

6.—PROMENADE, THE GREAT

All the four couples cross hands with their partners, and move round in a circle to places.

But these are all in a square set. The first examples (that I can find) in a longways set occurred in 1776, and both Thompson and Skillern published dances which used this figure.

In (R)SCDS Book 11, both the source descriptions of Glasgow Flourish (one by Anderson, and one by Wallace) contain three couple promenades, but the (R)SCDS replaced it with a lead down and up. However the next time the figure occurred (in Fidget, Book 16) it is translated unchanged.

Some dances which (probably) use this figure

• Dances for which I have animations
• Dances in (R)SCDS Books

Note: This list may be incorrect or incomplete.

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