Figures

Sources

Here are a list of books which contain some descriptions of figures. Sometimes an entire book is devoted just to dance figures, sometimes it's a glossary or some such thing, in the case of cotillions the "changes" are often well described while the figures used in the dances are not. Mostly the descriptions are in words, but some also contain images showing the motions of the dancers. And, of course, the modern website Taminations contains both written definitions and animations of the figures.

Sadly, it is often the case that the descriptions are so vague that they only make sense if you already know what the phrase means, this is why the images are so useful.

Some books of French contredanses are described entirely in images with no words. I do not include such books in the list below since they usually don't help associate the name of a figure (since there are no figure names) with its movements. Still, if such things appeal to you look at Feuillet's Recüeil de contredances mises en chorégraphie, Paris, 1706.

1589		Thoinot Arbeau, Orchésographie A book mostly concerned with steps, which occasionally spells out figures too.
1752		Nicholas Dukes, A Consise & Easy Method of Learning the Figuring Part of Country Dances A book describing figures with images.
~1757		d'Aubat de St. Flour, Cent Contredanses en Rond Contains a list of figures and how long they take, no real descriptions descriptions, but Feuillet diagrams of some figures scattered randomly in the text.
1768		J. Longman, XXIV New Cotillons or French Dances Contains a list of the cotillion changes, but no figure descriptions.
1769		Thomas Hurst, The Cotillons Made Plain and Easy, Contains a list of the cotillion changes, but no figure descriptions.
1770		Siret, A set of Cotillons, or French Dances Contains a list of cotillion changes, each dance is described in words, and pictures (but no list of figures as such)
1772		Giovanni Andrea Gallini, A New Collection of Forty-four Cotillons, with Figures Properly Adapted Contains a list of cotillion changes, and a brief verbal description of many common figures and steps.
1785		Malpied, Les Caracteres des Contre~Danses A French work with Feuillet diagrams of cotillion figures.
1802		Saltator, A Treatise on Dancing Contains a list of cotillion changes (pages 79-80), definitions of a few cotillion figures (pages 78-79), and definitions of (a rather limited set of) country dance figures (on pages 85-86)
1808		Thomas Wilson, An Analysis of Country Dancing A book describing figures with images.
1811		Thomas Wilson, An Analysis of Country Dancing, 3rd Ed. A book describing figures with images.
1815		Thomas Wilson, The complete system of English country dancing A book describing figures with images.
1822		Thomas Wilson, The quadrille and cotillion panorama A book describing figures with images.
1822		G. M. S. Chivers, The Dancer's Guide Contains a description of a few French figures with French names (pages 6-7), and an even shorter list of figures with English names (page 8). Another short list of figures on page 46.
1822		G. M. S. Chivers, The Modern Dancing Master Description of about 20 country dance figures on pages 42-44, a few Ecossoise figures on page 70, a few Spanish figures on pages 78-79, a few Swedish figures (for trios) on page 98, and a few Mescolanzes figures on page 102. There are some Quadrille figures defined on pages 113-116.
1824		G. M. S. Chivers, The Quadrille Preceptor Contains a description of a few French figures with French names (page 5)
1827		C. S. Van Winkle, Le Maître de Danse, Or, The Art of Dancing Cotillons Entire book devoted to explaining steps and figure with written descriptions and images for the figures. (The title says "Cotillons" but he is describing what I call Quadrilles)
1828		J. S. Pollock, La Terpischore Moderne Contains a description of a few French figures with French names (pages 7-8)
1838		F. Lowe, The Select Quadrille Preceptor for 1838 Contains a description of a French figures with French names (pages 7-10)
1841		Huestis & Craft, The Ball-Room Instructer Contains a description of figures with English names starting page 13, and French names on page 42
1852		Thomas Wilson, The Art of Dancing Contains a description of a Quadrille figures (pages 14-18)
~1890		John M. Schell, Prompting How to do it, Contains a list of terms (containing figures) and their definitions, pages 4-8
1909-1926		Elizabeth Burchenal American Country-Dances, Vol. 1 Contains a list of steps (page xii), and figures (on pages xii-xiv)
1918		Cecil Sharp The Country Dance Book Parts 1-6 Sharp produced a glossary of figures and definitions which grew longer with each new part.
1925		Henry Ford/Benjamin Lovett, Good Morning. Contains a list of calls and figures on pages 117-119
1932		Neva Boyd/Tressie Dunlavy, Old Square Dances of America. Contains a short list of calls with definitions on pages 7-9
1937		Beth Tolman&Ralph Page, The Country Dance Book Contains a glossary of calls with definitions on pages 32-41
1956		Rickey Holden, The Contra Dance Book Contains a glossary of contra terms with definitions on pages 33-46
1976		Keller&Sweet, A Choice Selection of American Country Dances of the Revolutionary Era Contains a glossary of figures with definitions on pages 46-52
1983		Larry Jennings, Zesty Contras Contains a glossary of contra terms with definitions on pages 9-14
1991		Douglas Kennedy/Tony Parkes, Comunity Dances Manual 1-7 The 1991 combined edition contains a glossary of contra terms with definitions on pages 119-123
2004		Larry Jennings, Give and Take Contains a glossary of contra terms with definitions on pages 3-6
Current		Tamitwirlers/Callerlab Taminations Contains all MWS calls with animations and CallerLab definitions.
Current		Scottish Country Dance Dictionary/RSCDS Figures Dictionary Contains the standard Scottish Country Dance figures desribed bar by bar often with figures.

There are far more descriptions of Quadrille figures and Cotillion changes than there are of anything that precedes them. Perhaps this is because Quadrilles and Cotillions were often described in French terms. There are also a lot of Square/Contra dance descriptions. Perhaps because people had forgotten how to dance by then.

I find it interesting that the Glossary in the Community Dances Manual contains Contra Dance and English Country Dance terms (Yet it does not contain a description of "Rights and lefts" or "Circular Hey"). It was published by the EDFSS, while the Glossary was written by Tony Parkes, from the US; but the series is half from the US and half the UK.

History

Figures come into fashion, and go out. Often they won't have names at first and will acquire them later. Names can change as the figures move from England to France, and from France to England. Figures can be lost for a while and reappear later with a new name. Old names can refer to new figures. Figures can change slightly and retain their old names. New styles of dance use new figures which may then be reappropriated by old styles.

In the table below I list some figures. If I have written a history of the figure then the figure name will have a link. If other people have done so I will give their names off to the right.

Order: Alphabetic Date

I also have a history of Scottish Country Dance figures.

Some modern figure which masquerade as old

Draw Poussette — Playford sometimes uses the term "draw" to describe a poussette. Thomas Wilson, in An Analysis of Country Dancing, 1811 says that draw is an alternate word for "poussette". It seems more likely that use of a draw poussette in an old dance is a misinterpetation of the original rather than an old figure.

Gate — Douglas and Helen Kennedy, 1929, use the gate figure for the dance Abergenny and Porter, Heffer and Heffer, 1931, use it for The Bishop. Neither calls it a gate.

Pat Shaw, 1962, used the figure in Humours of the Age, but again does not name it. Tom Cook, 1975, 1979 used the figure in Irish Lamentation and calls it an "assisted cast".

Ken Sheffield is the first I can find to use the term "gate" in his interpretation of The Disbanded Officer, 1985. He did not use it to describe the same figure in Sun Assembly, 1982.

Mad Robin — The modern version of Mad Robin, at least as used in Contra Dancing, has the two partners staring into each other's eyes. So they are always facing their partners. But that's not what Playford says:

The 1. wo. cast up above the 2. man and slip down the middle, the 1. man go up between, and then cast off below and turn hands ·

When someone casts, they turn to face out of the set. If you look at Sharp's interpretation of the dance:

B1

1-4

First woman moves up the middle and casts down to the second place; while the first man casts up and moves down the middle into the second place.

Again someone is casting (Sharp has reversed to order with the man casting and the woman moving up, don't know why), so again partners are not facing.

The movement of the modern figure is described in "The Saucy Sailor", from Maggot Pie, 1932; but they don't name it "Mad Robin", nor do they suggest staring into your opposite's eyes.

Jim Kitch, in his dance "The Lover's Knot", 1993 describes the figure and in a note says which is similar to the end of Mad Robin. This wording suggests that he might be inventing the modern figure there.

Some other figures I've been curious about

1s cast down as 2s lead up — this is a very standard progressive figure in many modern interpretations of Playford, but since Playford rarely says what the 2s should do, I've wondered if they actually were intended to lead up, or just to move up on the sidelines (as they do in SCDs). But there are a few dances in the Dancing Master where the movement of the 2s is stated explicitly: in Mr. Eaglesfield's New Hornpipe, 1696, Playford published:

then the 1. cu. cast off into the 2. cu. place, and the 2. cu. lead up.

and in Devonshire House, 1698, he says:

First cu. cast off, the 2 cu. leading up

while in Lincoln, also 1698, we find:

First cu. cast off, 2. cu. lead up

Lincoln also says:

2 cu. cast off, 1. cu. lead up as before

So it also as used when the 2s were casting... Then in About Ship John Young published:

The first Couple cast off into the 2d Couple's Place, and give a little Jump, and the 2d Couple lead up and give a Jump at the same Time ·

Also in The Happy Conclusion, Kynaston, 1715: the 1^st. cu. cast up the 2^d. cu. lead down

And in Jubilee Jigg the Neals, 1726 say 1^st. cu: casting off into 2^d. cu: place, & 2^d. cu: leading int 1^st. cu: place:

But in Watton Town's End, 1657, Playford says:

and the 1 cu. cast off into the 2. cu. place, while the 2. cu. slip up into the 1. cu. place.

Do they take hands in the middle as they slip up, or just move up on the sidelines as the Scottish Dancers would have it?

Related, but not quite the same: should the 2s lead up after a cross, cast, go below: In Ormond House, 1702 we find:

The 1 cu. cross over into the 2. cu. Places, while the 2. cu. leads up

M1 cast down as M2 twirls up — in a similar vein, what happens if only one half of a couple moves down? In my dance group twirling up is the standard idiom, but Colin Hume tells me this is a modern invention.

I'm not so sure, in Up With Aily we find: so cast off into the 2. man's place, the 2. man turning up at the same time into his

There are also a number of cases where where people twirl in the middle, though no indication what the other person does to get out of the way. From Union Jigg:

The first Man Sett to the second Woman, and turn single down the middle

Later in the dance it becomes clear that the 2nd man has moved up, but we aren't told how.

While in Kynaston's The Whining Lover we find 1^st. cu. cast up (the 2^d. and 3^d. cu. turn single).

lead — Which hands were used in Playford's day? We know that by the 19th century leads were mostly right in right. Does Playford ever specify? Well, in Royal Fishery John Young says:

The first Man takes his Wo by the Left-hand with his Right, and lead her round the 2d Man,

I assume this means M1 turns around to face out as W1 moves to his right, they take inside hands, and then loop around M2 to end between the 2s. (this dance first appeared in Walsh's Twenty Four New Country Dances for the Year 1715, but his wording is much the same).

Then in the Neal's Collection from 1726 in The Britain we find: 1^st. ma: w^th. his right hand leads his par: by her left round 2^d. ma:, which again says they take near hands.

Often Playford says things like "change hands" when a lead changes direction. for example in Rufty Tufty:

Lead your owne with the left hand to each wall, change hands, meet again

You need to do this with inside hands. You don't if you have right in right or left in left. Sharp liked right in right, so he decided you lead down right in right, turn and change hands to left in left and lead up.

While The Britain in the Neal's collection says join near hands, in Lastrum Pone they say: 1^st. cu: cast off & lead half through 2^d. w^th. right hands: lead down with left hands which does seem to say start out right in right, but change to left in left when switching direction.

Set forward and turn single back — again this is a common modern idiom where I dance, but it is rare to find anything in Playford to suggest that was how it was done in their day. Playford almost always just says "set and turn single".

I have found Set and fall back in the dance Abergenny, 1657, and Lady Banbury, 1657. That does not require that the "set" be a "set forward" (people could fall back toward the wall from the sidelines), but it does suggest that it might be.

However The Devil's Dream, 1657 says Set to your own and fall back · That again :, and the That again suggests the two moves should be the same and start from the same place.

But then in Under and over, 1652 we find Set each to the 2. and go back which to me sounds as if they are going back to where they were before they set.

And then there's Then meet and set to their own Partners and turn; in the dance The Jack's Farewell, 1651.

In Wright's Compleat Collection, ~1740, we find: The 1st Man sett to the 2d. Wo. and fall back and turn S.

Circle left four and fall back — often Playford will provide four bars for a circle half, and modern interpreters will put in a "fall back" to eat up some of that time (a circle half usually takes 2 bars). Does Playford every say to do this? Well, occasionally. In What You Please, 1657:

Hands half round all four and fall back

and again in Never Love Thee More, 1679:

Then hands half round and fall back all four

and in several later dances too.

This website is copyright © 2021-2026 by George W. Williams V
My work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Most of the dances have more restrictive licensing, see my notes on copyright, the individual dance pages should mention when some rights are waived.