Country dancing

'Country dancing' is a loose term for a number of dance forms such as Clogging, Contradance, Cumbia, Galop, Mazurka, Minuet, Polka, Polonaise, Quadrille, Redowa, Schottische, and Two step.

Country dance overlaps with contemporary folk dance and ballroom dance. Most country dances and ballroom dances originated from folk dances, with gradual refinement over the years.

Some specific forms of country dance, such as English Country Dance, refer to specific folk dances. The term "country dance" first appeared in the 16th century, before any of the above-mentioned dances paragraph came into existence.

History

Country dance in the western European tradition is believed to originate from pre-16th century folk dances, such as Song dances.^[1]

Types

The main forms of country dancing are: circle dancing, longways set, square set and couple dancing. The couple dance first appears in Bavaria in the late 18th century and rapidly spreads around Europe. The most famous couple dances are also the names of time-signatures: waltz and polka. Circle dancing is known from classical times. By the time of John Playford's "The English Dancing Master" (1651) it was a dance for everyone. The English term "Country Dance" was adopted all across Europe, and became corrupted into "Contredance" in many languages. Even in modern America the phrase "Contra Dance" is used alongside the more familiar term "square dance" or "barn dance".

The longways set was the most popular type of country dance in the first edition of Playford's book. A line of males faced a line of females "for as many as will". "Roger de Coverley" and "The Grand Old Duke of York" are among the most familiar examples of this kind of dance. By the 1820s it was considered old-fashioned.

The square set, or quadrille, was a group of 8 people, a couple along each side. "Les Lanciers" and the "Eightsome Reel" are among the most famous examples of this kind of dance. Dancing in square sets still survives in Ireland, under the name "set dancing" or "figure dancing".

Instruments

Shawms and sackbuts or the bagpipe were popular instruments for outdoor dancing because of their loudness. Every European country, not just Scotland, used their own local variant of the bagpipe for country dancing. From the late 17th century fiddles began to take over, and dancing moved indoors. The main impetus for the development of the concertina, the melodeon and the accordion in the nineteenth century was to satisfy the market for a loud instrument for country dancing. Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy all loved country dancing and put detailed descriptions into their novels.

Locations

Some country dances are confined to their place of origin: Ballo Liscio in Italy, Strathspeys in Scotland, Mazurkas in Hungary. The appeal of country dancing is almost completely confined to Christian countries.

Having said that, klezmer tunes (originally Jewish) are now cropping up in public dances. The Scottish Gaelic word ceilidh (Irish ceili) is sometimes used to mean country dancing, though the original meaning was a gathering for singing and dancing.

Most country dancing is pretty robust in style but in Scotland, from the late nineteenth century, a very smooth and ornate style was cultivated. Soft shoes are worn. This makes Scottish country dancing very close to ballroom dancing, particularly since formal dress (white dresses and genuine kilts) are often de rigueur. Appalachian dancers go to the opposite extreme, with metal caps fitted to the shoes. Couple dances with a highly developed element of display, such as the tango, do not qualify as country dances.

Media

The stage show "Riverdance" was a shot in the arm for Irish country dancing. The appeal was partly due to the emphasis on solo displays rather than couple dances. Ireland, like many other countries, has promoted country dancing in state schools, but this has generally been in decline on the school curriculum since the 1940s.

Present

Many types of dance notation exist but none are widely used. Instead dancers follow a caller or an MC (Master of Ceremonies) who shouts out changes in the figures.

See also

• Contra dance
• Country and Western dance

References

External links

• (English) (French) & (Occitan) Folk dances from County of Nice, France