Routledge's Manual of Etiquette Part 21

Throughout the Ball-room Guide we have endeavoured to avoid as much as possible the rise of French words, and to give our directions in the plain mother tongue. Nevertheless there must always be certain technical terms, such as _cha.s.sez croisez, glissade_, &c., &c., for which it would be difficult to find good English equivalents. We therefore subjoin a Glossary of all such words and expressions as have long since been universally accepted as the accredited phraseology of the Ball-room.

A vos places, _back to your own places_.

A la fin, _at the end_.

A droite, _to the right_.

A gauche, _to the left_.

Balancez, _set to your partners_.

Balancez aux coins, _set to the corners_.

Balancez quatre en ligne, _four dancers set in a line, joining hands, as in La Poule_.

Balancez en moulinet, _gentlemen and their partners give each other right hands across, and_ balancez _in the form of a cross_.

Balancez et tour des mains, _all set to partners, and turn to places.

(See_ Tour des mains.)

Ballotez, _do the same step four times without changing your place_.

Chaine Anglaise, _opposite couples right and left_.

Chaine des dames, _ladies' chain_.

Chaine Anglaise double, _double right and left_.

Chaine des dames double, _all the ladies perform the ladies' chain at the same time_.

Cha.s.sez croisez, _do the_ cha.s.se _step from left to right, or right to left, the lady pa.s.sing before the gentleman in the opposite direction, that is, moving right if he moves left, and vice versa_.

Cha.s.sez croisez et decha.s.sez, _change places with partners, ladies pa.s.sing in front, first to the right, then to the left, back to places. It may be either_ a quatre _four couples--or_ les huit--_eight couples_.

Cha.s.sez a droite--a gauche, _move to the right--to the left_.

Le cavalier seul, _gentleman advances alone_.

Les cavaliers seuls deux fois, _gentlemen advance and retire twice without their partners_.

Changez vos dames, _change partners_.

Contre partie pour les autres, _the other dancers do the same figure_.

Demi promenade, _half promenade_.

Demi chaine Anglaise, _half right and left_.

Demi moulinet, _ladies all advance to centre, right hands across, and back to places_.

Demi tour a quatre, _four hands half round_.

Dos-a-dos, _lady and opposite gentleman advance, pa.s.s round each other back to back, and return to places_.

Les dames en moulinet, _ladies give right hands across to each other, half round, and back again with left hands_.

Les dames donnent la main droite--gauche--a leurs cavaliers, _ladies give the right--left--hands to partners_.

En avant deux et en arriere; _first lady and_ vis-a-vis _gentleman advance and retire. To secure brevity_, en avant _is always understood to imply_ en arriere _when the latter is not expressed_.

En avant deux fois, _advance and retreat twice_.

En avant quatre, _first couple and their_ vis-a-vis _advance and retire_.

En avant trois, _three advance and retire, as in La Pastorale_.

Figurez devant, _dance before_.

Figurez a droite--a gauche, _dance to the right--to the left_.

La grande tour de rond, _all join hands and dance, completely round the figure in a circle back to places_.

Le grand rond, _all join hands, and advance and retreat twice, as in La Finale_.

Le grand quatre, _all eight couples form into squares_.

La grande chaine, _all the couples move quite round the figure, giving alternately the right and left hand to each in succession, beginning with the right, until all have regained their places, as in last figure of the Lancers_.

La grande promenade, _all eight (or more) couples promenade all round the figure back to places_.

La main, _the hand_.

La meme pour les cavaliers, _gentlemen do the same_.

Le moulinet, _hands across. The figure will explain whether it is the gentlemen, or the ladies, or both, who are to perform it_.

Pas d'Allemande, _the gentleman turns his partner under each arm in succession_.

Pas de Basque, _a kind of sliding step forward, performed with both feet alternately in quick succession. Used in the Redowa and other dances. Comes from the South of France_.

Glissade, _a sliding step_.

Le Tiroir, _first couple cross with hands joined to opposite couple's place, opposite couple crossing separately outside them; then cross back to places, same figure reversed_.

Tour des mains, _give both hands to partner, and turn her round without quitting your places_.