Orchesography, or, the Art of Dancing / The Art of Dancing by Characters and Demonstrative Figures

I have already said, that one Position may change to another, by waving both Feet at once, or separately.

Those which are to be made with both Feet at once, are to be known by a wav’d Position; and those which are to be made by one Foot only, are known by a half Position wav’d.
 

How to hold the Book or Paper, to decipher written Dances

You must observe always to hold the upper end of the Book against the upper end of the Room; and whether the Dance have any Turning in it or not, you must carefully avoid removing the Book from the Scituation above demonstrated.

When any Steps are made without turning, or in turning quite round, then both sides of the Book must be held with both Hands; but in turning a quarter round, half round, or three quarters round, it will be necessary to take more Care, because it will be difficult to turn, unles the Book turns also; yet this must be absolutely avoided; for if the Book moves out of its Scituation, it will be impossible to comprehend the Steps therein describ’d; wherefore, for the better Observation of this, I shall give you the following Rules.

After having consider’d the Turning, and on what side to turn, as for Example, in a quarter Turn to the Right, you must put your left Hand to the farther part of the Book, and your Right to the nearest. Your Hands being thus prepared, in turning your quarter Turn, bring your left Hand in to you, whilst your right removes from you; so that both Hands will by this means be equally advanc’d before you, holding the Book by the same places before-mention’d, and you will find, that in turning a quarter round, the Book will still remain in its former Scituation. You must make use of the same Rule in a half Turn.

I shall only add, that the Hand, which is plac’d on the most opposite part of the Book, must come quite in to your Breast, while the other removes quite from you.

To turn three quarters round to the Right, you must cross your Hands more than you did in the half Turn; so that your left Hand must hold the upper part of that side which your right Hand would naturally have held, had you not turn’d; and your right Hand must hold the lower part of that side, which your left would otherwise have held. Your Hands being thus prepar’d, you will turn three quarters round in the same manner as you did half round.

The same Rules may be made use of in turning to the left, only you must observe, that instead of placing your left Hand, you must place the right to that part of the Book the farthest from you; and it may serve for a general Rule, that in turning to the Right, you first remove your left Hand; and in turning to the Left, you remove your Right.

Rules to be observ’d in Dancing by written Characters.

Examples.

How to know what Steps and half Positions are with the right Foot, and what with the left.

The Steps and half Positions, which are on the right side, are made with the right Foot; and those which are on the left side, with the left Foot, as the following Movements will demonstrate, where I shall give to each Step and half Position, the same Letters r and l, the better to explain them.

Besides the Letters, r and l, the Step and half Position of the right or left Foot, will be easily known, by observing which way the Toes are turn’d.

The Toe turning outwards on the right side, is the right Foot, and the Toe turning outwards on the left side, is the left.

The different Tracts or Figures made in Dancing, whether forwards, backwards, sideways, or round, will be explain’d by what follows.

The Tract mark’d A, is moving forwards, the Face towards the upper end of the Room.

The Tract B retires or goes back, the Face towards the lower end of the Room.

The Tract F is moving forwards, the Face towards the right side of the Room.

The Tract H retires, the Face towards the left side of the Room.

The Tract I, moves forwards, the Face towards the left side of the Room.

The Tract K retires backwards, the Face towards the right side of the Room.

The Tracts G, move round, and the Tracts M, retire round.

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In moving sideways, the Tract or Line must also be considered as to its two sides, viz. the upper side mark’d X, and the under side mark’d Y. Steps and half Positions, which are on the upper side of the Line, are to be made with the foremost Foot, and those which are on the under side, with the hinder Foot.

The Tracts mark’d N, are moving sideways to the right, towards the lower end of the Room.

The Tracts R, move round sideways to the right.

And the Tracts S, move round sideways to the left.

The manner of Steps crossing one another.

A Step, which is to cross behind the foregoing Step, must begin above the Line, and descend obliquely below it; and which you will easily understand by the following Example: The first Step you may know by Number 1, and the other, which crosses, by Number 2.

A Step, which begins with the foremost Foot, in order to move sideways, to end on a Line with the other Foot, ought to begin from the part above the Line, and descend obliquely sideways towards that below, as the following Step, mark’d Number 1, will shew.

A Step, which is to cross before the foregoing Step, must begin from below the Line, and rise obliquely above it, which you may observe by the Step Number 1.

To return upon a Tract you have just before mov’d on.

The same thing must be observ’d in moving several times round on the same Circle, as upon the Circle mark’d D; about which may be describ’d as many Circles as shall be necessary. As for Example, the Circles E and F, which must be supposed to be on the same Circle with the Circle D.

To know to and from what Positions, Steps move.

Steps which move forwards or backwards, shall be taken to be in the fourth Position.

Steps which move streight, opening sideways, shall be taken to be in Second the Position, and Steps crossing, whether forwards or backwards, shall be taken to be in the fifth Position.

If it should happen nevertheless, that any of the above-mention’d Steps should terminate upon both Feet, as it often happens in rising and springing, it is then necessary to mark the Position; without which it would be impossible to know, that the rising and springing should be on both Feet; wherefore, in demonstrating the Positions of join’d and inclos’d Steps, I will add to them those before-mention’d, on which I will also mark the Positions, to make Use of on Occasion.

How Steps terminate in Positions.

A Position at the end of a Step, may be also known by adding to the Step a half Position, because the Representation of the Foot, which is at the Extremity of the Step, is made Use of, upon this Occasion, for a half Position; and a half Position join’d to it, is the same as a whole Position.

The Same Rule must be observ’d in beaten Steps, viz. That the half Position represents the Foot, against which the other beats; and whereby you may know whether the Beat be made on the Instep, behind the Heel, against the Ankle, or against the side of the Foot.

You must observe, that when two Steps terminate both in the same Position, the first moves without any regard to the Position, and it is the last only that must observe the said Position; as the following Examples will demonstrate.

Of simple and compound Steps.

A simple Step, is that which is alone, as all those which hitherto demonstrated; and a compound Step, is, where two or more Steps are join’d together by a Line, and which then are to be reputed as one Step only, as will appear by the following Steps.

To practise more easily what has already been taught and demonstrated, you may make Use of the following Tables; where you will find all or the greatest Part of the Steps us’d in Dancing, whether with one Foot, or the other, forwards, backwards, sideways, or turning, as well upon streight Lines, as diametrical.

The Tables.

You must observe, that each Square contains only one Step, which I have writ down twice, to the end to shew, that what is perform’d with one Foot, may also be perform’d with the other.