In a message sent on Feb. 21, I described "quadrilles" danced in Vienna with
dancers in formations that looked like Becket contra lines but that actually
consisted of two-couple sets dancing independently (except for occasional
opportunities for eye contact when advancing and retiring on a diagonal), and I
wrote:
> ... I'd guess that the change to a Becket-like formation was intended to
> reduce the amount of inactivity, to make more efficient use of floor space,
> or both. It might also reduce the total duration of the figures. I have no
> idea whether the change in formation is a recent innovation or whether it
> goes back many decades, perhaps even into the 19th century.
I now see that the "History" section of the Wikipedia article on "Quadrille"
begins as follows:
The term quadrille originated in 17th-century military parades
in which four mounted horsemen executed square formations. The
word probably derived from the Italian quadriglia (diminutive
of quadra, hence a small square).
The dance was introduced in France around 1760: originally it
was a form of cotillion in which only two couples were used, but
two more couples were eventually added to form the sides of a
square. ...
If the opening sentences of that second paragraph are accurate, then the
two-couple version of the quadrille (in which the two-couple sets might tend to
line up alongside each other, giving the appearance of what we'd now call a
Becket contra line) dates back to the 18th century and is actually older than
the version in a four-couple square.
Unfortunately, the article doesn't offer sufficient specific citations or
quotations of sources supporting specific claims for me judge how reliable it
is.
--Jim
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