Skip change of step

Patricia Ruggiero

Jan. 28, 2005, 12:32 a.m. (Message 40437)

Chris wrote:  
> That's interesting. Does this mean that skip change was 
> 'invented' more  
> recently? Does any one have an idea of when or how it came 
> into  vogue? 

Here's my understanding, and I certainly don't mind if Rosemary corrects me:

Regency period, early 1800s, used a variety of steps for country dancing,
including the skip-change which had some other name that eludes me at the
moment.  Miss Milligan and Mrs. Stewart selected a few of these steps when
reconstructing historical country dances for their modern dancers, applying
these steps to *all* dances from all periods whether those steps were in
vogue at the time of the dance or not.  (One reason SCD doesn't do the
slip-jigs,  3/2, and 3/4 country dances is because our current repertoire of
steps doesn't fit them.)

A dance historian acquaintance, whose area of expertise is the Regency
period, brought this interesting fact to my attention: the last step in a
traveling figure was not the skip-change, as this leaves dancers with a foot
in the air; instead, the last step would have been something called jete'-
assemble', leaving dancers with their feet  together (assembled). For
example, a 4-bar figure, say 1/2 fig 8, would have been done with three
skip-change steps followed by the jete'-assemble' to end with feet together;
similarly, an 8-bar figure would be done with 7 skip-changes, etc.

I'm thinking that the skip-change was called chasse' but would have to
check...Wilson describes all these steps. 

What's not clear to me is whether everybody used them.  Seems to me the
farther away from the cities and towns one was, the less likely one would be
to have learned these fancy steps....but I suppose I shouldn't overlook
those intrepid dancing masters traveling around the countryside.....

Rosemary, are you there?

Pat