strathspey@strathspey.org:40440

Patricia Ruggiero

"quick" R&L

Jan. 28, 2005, 1:33 a.m. (Message 40440)

Here's something that had me talking to myself for longer than I care to
admit.  Since I can't print the diagram here, I'll add my comments in [ ] .
Wilson 1815, p. 55, Right and Left:

N.B. In this figure the top Lady and the second Gentleman must always pass
first.

The Lady at "A" [this is the first woman] moves from "d" to "c", while the
Gentleman at B [this is the second man] moves from "b" to "a".

[what's happening here is that these two dancers are changing places, on the
diagonal, passing L shoulders]  Now to continue with Wilson:

In performing this Figure the top Lady and second Gentleman pass each other
on the left, and continue on the left to places, looking at each other with
a slight inclination of the head over the left shoulder, the top Gentleman
and the second Lady pass each other on the right with their heads inclined
over the right shoulder.

The Lady "A" [the diagram shows this is the second woman] moves from "a" to
"b", while the Gentleman at "B" [first man] moves from "c" to "d".  [that
is, W2 and M1 change places passing R shoulders]  The Gentlemen having now
changed places with the Ladies, which is half the Figure.

N.B. This Figure may be performed  by the second and third couples [don't
ask me]

*In the performance of this Figure, the second couple should move towards
the top, and the top couple towards the bottom.

N.B. This Figure is very different from the "Quadrille Right and Left" [I'll
say!], which is the "Chain Figure of four."  See the "Diagram and Quadrille
Panorama," a work by the same author.  [I *think* this chain figure, the one
done in the quadrilles, is what we know as good ol' plain Rights and Lefts]

Pat here again: to do the second half of the figure, dancers returned to
original places, beginning with W1 and M2 passing L shoulders; then W2 and
M1 passing R shoulders.

Wilson finishes:

N.B. In this Figure, the Lady in her movement must always face the
Gentleman's line, and the Gentleman the Lady's line.

[ a diagram then shows the complete figure]

The top Lady and bottom Gentleman must pass before the bottom Lady and top
Gentleman attempts to move, else they would liable to come in contact.

Pat here again:  Ok, so this looks like four dancers changing places on the
diagonal and back again: left diagonal first, then right, then left back,
then right back.  You're thinking 2 bars for each change, what could be
weird about that. 

It's apparently a 4-bar figure.

Pat