The Changing of
waving Positions
, is the same with the Change of
springing Positions
, excepting, that instead of
springing Marks
, you must use
waving Marks
.
I have already said, that onePositionmay change to another, bywavingboth Feet at once, or separately.
Those which are to be made with both Feet at once, are to be known by awav’d Position; and those which are to be made by one Foot only, are known by ahalf Position wav’d.The Changing of Waving Positions.from the 1st true to the 2d falsefrom the 2d false to the 1st truefrom the 1st false to the 2d truefrom the 2d true to the 1st falsefrom the 3d true to the 2d falsefrom the 2d false to the 3d truefrom the 3d true to the 3d falsefrom the 3d false to the 2d truefrom the 2d true to the 3d falsefrom the 3 false to the 3d truefrom the 3d false to the 3d falsefrom the 3d false to the 3d falsefrom the 5th true to the 4th falsefrom the 4th false to the 5th truefrom the 1st true to the 1st falsefrom the 1st false to the 1st true
You must understand, the each page, on which the
Dance
is described, represents the
Dancing-Room
; and the four Sides of the Page, the four Sides of the
Room
, viz. the upper part of the Page, represents the upper end of the
Room
; the lower part, the lower end; the right side of the Page the right side of the
Room
; and the left side, the left, as you may see by the following Figure, of which A B C D represent the
Room
, and E F G H, the Page. E F shew the upper part of the Page, as C D do the lower end; F H the right side of the Page, as E F do the upper end of the Room G H the lower part, as B D the right side of the
Room
; and E G the left side of the Page, as A C the left side of the
Room
.
You must observe always to hold the upper end of the Book against the upper end of theRoom; and whether theDancehave anyTurningin it or not, you must carefully avoid removing the Book from the Scituation above demonstrated.
When any Steps are made withoutturning, or inturningquite round, then both sides of the Book must be held with both Hands; but inturninga quarter round, half round, or three quarters round, it will be necessary to take more Care, because it will be difficult toturn, 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 theStepstherein describ’d; wherefore, for the better Observation of this, I shall give you the following Rules.
After having consider’d theTurning, and on what side to turn, as for Example, in a quarterTurnto 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 quarterTurn, 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 ahalf 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 turnthree quarters roundto the Right, you must cross your Hands more than you did in thehalf 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 turnthree quarters roundin the same manner as you didhalf round.
The same Rules may be made use of inturningto 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.
You must first find out the beginning of the
Tract
, by which means you will know towards what part of the
Dancing-Room
the Body is to be plac’d, before the
Dance
begins, as has been shewn before, in speaking of the
Posture
, and
Presence of the Body
. Then observe whether there be any
Position
, as you will find in the following Examples, and there you are to place your self. Then see what
Step
is nearest to the said
Position
, and you will find it to be that which is mark’d
Number
1. Which having perform’d, observe which is nearest to that, and you will find it is that mark’d
Number
2. After this, you must move to
Number
3, then to
Number
4, &c. and so continue moving, observing exactly to perform that
Step
which is nearest to the place where you are, and to follow always the same
Rule
as well in moving forwards, backwards, and sideways, as in moving round.
Examples.To move round.To move forwards.To move sideways.To move backwards
The
Tract
or
Line
, on which
Dances
are describ’d, whether forward or backward, must be consider’d in respect to its right side mark’d R, and the left side mark’d L, as may be seen by the following
Example.
TheStepsandhalf 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 followingMovementswill demonstrate, where I shall give to eachStepandhalf Position, the same Letters r and l, the better to explain them.
Besides the Letters, r and l, theStepandhalf Positionof the right or left Foot, will be easily known, by observing which way theToesare turn’d.
TheToeturning outwards on the right side, is the right Foot, and theToeturning outwards on the left side, is the left.
The differentTractsorFiguresmade inDancing, whether forwards, backwards, sideways, or round, will be explain’d by what follows.
TheTractmark’d A, is moving forwards, the Face towards the upper end of theRoom.
TheTractB retires or goes back, the Face towards the lower end of theRoom.
TheTractF is moving forwards, the Face towards the right side of theRoom.
TheTractH retires, the Face towards the left side of theRoom.
TheTractI, moves forwards, the Face towards the left side of theRoom.
TheTractK retires backwards, the Face towards the right side of theRoom.
TheTractsG, move round, and theTractsM, retire round.
>
In moving sideways, theTractorLinemust also be considered as to its two sides,viz. the upper side mark’d X, and the under side mark’d Y.Stepsandhalf 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.
TheTractsmark’d N, are moving sideways to the right, towards the lower end of theRoom.
TheTractsR, move round sideways to the right.
And theTractsS, move round sideways to the left.
A
Step
which begins with the hind Foot, in order to move sideways, to end on a Line with the other Foot, ought to begin from the part under the Line, and rise obliquely sideways towards that above, as you may see by the following
Step
.
AStep, which is to cross behind the foregoingStep, must begin above the Line, and descend obliquely below it; and which you will easily understand by the following Example: The firstStepyou may know byNumber1, and the other, which crosses, byNumber2.To move the right Foot sideways, and cross the left behind.To move the left Foot Sideways, and cross the right behind.
AStep, 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 followingStep, mark’dNumber1, will shew.To move the right Foot sideways.To move the left Foot sideways.
AStep, which is to cross before the foregoingStep, must begin from below the Line, and rise obliquely above it, which you may observe by theStep Number 1.To move the right Foot sideways and cross the left before.To move the left Foot sideways, and cross the right before.
For
Example
, if you have mov’d from the lower end of the
Room
, to the upper end, and have a mind to return upon the same
Tract
, as the
Tract
mark’d A, you must remove, and place the
Line
or
Tract
, on which you would return, on one side or the other, as you shall find most convenient, as is mark’d by the Letter B, and which in effect is the same with the foregoing; which two
Tracts
must be join’d together by a pointed
Line
mark’d C, which only serves to conduct the Sight from one
Line
to the other.
The same thing must be observ’d in moving several times round on the sameCircle, as upon theCirclemark’d D; about which may be describ’d as manyCirclesas shall be necessary. As forExample, theCirclesE and F, which must be supposed to be on the sameCirclewith theCircleD.
I might have mark’d the
Positions
, in which each
Step
ought to terminate; but since this must have created a great deal of Trouble, I shall only confine my self to mark them on join’d and inclos’d
Steps
, and for the rest, whether forwards, backwards, sideways, or cross’d, the
Positions
may be easily known, without marking them, in observing that which follows.
Stepswhich move forwards or backwards, shall be taken to be in the fourthPosition.
Stepswhich move streight, opening sideways, shall be taken to be in Second thePosition, andStepscrossing, whether forwards or backwards, shall be taken to be in the fifthPosition.To move to the fourth Position, and afterwards to the second.To move to the fifth Position, and afterwards to the second.To move to the fifth Position, and afterwards to the fourth.To move to the fifth Position, and afterwards to the second.To move to the second Position, and afterwards to the fifth.To move to the second Position, and afterwards to the fifth.
If it should happen nevertheless, that any of the above-mention’dStepsshould terminate upon both Feet, as it often happens inrisingandspringing, it is then necessary to mark thePosition; without which it would be impossible to know, that therisingandspringingshould be on both Feet; wherefore, in demonstrating thePositionsofjoin’dandinclos’d Steps, I will add to them those before-mention’d, on which I will also mark thePositions, to make Use of on Occasion.
When a
Step
terminates in a
Position
, there ought to be no Foot at the end of it, because the half
Position
, to which it is join’d, serves for that.
APositionat the end of aStep, may be also known by adding to theStepahalf Position, because the Representation of the Foot, which is at the Extremity of theStep, is made Use of, upon this Occasion, for ahalf Position; and ahalf Positionjoin’d to it, is the same as awhole Position.A join’d Step.An inclos’d Step.
The Same Rule must be observ’d inbeaten Steps, viz. That thehalf Positionrepresents the Foot, against which the otherbeats; and whereby you may know whether theBeatbe made on theInstep, behind the Heel, against theAnkle, or against the side of the Foot.A Beat on the Instep.A Beat behind.A Beat on the Instep, and a move behind.A Beat behind and before.A Beat above and below.The same four times.A Beat on the Ankle.A beat 4 times on the Ankle, & behind the Heel.A Beat sidewards, moving forwards.The same backwards.The same twice, moving forwards.The same, moving backwards.
You must observe, that when twoStepsterminate both in the samePosition, the first moves without any regard to thePosition, and it is the last only that must observe the saidPosition; as the following Examples will demonstrate.To move the right Foot forwards, and join the left.To move the right Foot forwards, and inclose in the left behind.
All
Steps
may be either
simple
or
compound
.
Asimple Step, is that which is alone, as all those which hitherto demonstrated; and acompound Step, is, where two or moreStepsare join’d together by aLine, and which then are to be reputed as oneSteponly, as will appear by the followingSteps.
To practise more easily what has already been taught and demonstrated, you may make Use of the followingTables; where you will find all or the greatest Part of theStepsus’d inDancing, whether with one Foot, or the other, forwards, backwards, sideways, or turning, as well upon streight Lines, as diametrical.
You must observe, that each Square contains only oneStep, 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.