24 Feb
2020
24 Feb
'20
6:07 p.m.
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