26 Jun
2019
26 Jun
'19
9:02 p.m.
John,
Thanks so much for your hard work and sharing a tremendous amount of information with us.
There’s one allemande I’d like to know more about. It’s the one used in the the dance,
Away to the Camp which can be seen on the Lambertville ECD site.
Tom
Sent from my iPad
28 Jun
28 Jun
3:33 a.m.
The Lambertville ECD site is pointing to a copy of Samuel, Ann, and Peter
Thompson's Twenty Four Country Dances for the Year 1782, on the Vaughan
Williams Memorial Library website. There are a couple of things that the
term "allemande" could mean in 1782, but the one that seems correct for
that version of Away To The Camp would be danced as follows:
The couple link right elbows and then straighten out their right arms to
reach their partner’s hand, while they hold left hands behind their backs.
(For an allemand reverse they would reverse this and start by linking their
left elbows.) They dance forward once around each other and return to
their places. For the Thompsons' 1782 version of Away To The Camp I
suggest that both Allemande and Allemande Reverse be done, that the
footwork used be a skip-change step (which would have been called "chassee
forward" in 1782), and that all three couples do the allemandes (although a
case can certainly be made for only the active couple doing them.)
If you are interested in dance from that era, check out the blog that my
wife and I have at http://www.dancehistoryalive.com/blog/ We haven't
written an article on Away to the Camp yet, but we'll try to do one soon.
Jacob Bloom
On Wed, Jun 26, 2019 at 5:02 PM tom hinds via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
John,
Thanks so much for your hard work and sharing a tremendous amount of
information with us.
There’s one allemande I’d like to know more about. It’s the one used in
the the dance, Away to the Camp which can be seen on the Lambertville ECD
site.
Tom
Sent from my iPad
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3:45 a.m.
On 2019.06.26 1402, tom hinds via Callers wrote:
John,
Thanks so much for your hard work and sharing a tremendous amount of information with
us.
There’s one allemande I’d like to know more about. It’s the one used in the the dance,
Away to the Camp which can be seen on the Lambertville ECD site.
Tom
Tom,
Reading the link to the directions as published by Thompson I suspected
which form of allemende it might be. If the interpretation as shown in
the video is it, it is.
I can't provide any history about it, however can mention it's described
in Jim Morrison's book, "Twenty-Four Early American Country Dances :
Cotillions and Reels for the Year 1976". Published by CDSS in that year.
It is in a dance from that I enjoy calling and dancing called "Doubtful
Shepherd." In fact it and "Away to the Camp" are remarkably similar for
about 3/5 of either.
From the glossary of figures in the back is this description,
"allemand: Stand side by side with partner, right shoulders together,
right arm extended, left arm behind back. Cross right arm inside
partner's arm, right hand holding partner's left. Dance clock-wise in
this position, usually once around (8 beats). As with most figures this
is more fun if you look at your partner while dancing it."
There are likely various ways to describe entering the movement. I've
used several with good effect. We have fun with it and after a few
nights with it included on a program (chiefly for that movement, oh and
the music! AABBB and cheery*) dancers seem comfortable with or amused by
it. I believe it's Kalia who calls it the "pretzel" move. <grin>
Seemingly, for the dances Morrison selected, it is danced solely
clockwise. In that video for "Away to the Camp" it's also
reversed/returned/matched by a CCW move. Based on the description for
"Away to the Camp" at VWML I'd not venture to say their interpretation
is correct or not.
Cheers, John
* music may be heard here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czHfhByzvkI
--
J.D. Erskine
Victoria, BC
Island Dance - Folk & Country
dance info - site & mail list
Vancouver Island & BC islands
http://vecds.ca/island.dance/
8:45 a.m.
Hi Tom,
As I say at the top of the page, "Allemande" is a popular word and has been
used to mean many completely different things. For example Wilson, in 1816, used
"Allemande" to mean a Dosido using three chasses, a jete and an assemble (polka
steps then jump)!
https://www.regencydances.org/paper001.php has lots more about the Allemandes of the
period.
The original instructions for "Away to the Camp" from Thompson in 1782 just
say "Allemand with your partner" with no indication of what is meant by
"Allemand". Away to the Camp would of course have been danced vigorously with
stepping in 1782. Whoever reconstructed the dance at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk5-IKvxubg choose one of the many interpretations of the
word "Allemand".
The Sottish still use that hold and call it a Tulloch Hold Swing, though they use it less
now as it can be awkward. You can learn all about it at
https://www.scottish-country-dancing-dictionary.com/tulloch-turn-grip.html and see it
being danced at
https://www.scottish-country-dancing-dictionary.com/videoclips/tulloch-turn….
I often use it in contra dances if I have a good partner. I try to do a different swing
each time through the dance, and use the Tulloch Hold as one of my swings if the dancer is
good.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
2004
days inactive
2006
days old
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
3 comments
4 participants
participants (4)
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Jacob or Nancy Bloom -
JD Erskine -
John Sweeney -
tom hinds