Re: chassee across

Deborah Hyland asked about the interpretation of "all chassee across" in this 19th-century dance description: Jonathan Sivier suggested that it meant for everyone to chassee past their partner (not for all four couples to chassee across the set at the same time): I'm no expert on historic dance reconstruction, just occasionally an interested dabbler. That said, I agree with Jonathan. In fact, notes about "La Russe" on these pages http://www.contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/EFDS4806-LaRusse.html http://colinhume.com/deconnect.htm#LaRusse refer to an early description in H.D. Willock's _Ballroom Guide — A Manual of Dancing_, in which the opening figures are given as: 1. All eight chasse across, set at the corners, and turn 2. The same back to places, set and turn You can find a scanned pdf of Willock's book (revised edition, [1860's?]) linked from here: http://www.libraryofdance.org/manuals/ A side note: When I first read Jonathan's message, I was a little surprised at the reference to "La Russe", since I learned that dance in a version where the ladies stay put while the gents go behind their partners to meet their right hand ladies. It didn't take much searching to confirm that there are common versions with gents and ladies moving equally. I also found a version in _Northern Junket_, Vol 7, No. 2 (November, 1960) http://digital.unh.edu/fedora/objects/northernjunket:0074/datastreams/APPLI… page 33, where the men stay put while the women travel. Ah, the folk process! --Jim