English Country Dance - History

History

The origins of English country dance are a matter of some debate. Shared features with other English folk dances, such as morris and sword dancing, suggest a true 'country' origin; however, other aspects resemble the courtly dances of Continental Europe, especially those of Renaissance Italy. It is probable that English country dance is the result of some synthesis of these dance forms . While many references to 'country dancing' and titles shared with known 17th-century dances appear from the reign of Elizabeth I forward, few of these can conclusively be demonstrated to refer to English country dance. Little of substance, therefore, is positively known of the form before the mid-17th century .

Published instructions for English country dances first appear in The English Dancing Master of 1651, issued by John Playford, a London music publisher. These dances, like most dances of the period, are unattributed. Playford and his successors had a practical monopoly on the publication of dance manuals until 1711, and ceased publishing around 1728. During this period, English country dances took a variety of forms, including finite sets for two, three and four couples as well as circles and squares. By the 1720s, these had been almost entirely supplanted by longways sets for three and two couples, which would remain normative until English country dance's eclipse .

English country dance traveled outside Britain, and enjoyed particular popularity in France. André Lorin visited the English court in the late 17th century and after returning to France he presented a manuscript of dances in the English manner to Louis XIV. In 1706 Raoul Auger Feuillet published his Recüeil de Contredances, a collection of "contredanse anglais" presented in a simplified form of Beauchamp-Feuillet notation and including some dances invented by the author as well as authentic English dances. This was subsequently translated into English by John Essex and published in England as For the Further Improvement of Dancing. Copies of these books may be found online.

By the early 19th century, new dance forms from the Continent had begun to reach England and America. As the quadrille and waltz became increasingly popular, English country dance declined, and by 1830 had almost entirely vanished .

In the early 20th century, historical English country dances were revived in England, first by suffragist Mary Neal, but most famously by folklorist Cecil Sharp, who also reintroduced English country dance to the United States. The English country dance revivalists were obliged to reconstruct the historical dances, as no source clearly defined the historical dance terms. Sharp's definitions of English country dance figures became the standard interpretation, with certain exceptions. Sharp and the other revivalists of the early 20th century were wholly concerned with reconstructing and teaching dances from the historical dance manuals . It was not until the 1930s that the first new English country dances were composed. The publication of Maggot Pie, the first collection of modern English country dances, in 1932 was controversial in the English country dance community; only in the late 20th century did modern compositions become fully accepted . Reconstructions of historical dances and new compositions continue to be produced and danced today. Interpreters and composers of the 20th century include Douglas and Helen Kennedy, Pat Shaw, Tom Cook, Ken Sheffield, Charles Bolton, Michael Barraclough, Colin Hume and Andrew Shaw.