Throughout the Ball-room Guide we have endeavoured to avoid as much as
possible the rise of French words, and to give our directions in
the plain mother tongue. Nevertheless there must always be certain
technical terms, such as _chassez croisez, glissade_, &c., &c., for
which it would be difficult to find good English equivalents. We
therefore subjoin a Glossary of all such words and expressions as have
long since been universally accepted as the accredited phraseology of
the Ball-room.
* * * * *
A vos places, _back to your own places_.
A la fin, _at the end_.
A droite, _to the right_.
A gauche, _to the left_.
Balancez, _set to your partners_.
Balancez aux coins, _set to the corners_.
Balancez quatre en ligne, _four dancers set in a line, joining hands,
as in La Poule_.
Balancez en moulinet, _gentlemen and their partners give each other
right hands across, and_ balancez _in the form of a cross_.
Balancez et tour des mains, _all set to partners, and turn to places.
(See_ Tour des mains.)
Ballotez, _do the same step four times without changing your place_.
Chaine Anglaise, _opposite couples right and left_.
Chaine des dames, _ladies' chain_.
Chaine Anglaise double, _double right and left_.
Chaine des dames double, _all the ladies perform the ladies' chain at
the same time_.
Chassez croisez, _do the_ chassé _step from left to right, or right to
left, the lady passing before the gentleman in the opposite direction,
that is, moving right if he moves left, and vice versâ_.
Chassez croisez et déchassez, _change places with partners, ladies
passing in front, first to the right, then to the left, back to
places. It may be either_ à quatre _four couples--or_ les huit--_eight
couples_.
Chassez à droite--à gauche, _move to the right--to the left_.
Le cavalier seul, _gentleman advances alone_.
Les cavaliers seuls deux fois, _gentlemen advance and retire twice
without their partners_.
Changez vos dames, _change partners_.
Contre partie pour les autres, _the other dancers do the same figure_.
Demi promenade, _half promenade_.
Demi chaine Anglaise, _half right and left_.
Demi moulinet, _ladies all advance to centre, right hands across, and
back to places_.
Demi tour à quatre, _four hands half round_.
Dos-à-dos, _lady and opposite gentleman advance, pass round each other
back to back, and return to places_.
Les dames en moulinet, _ladies give right hands across to each other,
half round, and back again with left hands_.
Les dames donnent la main droite--gauche--à leurs cavaliers, _ladies
give the right--left--hands to partners_.
En avant deux et en arrière; _first lady and_ vis-à-vis _gentleman
advance and retire. To secure brevity_, en avant _is always understood
to imply_ en arrière _when the latter is not expressed_.
En avant deux fois, _advance and retreat twice_.
En avant quatre, _first couple and their_ vis-à-vis _advance and
retire_.
En avant trois, _three advance and retire, as in La Pastorale_.
Figurez devant, _dance before_.
Figurez à droite--à gauche, _dance to the right--to the left_.
La grande tour de rond, _all join hands and dance, completely round
the figure in a circle back to places_.
Le grand rond, _all join hands, and advance and retreat twice, as in
La Finale_.
Le grand quatre, _all eight couples form into squares_.
La grande chaine, _all the couples move quite round the figure, giving
alternately the right and left hand to each in succession, beginning
with the right, until all have regained their places, as in last
figure of the Lancers_.
La grande promenade, _all eight (or more) couples promenade all round
the figure back to places_.
La main, _the hand_.
La meme pour les cavaliers, _gentlemen do the same_.
Le moulinet, _hands across. The figure will explain whether it is the
gentlemen, or the ladies, or both, who are to perform it_.
Pas d'Allemande, _the gentleman turns his partner under each arm in
succession_.
Pas de Basque, _a kind of sliding step forward, performed with both
feet alternately in quick succession. Used in the Redowa and other
dances. Comes from the South of France_.
Glissade, _a sliding step_.
Le Tiroir, _first couple cross with hands joined to opposite couple's
place, opposite couple crossing separately outside them; then cross
back to places, same figure reversed_.
Tour des mains, _give both hands to partner, and turn her round
without quitting your places_.
Tour sur place, _the same_.
Tournez vos dames, _the same_.
Tour aux coins, _turn at the corners, as in the Caledonians, each
gentleman turning the lady who stands nearest his left hand, and
immediately returning to his own place_.