Dance figure
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In the context of dance, a figure is a named pattern of movement that is bigger than a step and smaller than a phrase. Figures were a widespread feature of Western social dances in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and typically involved multiple dancers creating formations and patterns.[1]
History
[edit]Dances were documented using a variety of notations, which would graphically represent the ballroom floor and the ways dancers would travel through space on that floor. Figures remain a feature of popular group social dances derived from these older forms, including Contra dancing, Irish dancing and American square dancing.
Example figures
[edit]Common figures taught in Irish Ceili dance today include "Advance and Retire," "Figure of Eight," "Hands Round Four," etc. Irish stepdances are often built around a single figure, which alternates with steps, similar to the repeating theme in a musical Rondo. Dances constructed in this way are called figure dances.[2]
Calling and skating
[edit]Some forms of figure dancing, such as square dancing, feature a caller who tells the dancers which figure to perform next; dancers are expected to learn a shared vocabulary of figures and perform them upon request by the caller. English Style Skating works in a similar manner, except dancers are working on a sheet of ice instead of a dance floor.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Aldrich, Elizabeth (1998). "Western Social Dance: An Overview of the Collection: An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490 to 1920, Library of Congress Digital Collections
- O'Keeffe, J G and O'Brien, Art (1914). "A Handbook of Irish Dances", M.h. Gill & Sone, Ltd, Dublin, Ireland
- Lewis-Williams, J.D. (October 1999). "Dance and Representation". Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 9 (2): 281–283. doi:10.1017/S0959774300015420.
- Matsuyama, Hitoshi; Hiroi, Kei; Kaji, Katsuhiko; Yonezawa, Takuro; Kawaguchi, Nobuo (2021). "A Basic Study on Ballroom Dance Figure Classification with LSTM Using Multi-modal Sensor". Activity and Behavior Computing. 204: 209–226. doi:10.1007/978-981-15-8944-7_13.