Early American Forms

What about the Lancers? History is confused about the Lancers. It is a quadrille, of course, more elaborate than most, but orthodox in its five-part arrangement. (It may even be much older than the standard quadrille.) On dance programs it was always distinguished from the quadrilles, for some reason. A program from a century ago reads:

"Grand March, Quadrille, Waltz, Lancer, Schottische, Caledonian Quadrille, Waltz, Basket Quadrille, Redowa, Lancer, Polka, Lanigan Quadrille, Varsouvienne, ..."

etc., etc., until you reach number 38 and five o'clock in the morning. This program contains 11 quadrilles, 7 lancers, 19 couple dances, two grand marches, and a few odds and ends like a Virginia Reel. This is at least five hours of solid dancing, plus long pauses between dances, and supper in the middle of the evening.

A Lancer is really a program of five square dances: the 1st in 6/8 time, the 2nd in 2/4, the 3rd and 4th in 6/8, and the 5th in 4/4. This last figure was always military in style and in march time. This made a field day for the composers. They loved to write lancers, and what lovely things they were!. Our happiest inheritance from the lancers at present is the Grand Square, which is a lancers' 5th figure. Imagine it in military uniform - the ladies in dimity and taffeta.

And so, in its every phase, the English Country Dance had gone over to the glamorous enemy. Here and there, in isolated areas of England and Scotland, an increasingly degenerate form hung on (Scottish soldiers danced the old dances with fierce dedication). It was we who saved it. We brought it with us, pristine and precious, when we came to the new world.