“Having a Ball in the Highlands 1822”. Jane Austen Dancers Scottish-themed Performance for 2022

Scotch Measure
Scottish dances came to the stage in England late 1600s, and, as usual, were diluted into Country Dances for all. Scottish dances in the English stage were particularly prevalent during the Jacobite Uprising of 1715 (James Stuart, old pretender) and Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 (Bonnie Prince Charlie, son and new pretender) then fell out of fashion on the stage, at least, 1760 on, whilst remaining popular at a social level. The visit of King George IV in 1822 increased interest again.
Scotch Measures, usually for 1 (lady) dancer, offer a slower dance than (men's).
The Scotch Measure was also a Country Dance (for the stage) by Bray 1699 (music by Purcell), to allow the public to watch an English version of Scottish dancing on stage (although it’s not particularly Scottish-feeling!), before having a go at a local ball themselves.
As with all Scotch Measure tunes, it has a bouncier rhythm (2 strong, 2 weak beats - crotchet) than a smoother reel tune (4 equal beats - quaver).
So we've decided to dance both The Scotch Measure Country Dance and the Scotch Measure solo, using extant (Peacock 1805 / Hill 1841) and Scottish traditional steps. Enjoy watching both at the same time!
Coronation Waltz
We’ve selected figures from Becker’s Taschenbuch Waltz Quadrille 1821 and set them to George IV Coronation Waltz 1821 (contained in Hart's 1st Scottish Set Quadrilles).
Waltzing in Quadrilles was starting to be included around this time, sometimes just the standard 1st Set figures were set to waltz music, other times, such as with Becker, the waltz figures were unique. Barclay Dun, too, included 2 unique Waltz Quadrille figures in his 1818 Scottish set (Edinburgh) - we could have used his 'Valse en Cotillion' figure (but we’ve performed this before!) or his D’Egville figure (but we’re all going to dance that later instead!).
We celebrated George’s Coronation of 1821 in 2021, but as we didn’t do a performance last year, and having found this tune, I had to include it this year. Even better that it includes sections of “God Save the King” in waltz time! And at the Peers / Highland Ball of 1822, the guests sung this when George arrived - we’ll be dancing to it and leaving the singing up to those who will!
Scottish Reels
We've set our Scottish Reels to Lord Dalkeith's Reel (Sancho 1779), as George IV stayed at the Duke of Buccleuch's home at Dalkeith, just outside Edinburgh, during his Scottish visit. Although it's in 2/4 rather than the more common reel time of 4/4 (that’s 4 Straspey steps or 8 chasse steps), its a lovely lively tune and reflects the taste for Reeling to a medley of Straspey, reel and jig rhythms, as given in many extant music books eg Companion to the Reticule 1820.
Notice our use of armography, by both men and women, from Wilson’s print.
The 3 Scotch Reels we dance:
- Scottish Reel of 4 & a King (or Country Bumpkin!), with Highland/Scottish steps (traditional and Peacock 1805), including both Straspey and Reel/Chasse steps. The use of Straspey steps is a nod to the “Couple Straspey“ danced by William Murray (see below) for George IV at the Highland/Peers Ball. [danced by set 1]
We have extended it to include a King, as a nod to King George IV (also know as a Country Bumpkin, to use the same terms as for the Old Country Bumpkin Reel for 9).
- Scottish Reel of 5, based on Traditional / Old Scottish Reels, but reflecting the developing taste for increased numbers of reelers (over the traditional 3 and 4 people). [danced by set 2]
The Old (aka Traditional) (threesome/3 people and foursome/4 people) Scottish Reels, which Wilson documented c1811, had been “for a number of years a very favourite, and most generally approved species of dancing, originating from Scotland” and now “danced in England, Ireland, Scotland, foreign courts of Europe and the colonies”.
- Wilson's New Reel of 5, from Wilsons Complete System c1808. [danced by set 2]
Wilson introduced New Reels to complement the Old Reels, and “render them pleasing substitutes for petit Cotillions”. They were choreographed expressly by Wilson because of “frequent complaints” by good dancers of the “sameness” and “dullness” of the Old Reels. The New Reels are a “novelty” and fun addition to “vivacious” Reeling. Even though he created these Scotch Reels he still found time to complain, in 1816, about :
It’s fine for us to dance Scottish Reels a little chaotically all over the ballroom, as it replicates exactly what happened back then!
We hope that you enjoy our performance and that we achieve a “Pleasing effect, with lively and brilliant steps”, that Dancing Masters (Peacock, Gallini, Dun) expected from the Scottish.
We’ve transformed our venue and ourselves with Tartan to stage our own Ball in the Highlands!
@Liz Bartlett & Beau's Band (for Jane Austen Dancers) - Any unauthorized broadcasting, public re-performance, re-staging in a same/similar format will constitute an infringement of copyright. Video :Martin Salter