Military Parade

(London, 1913)

General Description

This is a satisfying early English sequence two-step composed by Flo. Almond in 1913.

The Position

Side by side facing LOD, Follow's left in Lead's right.

The Dance

Part I - Point and Walk (4 bars): Point outside foot forward along LOD (1), then point outside foot back against LOD (3), slightly bending the knees and turning head to face partner. Then walk four steps along LOD, closing feet on the fourth step (5, 6, 7, 8).

Part II - Rollaway and Walk Apart (4 bars): A full two-step rollaway along LOD (1-and-2, 3-and-4), then walk two steps along LOD (5, 6) and side, close along LOD (7, 8), closing up to closed position.

Part III - Two-Step and Walk Together (4 bars): A 3/4 turn of turning two-step (1-and-2, 3-and-4), ending up with Follow backing, then back the Follow two steps (5, 6), and side, close along LOD (7, 8).

Part IV - Two-Step* (4 bars): Two full turns of turning two-step (1-and-2, 3-and-4, 5-and-6, 7-and-8).

Repeat from the beginning.

* For advanced dancers, the description notes that the turning in Parts III and IV can be either to the right or to the left.

The Music

There's an eponymous tune composed specifically for the dance by R. T. Almond, but any square, early 20th century two-step will work nicely.

Sources

Flo. Almond. (1913). Military Parade, Novelty Ball-Room Dance. London.

Thanks to Richard Powers for providing several helpful suggestions to improve this page.

(Click to expand)

Historical Descriptions

Military Parade (Almond, Military Parade, 1913):

For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.

Home About Dances Manuals Search