The Allies Two-Step

(London, 1915)

General Description

This is a simple yet satisfying early English sequence two-step composed by James Finnigan in 1915, in honor of the Allies in World War I.

The Position

Closed position throughout.

The Dance

Part I - Advance and Retire (4 bars): Promenade three quick steps along LOD (1, 2, 3), then point inside foot along LOD (4). Then "retire" three quick steps against LOD (5, 6, 7), and point outside toe slightly across in front of inside foot (8).

Part II - Stalking Walk (4 bars): Promenade four slow steps along LOD, dipping on each step (1, 3, 5, 7).

Part III - Three Slides Out and Back (4 bars): Three slides along LOD (1-and-2-and-3), and "stretch" along LOD (4), then three slides against LOD (5-and-6-and-7), and "stretch" against LOD (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.

The Music

There's an eponymous tune composed specifically for the dance by John Roberts, but any square, early 20th century two-step will work nicely.

Sources

James Finnigan. (1915). The Allies Two-Step, New Dance. London.

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

(Click to expand)

Historical Descriptions

The Allies Two Step (Finnigan, The Allies Two Step, 1915):

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.

For full-length teaching videos, visit: University of Dance.

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