The Jolly Waltz Quadrille / Mixer

{1946}


Introduction

The Jolly Waltz Quadrille is an easy waltz quadrille described in Ed Durlacher's Square Dances (1946).

On this page, you'll find a description of both the original version, as well as an minor adaptation into a mixer for any number of couples by Nick Enge.



The Jolly Waltz Quadrille

The Formation

Four couples in a square, Follows at the Leads' right, all facing in.


The Dance

After honoring partners (the Follow to the Lead's right) and corners (the Follow to Lead's left), all join hands in a circle and dance:

Forward and Back (4 bars): Four steps into the center (1, 2, 3, 4, holding 5, 6), bringing the hands up on the fourth count. Then four steps back out again (1, 2, 3, 4, holding 5, 6), bringing the hands back down again. (The original description says two waltz steps in and two waltz steps out, but with the prescribed hand motions, we find that it feels better to hesitate it, 1, 2, 3, 4, hold.)

Repeat Forward and Back (4 bars)

Allemande Left (4 bars): Take left hands with corner and circle around each other one full rotation back to place.

Allemande Right (4 bars): Take right hands with partner and circle around each other one full rotation back to place. At the end, let go of hands, and the Lead approaches the next Follow (i.e., Lead #1 approaches Follow #2 and so on) to:

Waltz (16 bars): Waltz once around the set to return home to the Follow's home position.

Repeat Three More Times to Regain Partner and Position


The Jolly Waltz Mixer

The Jolly Waltz Mixer is a minor adaptation of the Jolly Waltz Quadrille that turns it into a mixer for any number of couples in a circle.

Simply form a circle of couples with the Follows on the right and dance the same figures as above, with the Leads progressing forward around the circle to a new Follow each time.

The joy of this waltz mixer is that you get 16 bars of waltzing with your partner (as opposed to the usual two or four that you find in most waltz mixers), which gives you time to incorporate variations, if you want, as long as you stay in your place in the circle, and end with the Follow to the right of the Lead when it's time to circle up again.


The Music

"Jolly Waltz Quadrille" is the intended tune, but any square waltz tune will do.


Sources


© 2020 Nick Enge


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.


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