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George Washington: A Biography in Social Dance
by Kate Van Winkle Keller and Charles Cyril Hendrickson
Sandy Hook, CT: The Hendrickson Group, 1998
ISBN 1-877984-09-4
144 Pages   *GWD-bk $25.00

 

"An absolutely stunning book . . .  and such a wealth of information"   —Marshall Barron
 

This collection is a must for anyone celebrating Washington's birthday with a ball. It opens with an essay on dancing in America in George Washington's time, from 1732–1799. A transcription of Washington's hand-written Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour follows. The body of the book comprises 6 minuets, 6 cotillions, 49 country dances, 3- and 4-hand reels, jigs for 1 or 2 dancers, and a fancy dance. Also included is the music for Pompey Ran Away Negro Jig, the steps for Durang's Hornpipe and Washington's description of an Iroquois dance. Song lyrics are included for several tunes.
        Directions for each dance include historically accurate figures, suggested steps, and music with chords. Detailed instructions are also given for 18th-century dance technique, figures, and steps. A complete manual for dancing the minuet is included along with many relevant paintings, prints and woodcuts. In short, this is an illustrated and practical history of social dance in colonial America.
        The dances in this collection commemorate George Washington's life and career. Selected chiefly from 18th-century American sources, they reflect those he may have danced or observed. They are presented with a biographical narrative linking to historical events dance titles such as The Brandywine, Independence Cotillion, The Congress Minuet, Hessian Camp, Washington's Resignation, The New York Assembly, City of Washington, and The New Constitution. Others are more personal: Mount Vernon, Washington's Reel, The President and The Free Masons. Lady Washington and Saw You My Hero George commemorate Martha Washington.

CONTENTS

America with the Minuet, a country dance
Vernon Forever, a country dance
The Drummer, a country dance
Away to the Camp, a country dance
An Iroquois Dance
Philadelphia Minuet
A Minuet by the Reverd Mr. Bacon 
Washington's Reel, a country dance
Lady Washington's Reel, a country dance 
Mount Vernon Fancy Dance
Liberty, a country dance
Boston March, a country dance
Washington and Liberty, a country dance 
Dorchester's March, a country dance
Lord Howe's Jig, a country dance
Soldier's Joy, a country dance
Hessian Camp, a country dance 
Hessian Dance, a country dance 
The Brandywine, a country dance
Lafayette, a country dance
Burgoyne's Defeat, a country dance
Baron Steuben's Favorite, a country dance 
Saw You My Hero, George or Lady Washington, a country dance
The Monmouth, or The Victory, a country dance 
Spirit of France, a country dance
Pluckemin, a country dance 
Congress Minuet
Stony Point, a country dance 
George Washington's Favorite Cotillion
Military Assembly, a country dance 
Successful Campaign, a country dance 
A Trip to Virginia, a country dance 
British Sorrow, a country dance 
Yankee Doodle, a country dance 
The American Ladies Country Dance 
The Washington Country Dance 
The American Eagle, a country dance
Independence Cotillion 
Washington's Resignation, a country dance 
Virginia, a country dance
Virginia Minuet 
Virginia Reel, a country dance 
Virginia Reels 
Virginia Jigs
Cut-Out Jig 
Tunes for Virginia Jigs:
Pompey Ran Away. Negroe Jig 
Sam Jones. Virginian 
Old Plantation Girls
The New Negro
The Americans Cotillion 
The Convention, a cotillion
The New Constitution, a country dance 
The Rising Sun, a country dance 
Federal Cotillion
The President [First Term], a country dance 
The President's March or Hail! Columbia, a country dance 
The New York Assembly, a country dance 
Boston Assembly, a country dance 
City of Philadelphia, a country dance 
City of Washington, a country dance 
Columbia, a country dance 
Durang's Hornpipe 
Lafayette Forever, a cotillion 
Fancy Minuet for General Washington 
Fancy Minuet for Mrs. Washington
The President [Second Term], a country dance
The Free Masons, a country dance
The Twenty-Second of February, a country dance
Mount Vernon, a country dance
Washington Assembly, a country dance 
Washington Forever, a country dance