Primary Source
Dancing Made Easy - 1922
I have made a lot of use of this book in my "Jazz Age Dancing" project. It is refreshingly clear and straight forward, and aims at the same beginner-to-advanced audience I seek. It also lays out in a very succinct form the general view of things ballroom at the beginning of the Jazz Age.
Book: The Modern Dances - 1914
This compact and useful book was actually published before the Jazz Age, in what could better be described as the "Ragtime Era" and it is silent on the Fox Trot of the Jazz Age.
Thos Wilson's Quadrille Instructor - Ca 1816
The Quadrille Instructor,
Containing Directions, for Dancing a Variety of New Quadrilles, as Introduced at the Assemblies of the Nobility and also at the Author's Balls & Assemblies.
The Figures, described in French and English, clearly illustrated by Diagrams Shewing the various Situations & Evolutions of each Person in the Dance, with the appropriate Steps and the Time they occupy in the Performance.
Adapted to original Music, and arranged for the Piano Forte, Harp, or Violin,
by Thomas Wilson
This compact book of instructions discusses the quadrille at the time it was being invented. In geometry, these early quadrilles were very much like later Victorian quadrilles (and American Square Dances for all that). However, the Victorians had largely given up on the steps that are such an integral part of the Regency Quadrille.
The publication date is an estimate. The book is not dated, but the text refers to a long forgotten French opera about the Duke of Wellington, and it seems unlikely that the French would be writing operas about the Iron Duke before the Battle of Waterloo - and also mentions "Treasures of Terpsichore", which is dated 1816.
The Prompter Quadrille Book. - W B De Garmo 1868
The prompter - Full Descriptions of all the Quadrilles, Figures of the German Cotillion etc.
William B. De Garmo
1868
W.A. Pond & Company New York
This book is of primary academic interest to dance and social historians and practical interest to dance callers who are leading Quadrilles at Victorian balls.
Dancing - 1899 Dance Manual by Marguerite Wilson
This is a very nice compilation from the end of the Victorian period, which provides some choreographies for many of the most popular figure dances.
An Analysis of Country Dancing - 1808
The Full title is "An analysis of country dancing: wherein are displayed all the figures ever used in country dances, in a way so easy and familiar, that persons of the meanest capacity may in a short time acquire (without the aid of a master) a complete knowledge of that rational and polite amusement. To which are added, instructions for dancing some entire new reels; together with the rules, regulations, and complete etiquette of the ball room. By Thomas Wilson ... Embellished and illustrated with engravings on wood, by J. Berryman."
The Complete System of English Country Dancing - 1815
This book is the foundation work by Mr. Wilson on the topic of English Country Dance. I have downloaded it from the Library of Congress "American Memory" site, and compiled it for more convenient search, sharing and printing.
This book does not describe the specific steps, but does say which steps should be used for every possible figure in the Country Dance repertoire.
The Scholar's Companion - Cotillions and Country Dances - 1796
The scholars companion : containing a choice collection of cotillons & country-dances / by M.J.C. Fraisier.
This contains choreography for a wide variety of cotillions and country dances of the late 19th Century. The book was published in the United States, and has dances from England and France.
Cotillions and Country Dances 1792
The Gentleman & Lady's Companion: Containing the Newest Cotillions and Country Dances; to which is added Instances of Ill Manners to be carefully avoided by Youth of Both Sexes. 1798.
This is an excellent source for the choreography of numerous country dances and cotillions (square figures) that would be popular in the Regency era.
Elements of the Art of Dancing - 1822
Elements of the Art of Dancing: With a Description of the Principal Figures of the Quadrille. Alexader Strathy. 1822.
While this book slightly post-dates the period generally referred to as "Regency", it is extremely valuable in that it lays out the steps used in Regency dance. It is the general abandonment of these steps in modern English Country Dance that makes our modern practice unhistorical.
