"New from France": Cotillons in Georgian London
(Anne Daye)

In contrast to the English country dance, the contredanse française or cotillon always had a strong French character even when composed by English masters. The numerous publications from c.1770 to c.1815 in London, Bath, Cambridge and Norwich are testimony to the popularity of this creative and sociable form throughout the Napoleonic Wars. Superseded by the quadrille, the cotillon had established many of the figures of the square set. It was danced by Jane Austen who noted in one of her last letters thanking her niece Fanny for the gift of a music book: ‘Much obliged for the Quadrilles which I am grown to think pretty enough, though they are very inferior to the Cotillions of mine own day’. Cotillon balls were a feature of the assembly room programmes, with inventive figures, delightful steps and charming music.

The cotillons will include: L’Entrée du Bal by Nicholas Lemaire 1773, Les Ombre Chinois by Thomas Budd c. 1780, Lison Dormoit by Francis Werner 1780

Anne Daye, Bedford, Grossbritannien:

Dr. Anne Daye is an experienced teacher and dance leader. Her core research both practical and theoretical concerns the Renaissance dance culture of the Elizabethan and Stuart courts, leading to a doctoral thesis on the Jacobean masque. Her interest in dancing in England then continues with the country dance in the 18th and 19th centuries, with a special focus on the dancing scene of Jane Austen’s world. Anne is Director of Education and Research for the Historical Dance Society.