An American Ballroom Companion presents a collection of over two hundred historical social dance manuals. The list begins with a rare late fifteenth-century source, Les basses danses de Marguerite d'Autriche (c.1490) and ends with Ella Gardner's 1929 Public dance halls, their regulation and place in the recreation of adolescents. Along with dance instruction manuals, this online presentation also includes a significant number of antidance manuals, histories, treatises on etiquette, and items from other conceptual categories. Many of the manuals also provide historical information on theatrical dance. All illuminate the manner in which people have joyfully expressed themselves as they dance for and with one another.

Below you will find a detailed of each of the manuals included on this CD.

CREATED/PUBLISHED V Treb ci : Nakladatel Jindrich Lorenz, 189- (V Dacic ch : Tisk Ant. Kasal ho)

SUMMARY This diminutive manual, written in Czech, contains s of popular ballroom dances including the polka, mazurka, waltz, quadrille, and polonaise. Lorenzov demonstrates that late nineteenth-century ballroom traditions were similar throughout western and eastern Europe.

CREATED/PUBLISHED Napoli, V. Orsino, 1779.

SUMMARY This manual represents one of the most important sources on dance technique for the second half of the eighteenth century and is a critical link between Baroque dance and early romantic ballet. Part one is divided into sixty sections describing various aspects of dance beginning with a statement on the utility of dance, and feet positions. The manual continus with s of many steps, for example, four of battemens, nine types of pas de bourr e; ballot ; and twenty-three types of cabriole. Also includd is extensive information on late eighteenth-century grotesque style, especially important for the study of Italian pantomime. Part two discusses the responsibilities of a dancing master and manner of performing the minuet. The manual concludes with instructions for thirty-nine contradanze (contredanses) including one dance that is arranged for thirty-two performers.

CREATED/PUBLISHED Paris, Bo 1/4in; etc., etc., 1770?

SUMMARY This instructional manual describes Baroque dance steps and their correlation with music using the notation system published by Raoul-Auger Feuillet in 1700. Additionally, the manual contains information on the minuet and also provides an extensive discussion on hand and arm positions.

CREATED/PUBLISHED London, Sharp & Hale, 1854.

SUMMARY In this book dancing master Mason attempts to make a case for the advantages of dancing and traces the development of dance from ancient times. As part of his argument, Mason often distinguishes between the dance of civilized and uncivilized peoples. His bias is clear in the following: "Man in a civilized state generally turns the feet outwards, as in an uncivilized state they are invariably turned inwards" (p. 11).

CREATED/PUBLISHED New York, E. & J. Magnus, 1852.

SUMMARY This manual begins, as do others of the period, with a general introduction that covers the necessity of dancing and a brief history of the dance. Declaring that bodily exercise "drives away sorrow and care," the author asks, "how is it that there are men malicious enough to condemn this innocent pastime?" (p. 12). The manual continues with ten rules to be observed at balls, duties of managers, and seven rules for the German cotillon (a series of dance games). While Meyer gives figures for quadrilles and directions for fourteen German cotillon figures, his s of round dances are vague. For example, in a describing the polks, he notes it "is either danced in a circle...or at variety, eight bars to the right and eight bars to the left...(pg. 23).

CREATED/PUBLISHED Madrid, P. Minguet, en su casa, 1737?

SUMMARY Published in 1758 by engraver, writer, and translator Minguet Irol, this manual incorporates sections of Raoul-Feuillet's Choreographie (Paris, 1700) and Pierre Rameau's Le Ma tre de danser (Paris, 1725), although neither author is credited. Part one describes feet positions, the manner of managing one's hat, and provides a large vocabulary of steps used in eighteenth-century dance technique. Part two includes dances by Feuillet and French dancer and choreographer, Guillaume-Louis Pecour. The third section discusses contredances. The last and most interesting part, dated 1764, gives s for forty-five steps used in Spanish dance.

CREATED/PUBLISHED Parme, Imprim par Bodoni, 1801.

SUMMARY This manual describes a colonial view of the history of dance in the West Indies, focusing on the dance of Creoles. Moreau de Saint-M ry (1750-1819), discusses the effects of slavery and the African roots for such dances as the chica and notes that contredanses and minuets were also performed.

OTHER TITLES Nuove inventioni di balli

CREATED/PUBLISHED Milano, G. Bordone, 1604.

SUMMARY Originally published as Le gratie d'amore in 1602, this manual is considered one of them most valuable and diverse primary sources on Italian court dance. Divided into three parts, the first part illuminates the career and students of dancing master Cesare Negri (ca. 1536-ca. 1604; also known as Il Trombone the second is devoted to the era's most virtuosic dance type, the galliard; and the third section details a wide repertory of additional steps utilized in the treatise's forty-three choreographies. Many of the choreographies are preceded by full-page illustrations and each dance is provided with appropriate music written in Italian lute tablature and/or mensural notation.

CREATED/PUBLISHED Philadelphia, The Penn publishing company, 1914.

SUMMARY Declaring his book to be the "absolute authorith on modern dancing," Newman describes a large selection of the most popular ragtime dances including the Castle Walk, Castle Glide, one step, horse trot, tango, maxixe, and lame duck. The manual is enhanced with line drawings and photographs and contains music for the "Newman Tango."

CREATED/PUBLISHED Cincinnati, O., J. M. Wright, 1896.

SUMMARY Although the manual begins with a of the "five ballet positions," the book is intended for amateurs. Nott presents directions for thirty steps such as leap, boure sic -quick, hop, dash, slide, and paddle step. Included also are choreographies for over twenty dances such a "Skip Rope Dance," "Skirt Dance,"Cloak Dance," "Witches Dance," and "Cachucha."

CREATED/PUBLISHED Chicago, Laird & Lee, inc. c1914

SUMMARY This manual is a series of articles written by Maurice, who, along with his partner Florence Walden, was one of the most famous exhibition ballroom dancers of the era. Included are s for the tango, Brazilian maxixe, Maurice walk, nineteen figures for "Nights of Gladness" Waltz, and twelve figures for "La Habanera."

CREATED/PUBLISHED Columbia, Printed at the office of the South Carolinian, 1849.

SUMMARY Taken from a sermon delivered 17 June 1849, Palmer's book is typical of midnineteenth-century antidance literature. He declares that the seventeen references to dance in the Bible are all performed by one sex, in open fields, and in broad daylight. This, Palmer (1818-1902) concludes, is not the case with balls, in which the sexes dance together, in closed quarters, and at night. The author declares that human nature is "fallen and depraved, and subject to the domination of wicked passions," therefore, attending balls is promiscuous, demoralizing and inconsistent with baptismal vows.

CREATED/PUBLISHED Paris, E. G rard et cie, 1877.

SUMMARY This manual provides instructions for the figures of five quadrilles including one for three couples (rather than the normal four couples). However, the main focus of the book is on the cotillon (also known as the German), a group dance consisting of a series of party games of figures. The manual provides 182 figures.

CREATED/PUBLISHED Aberdeen, Printed by J. Chalmers & co., 1805.

SUMMARY This manual begins with a discussion on the importance of dance for youth and outlines the origins of dance. Although much of the historical and theoretical text is borrowed from other dance writers--notably Giovanni-Andrea Gallini and John Weaver--the manual is important for its of the Scotch reel and accompanying ten reel steps. Some of the steps include kemsh ole (forward step), minor and double kemk ssy (setting steps), lematr st (cross springs), and curatag (turning step).

CREATED/PUBLISHED London, J. Walsh etc. 1711.

CREATED/PUBLISHED St. Louis, Mo., L. E. Kline, 1884.

SUMMARY The basic premise in this antidance treatise is typical of this genre of dance literature; namely, dance is bad for the health and is a waste of money. The author utilizes a novel approach and uses trees as metaphors to support his arguments. Some trees are "not comely to look upon, but the fruit very good." Other trees have dangerous fruit and the author concludes that samples of the fruit found on the tree of dancing include "pride, lasciviousness, lying, drunkenness, embezzlement, fornication, cruelty, idolatry, prostitution, abortion, and assassination." The manual was reissued in 1886 as The Upas Tree.

CREATED/PUBLISHED Chippewa Falls, Wis. c1901.

SUMMARY This antidance treatise was directed at the large German-speaking population that settled in the mid-western section of the United States. Pfefferkorn's two main arguments are common in this genre of literature: dance is a waste of time and money and, additionally, is bad for the health. The author concludes that dance is sinful and dangerous, leading to carnal appetites and immoral thoughts and actions.

CREATED/PUBLISHED New York, Printed by T. Kirk, 1798.

SUMMARY Substantiated by quotations from other writers including Pascall, Prince of Conti, Chief Justice Hale, and Archbishop Tillotson, Phillips declares dance to be a vain and idle amusement. While he acknowledges that many people assume the study of dance teaches good carriage and a "graceful and easy way of moving our limbs," he notes that Quakers, "who hold dancing in abomination," manage to display good carriage without benefit of dance instruction. As with other writers of antidance literature, Phillips notes that, although dance wasprevalent during biblical times, only women participated.