Also...
Posted by Ann on December 07, 1997 at 22:12:54:
In response to Question about dancing and balls, written by Tess on December 07, 1997 at 21:22:37
] I have been wondering how couples, when they stood up to dance, knew which dance to perform.
I have also been confused by the comings and goings of people during the dance. With a fixed set of a certain number of people, I would think it would be hard if a new couple joined the line (eg. Mr. Knightley and Harriet) or a couple dropped out, and that it would be confusing to have people wandering through the middle of the dance ("...Sir William Lucas appeared close to them, meaning to pass through the set..."). I would think that everyone would have to recalculate the pattern as soon as a change occurred. In the case of P&P2's Mr. Beveridges Maggot, this would have been impossible, because the set occasionally broke into 4 person (2 couples)--unless 2 couples joined the dance at the same time. I think I can see why they had to have dancing masters!
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