The drawing-room dances

A translation of La danse des salons (1847), this manual provides important information on mid-nineteenth-century ballroom dance. Following a format utilized by many manuals, the work begins with introductory comments on dance, followed by a description of the French quadrille. This is followed by discussion of round dances--the polka, numerous waltzes including waltze à trois temps, and waltze à deux temps--as well as steps and figures for another type of quadrille known as the mazurka quadrille. The manual contains eighty-three figures for a series of dance games, called the cotillon (also known as the German or German cotillon). The manual includes eight full-page prints by Paul Gavarni.