Nowadays we think of "English Country dancing" and "contra dancing" as two distinct traditions. It was not always so, and early American dances like The Young Widow can be seen as bridging the gap. Many of the dances popular early in our history were in fact English country dances. The Young Widow seems to be a purely American invention, but it had much in common with the English dancing of the late eighteenth century, and its shape, pace and phrasing probably resemble today's English country dances as much as contemporary contra dances.
The earliest published source for the The Young Widow is a copy of the 1788 dance manual, A Collection of The newest and most fashionable Country Dances and Cotillions, by John Griffiths, which now resides at the Rhode Island Historical Society, but it must have been popular in its day as it appears in several other dance manuals of the time. The dance was rescued from oblivion at the time of the United States' bicentennial. Because of its unusual features and clever construction The Young Widow has since become a staple of the English Country dance repertoire. However, we have occasionally seen it greatly appreciated in contra dance communities as well.
Like their English cousins, Early American dances were often created with a close association to a particular tune. The tune called The Young Widow is wonderfully upbeat. This young widow was clearly quite the cheerful soul. Like many chestnuts (and English dances also, of course) you will find that the fit between this dance and its tune is superb. You can find notation for the tune both in the Barnes English Country Dance book and in the Portland Collection that is popular with contra dance musicians. It has been recorded by Bare Necessities on Volume 6 ("At the Ball") of their English Country Dance Collection, and on the Rodney Miller recording, "Greasy Coat."
The Young Widow is an unusual dance. In other dances of its vintage the first couple is active throughout, and couples two and three only play a support role. But in the last part of this dance couples two and three are center stage. We find this to be a most helpful characteristic in a triple minor dance; the roles are by no means equivalent, but they are more balanced than in many similar dances. The dance is well crafted in other ways. For example, if you make the circle six wide, the ones are left already standing outside the set as they should be for the other couples' "solo." Also, the dance ends with the couple that is about to be #2 facing up, and the new #3's facing down. This is even more apparent if you finish with a New England style right and left through rather than the "two changes of rights and lefts" that you would expect in an English country dance. Thus as the actives move in for a new star to begin the dance anew, the couple they need is facing them. It is true that the other couple is temporarily facing the wrong way. However, they have nothing to do momentarily, and seeing the star form in the next minor set cues them to turn around and face the music. (For a review of the mathematics of triple minor dances, please refer to earlier "Cracking Chestnuts" columns about Genet's Recall or British Sorrow.)
Although it is perhaps somewhat different than what you will encounter at an English country dance, we suggest trying this dance as written below, that is with contra dance styling. For example, in the last part we really like using a vigorous double balance, rather than the lighter and more upright English-style setting step. Think of it as patriotic! Please note, however, that this approach may be controversial. Some will tell you that it is not historically accurate, and others will complain because that is not how they learned it first. Ralph Page suggested using a "balance" that was four steps forward and four more back, both in A2 and in the last part. We prefer the version below, because the last part of the music, which Page did not have, seems to cry out for balances with oomph. (Note that, because the tune is structured this way, we have written the parts as A1, A2, B and C, rather than B1 and B2. It is still a 32-bar sequence.)
We recommend The Young Widow to you as a lovely, pleasing dance with several unique features. Enjoy!
The Young Widow
Triple proper (rules for triple minors)
| A1 |
Couples one and two right-hand star Same couples left-hand star back |
| A2 | Actives down the center, turn half round as a couple, the other way back (see notes), and cast off with couple two |
| B |
Forward six and back Circle left, six hands around, just halfway, couple one release hands with neighbors to leave couples two and three facing each other (twos facing down and threes facing up) |
| C |
Working as a unit with their partners, couples two and three do two
step-swing balances Same two couples half right and left through along the set |
Notes:
There are a number of sources for the original material, such as the one cited in the article, A Collection of The newest and most fashionable Country dances and Cotillions, by John Griffiths (1788), and there are several twentieth century publications containing reconstructions of the dance, including, among others: Contras as Ralph Page Called Them, by Roget Knox (Ithaca, NY, 1990); John Griffiths, Dancing Master: 29 Country Dances, by Charles Cyril Hendrickson (The Hendrickson Group, Sandy Hook, CT, 1989); and, of course, our own publication, 24 Early American Country Dances: Cotillions and Reels for the Year 1976, by James Morrison (Country Dance and Song Society, 1976, rev. 1996), the main published source for the dance.
The 24 Early American version has many fans, including CDSS Executive and Artistic Director Brad Foster who says: "Teaching the dance as a crossover or hybrid English and American dance is a great idea, and you need to choose the appropriate version of the dance for your setting. In general, however, we prefer the version first constructed by Jim Morrison and published by CDSS that uses English or early American setting steps."
Below are the instructions from 24 Early American Country Dances. Whichever version you do, The Young Widow is, as David mentioned, a "lovely and pleasing dance."
A1- 1st and 2nd couples right hands across and back.
A2- 1st couple down the center, turn as a couple half way round giving both hands, lead back up the center, and cast off into second place (improper).
B1- Joining hands in lines of three, all three couples set to partners.
B2- Circle 6 hands halfway round.
C- Original 2nd and 3rd couples face each other up and down the set, and set (8 beats); 2nd and 3rd couples half right and left to progressed places. (The 1st couple, in the middle place, stands aside during this final figure.)