Dance figure
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the context of dance, a figure is a named pattern of movement that is bigger than a step and smaller than a phrase. Figures were a widespread feature of Western social dances in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and typically involved multiple dancers creating formations and patterns.[1]
Dances were documented using a variety of notations, which would graphically represent the ballroom floor and the ways dancers would travel through space on that floor. Figures remain a feature of popular group social dances derived from these older forms, including Contra dancing, Irish dancing and American square dancing.
Example figures
Common figures taught in Irish Ceili dance today include "Advance and Retire," "Figure of Eight," "Hands Round Four," etc. Irish stepdances are often built around a single figure, which alternates with steps, similar to the repeating theme in a musical Rondo. Dances constructed in this way are called figure dances.[2]