Menuett

Country: Sweden
Formation: 4 couple quadrille (W carrying fans). Numbered CW from the top of the set.

                                           Music
					   W1 M1
					M4       W2
					W4       M2
					   M3 W3
					   Front
Type: set dance
Steps: Music: any minuet with appropriate structure and tempo

Bars Sequence Dance progression
1-12 Intro Couples walk towards the front forming two lines (1-2); curtsey/bow to the front (3-4); M leads his W back to place with step 4 (5-8); M moves to face partner (9-10); all curtsey/bow to partner (11-12).
1-38
(13-50)
1 W circle: All dance step 1 beginning with R foot (1-2), followed by step 2 beginning with L foot (3-4), step 1 to L beginning with L foot (5-6), and step 2 beginning with R foot (7-8). Repeat (9-16).
All W move to centre (17-18), curtsey to each other (facing diagonally) (19-20), take L hands and walk CCW one full turn (21-22); curtsey to each other at same place as before (23-24); take R hands and walk CW two full turns (25-28); curtsey to each other, then to the front (29-32); dance step 3 three times (33-38); give free hand to partner and are led by M back to place.
1-32
(51-82)
2 Figuré: All M and W curtsey/bow to partner (1-2).
M1, M2, W3 and W4 advance walking (finish face to face). Curtsey/bow (3-6) (stepping to R); dance step 1 beginning with R foot and step 2 beginning with L foot (7-10); take R hand in R on the last beat, and turning back to back, dance step 1 and step 2 beginning with R foot (11-14), followed by step 1 and 2 beginning with L foot (15-18), still back-to-back). On the last beat, M takes ML/WR and MR/WL hold and walk CW with arms stretched out (19-22). Turn and walk CW [sic] (23-26), and finish facing front, holding MR/WL. Dance step 3 three times (27-32).
M1 and M2 take R in R with own partner, and walk CW to original place, while W3 and W4 give L hand to own partner.
1-32
(83-114)
  M3, M4, W1 and W2 repeat sequence 2 (1-32). As before, at end, M3 and M4 give R hand to partner, while W1 and W2 give L hand to partner.
1-18
(115-132)
3 Chaine: Each W walks forward to next M in LOD (ie CCW) (1-2), giving him L hand. M takes WL in ML and turns W around himself (3-4). With a light bow on the 1st beat of the next bar, W walks forward to next M (5-6), walks around him (7-8), and continues around set back to own partner (9-14). When W reaches her partner, she does not go round him, but both dance step 4 back to place (15-18).
1-16
(133-148)
4 Ladies' star: All W advance, take R hands, and walk CW (1-4), turn, take L in L, and walk CCW (5-8), and finish facing own partnerr. All dance step 1 beginning with R foot (9-10), then with L foot (11-12), again beginning with R foot (13-14) and with L foot (15-16).
1-14
(149-162)
5 W circle: All W back up to centre of the set, and take hands so as to form a circle facing outwards. Circle CW (1-4), then circle CCW (5-8). On the last beat of bar 8, all M advance to R of partner (ie partner is on Ms R side), take hands with the circle, and all dance step 2 beginning with L foot, three times (9-14). Each looks to the L on the first bar, to the R on the second bar (own partner), etc. M leads his partner back to place with R hand as usual.
1-24
(163-186)
Finale Finale: M4 leads his partner, with R hand, into the set and turned to face him (1-2). Couples 1, 2, and 3 ditto, one at a time (3-8). All curtsey/bow (9-12) and return to place with step 4 (13-16).
W1 and W3 advance, turn to the front and take inside hands (17-18), and advance to the front (19-20); meanwhile M1 and M3 follow their partners, but without holding hands. W2 and W4 join the line and all 4 W advance to the front (21-22); meanwhile M2 and M4 join the line of men, behind and somewhat to the left of their respective partners. All curtsey/bow (23-24).

Source: Karlson, Gustaf (red.) Svenska folkdanser och sällskapsdanser. Stockholm: Svenska Undomsringen för Bygdekultur, 1944. pp. 113-115, 187-189.
Translation: Laine Ruus, Oakville ON, 2015-07-24, rev. 2022-01-12.


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